by Colin Thomas | May 3, 2025 | Review
In Act 1 of The Frontliners, playwright Zahida Rahemtulla’s storytelling is so unfocused it feels like nothing happens. Against all odds, Act 2 improves. The Frontliners is about an office force of three. Working for the fictional Canadian Newcomer Agency, their job...
by Colin Thomas | Mar 9, 2025 | Review
A Taste of Hong Kong engaged me — enough that I wanted it to engage me more. I was never bored. Written by Anonymous and performed by Derek Chan, this solo show starts off as a cooking class led by an energetic guy named Jackie. Teaching us about Hong Kong street...
by Colin Thomas | Apr 6, 2024 | Review
A better play is trying to emerge here, but you’ll only know that if you stick around for Act 2. In Canadian-Iranian playwright Aki Yaghoubi’s debut script Parifam, the eponymous central character is an architect who’s building Iranian museums in major cities around...
by Colin Thomas | Mar 8, 2024 | Review
Playwright and performer Jasmine Chen’s Jade Circle is a delicate, stylish, sometimes resonant piece of work that could use more concrete storytelling. Jade Circle is about reclaiming the language of one’s origin. In Chen’s autobiographical script, she shares the...
by Colin Thomas | Oct 31, 2016 | Review
I’m telling all the people I love most to see this show. Tetsuro Shigematsu’s Empire of the Son is exquisite. It’s also painstakingly honest. In his script, which Shigematsu performs solo, he explores his relationship with his father, Akira. In a talkback after the...