Manipulating Madness Reviewed by Mary Alderson The production of Gaslight, now on stage at the Royal George Theatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake should make the Shaw Festival very proud. One of their own, actor and playwright Patty Jamieson along with Johnna Wright, has created a new version of Gaslight. Originally written in 1938, the play was dated […]

The Devil Made Me Do It Reviewed by Mary Alderson Many Toronto Maple Leaf fans will understand the premise of Damn Yankees.  I’m sure there are plenty of Leafs’ fans who would sell their soul to the Devil in exchange for a Stanley Cup.  In Damn Yankees, we meet Joe Boyd, a fanatical fan of […]

Happy Days are Here Again! Reviewed by Vicki Stokes May flowers are blooming and yet Victoria Playhouse Petrolia is celebrating New Year’s Eve at a jazz club in the year 1929.  But this is perfectly okay: VPP has had to put a hold on this show since 2020.  It is a thrill for everyone, from […]

The Secrets of Show Biz Reviewed by Mary Alderson People are always keen to hear show business’s inside stories. TV programs like Etalk or Entertainment Tonight exist only to offer a peek into what the stars are doing. Everyone loves to know what’s happening behind the scenes. So Canadian star of stage and screen Jake […]

Re-opened post pandemic Fasten Your Seatbelts –Come From Away is Going to Take Off!     Note:  This review is based on the Toronto production in 2016.  It is now on Broadway at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, 236 West 45th Street, New York, NY 10036.Come From Away returns to Toronto, opening February 13, 2018, with a new Canadian […]

Toronto show closed due to pandemic. History Made Modern, Warts and All The more things change, the more they stay the same.  Politicians were ruthless, aggressively ambitious, lacking in morals, and eager to avenge petty jealousies in 1776. Unfortunately, many remain the same today.  Hamilton, now on stage at the Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto, is […]

To reopen on Broadway April 2022. Heartbreaking Stories Give New Life to Dylan’s Songs Note:  This show was reviewed in Toronto in 2019.  It went on to open on Broadway in March 2019.   Back in 2016, I was surprised when Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, becoming the first songwriter to win […]

Closed due to pandemic. The Life and Times of The Temptations  Please note:  This show was reviewed in Toronto in Fall 2018.  It opened on Broadway March 21, 2019 at the Imperial Theatre, with the same cast.    Those of us who grew up in southwestern Ontario within the airwaves of The Big 8 CKLW knew […]