THE CHAIR ON THE DOOR (Fringe review)
Yeah, baby! This is how you do it. Travis Abels’s autobiographical solo show is about growing up in a doomsday cult. His church had particularly stringent prohibitions about sex but, when Travis was 12 — I’m going to refer to the theatrical character as Travis in this...
Goblin: Macbeth — The press photos are as good as it gets
Presales for Goblin:Macbeth were so strong that Bard on the Beach extended the show’s run before it opened. But Goblin:Macbeth is a waste of time. I understand the initial excitement. I shared it. The idea of goblins (weird and fantastical) performing Macbeth (dark...
Matilda the Musical: an excellent production of one of my favourites
During the intermission at Matilda the Musical, my partner and I took a little stroll down towards the orchestra pit. And we noticed something: a bunch of the kids in the audience were already writing their reviews of the show — with their bodies. I saw a very little...
The Prom: a tearjerking good time
Anna Pontin could well become a star. Let’s establish that right off the top. The second thing to say is that, if I were rating this piece on a teardrop scale, it would score a solid five. This production of The Prom ain’t perfect, but it is undeniably moving. The...
Henry V: an awful rewrite
Director Lois Anderson hasn't just adapted Shakespeare’s Henry V for Bard on the Beach, she has attempted to rewrite it — and the results are a mess. In Henry V, the reckless young Prince Hal of Henry IV, turns into a warrior whose troops slaughter the French at the...
Million Dollar Quartet: artistry and marketing
Director Bobby Garcia’s production of Million Dollar Quartet is so slick. His direction is tight, the design is fantastic, and the cast has talent pouring out of them. But I also felt like I was being marketed to and that significantly cut into my enjoyment. It might...
Julius Caesar: splendid
Director Cherissa Richards’s production of Julius Caesar for Bard on the Beach is riveting from start to finish. I have never experienced such a successful interpretation of this play. Part of the credit has to go to Stephen Drover’s driving adaptation, which cuts...
Rotterdam: I liked its inhabitants
This production of Rotterdam from the new queer company Under His Lyre features good work by emerging actors in a script that's pretty bad. In Rotterdam, playwright John Brittain tells the story of Fiona and Alice. They’re a couple, and Alice is just about to send a...
As You Like It (most of the time)
It’s wonderful. There are holes in it. But it’s still wonderful. When I first saw director Daryl Cloran’s Beatles-inspired adaptation of As You Like It in its premiere at Bard on the Beach five years ago, I was smitten. Cloran has cut half of Shakespeare’s text and...
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