TOM CREAN – DISCOVERING ANTARCTICA: WHY?

TOM CREAN – DISCOVERING ANTARCTICA: WHY?

There’s nothing there. I’m not talking about Antarctica; I’m talking about Aidan Dooley’s script for his solo show Tom Crean – Discovering Antarctica. It’s not as though the actual history isn’t rich; a lot happened. Tom Crean, an Irish sailor in the English...
RIDGE IS CLEAR-EYED

RIDGE IS CLEAR-EYED

This is an odd compliment I know, but, watching Ridge, I kept thinking, “This show is like a block of wood.” It’s so solid and complete: so densely ethical and intelligent, so wholly and naturally itself. Written by Brendan McLeod, brought to fruition with the band...
ECHO: MOSTLY SPECTACULAR, SOMETIMES LESS

ECHO: MOSTLY SPECTACULAR, SOMETIMES LESS

Cirque du Soleil’s ECHO gave me so much. I want to talk about those things first. The look of the show is fantastic. The only set piece is an enormous white cube — 12 tons and the size of a two-storey apartment building. Designed by Es Devlin, the cube rotates and...
KEEP CALM AND MURRAY ON: FOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY ONLY

KEEP CALM AND MURRAY ON: FOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY ONLY

Keep Calm and Murray On is kind of like a kids’ tap recital: the only reason to attend is if you know somebody who’s performing in it and you want to be supportive. With a couple of exceptions, the evening is an amateurish mess. Keep Calm is being billed as an...
CHARLIE AND THE (DARK) CHOCOLATE FACTORY

CHARLIE AND THE (DARK) CHOCOLATE FACTORY

I haven’t seen the film or read the book, but Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the musical comes into its own when it’s at its nastiest. There are upsides and downsides to this. (I’m mostly going to deal with the downsides first, but hang in with this review if you...
EARWORM: WORKS ITS WAY IN

EARWORM: WORKS ITS WAY IN

Playwright Mohammad Yaghoubi’s Earworm is such an intriguing combination of elements. They didn’t all work for me, but they sure as hell kept me engaged. The central relationship is between an Iranian-Canadian podcaster named Homa and her adult son Pendar, who lives...