by Colin Thomas | Sep 13, 2021 | Review
When I heard that this autobiographical solo show was about the performer changing his first name, I thought, “So what?” But Hi, My Name is Jai is engaging for most of its 60 minutes because writer/performer Jai Djwa brings so much richness to it. Djwa’s dad was an...
by Colin Thomas | Sep 13, 2021 | Review
Especially in these tough times, I don’t want to give anybody a bad review, but Iago vs. Hamlet didn’t work for me. The premise of playwright Jayson McDonald’s two-hander is simple: in a mix-up, Iago and Hamlet have rented the same rehearsal space for an hour. After...
by Colin Thomas | Aug 18, 2021 | Review
When does a pile have no depth? When it’s a pile of clichés. I can understand why programming Beneath Springhill: The Maurice Ruddick Story might have looked like a good idea. This solo musical is based on the real-life experience of Maurice Ruddick, a Black Canadian...
by Colin Thomas | Aug 17, 2021 | Review
For me, the two most personalized passages in Done/Undone, screenwriter Kate Besworth’s new film about the current relevancy — or irrelevancy — of Shakespeare’s work, are also the most successful. In Done/Undone, which was initially commissioned by Bard on the Beach...
by Colin Thomas | Aug 6, 2021 | Review
Maybe the best way to see these two short scripts is as seedlings. In Gather: Stories in Nature, Shayna Jones and Cameron Peal both perform solo plays they’ve written about their relationships to the earth. In a (mostly) productive decision, their work is being...
by Colin Thomas | Aug 4, 2021 | Review
The Magic Hour opened me up and rearranged me. It was extraordinary. The Magic Hour offers an immersive experience that audience members go through one at a time — or in pairs if you need to. The idea is that you’re finishing a dog walk and re-entering your home...
