Black History in Lucan There’s a fascinating story rooted in Lucan, but it seems that most of us in southwestern Ontario don’t know much about it. A new play on stage in Blyth, The Wilberforce Hotel, tells some of that tale, but not enough. It whetted my appetite and I came right home to google […]
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Jekyll and Hyde Romance Last Chance Romance now on stage at Playhouse II in Grand Bend, should be funny, but unfortunately misses the mark. Drayton Entertainment has billed it as a “fun-filled laughfest” and yes, there are some laughs along the way. But the billing also says it “crackles with humanity”, and that is where
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Be Who You Wanna Be March 2016 Update: The role of Lola is now played by Kyle Taylor Parker, and the role of Nicola is now played by Elena Juatco. Kinky Boots closes May 15, 2016 There hasn’t been this much fun on the stage of the Royal Alexandra Theatre since Mamma Mia! in 2000.
Patent Infringement or GMO Fight? As usual, the Blyth Festival continues to offer unusual and exciting Canadian fare. Their 2015 season has opened with a fascinating piece of documentary theatre. The play, Seeds, we are told, is a documentary: the playwright recorded all conversations during her research and used the information verbatim in her play.
The Battle of the Sexes To ease the audience into the Taming of the Shrew, it is set up as a play within a play. The introduction has been modernized in this production: Tom Rooney welcomes everyone, shows off a rack of costumes and explains that this is his eighth season at Stratford, but the
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An 18th Century Sit-Com She Stoops to Conquer has all the ingredients of a modern day sit-com, plus the comedy of mocking the foibles of the 1700s. It’s always funny when the audience knows that a character has assumed a different identity, and because it is set in England in the 18th century, the class
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Here’s my version of Entertainment Tonight, after being part of the opening night celebrations of Toronto’s Kinky Boots. We enjoyed the Canadian premier of Kinky Boots at the 108 year old Royal Alexandra Theatre. Our son, Thomas, who is part of the cast, provided us with tickets for the after party at the Westin Harbour
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At Victoria Playhouse, Petrolia Victoria Hall is home to beautiful displays of art in conjunction with the theatre season. When you come to What a Wonderful World, be sure to arrive early and see the watercolours of Jack Keefe. Jack was born in the small northern Ontario town of South Porcupine, and now lives in Sarnia.
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My Favourite Red-Headed Canadiana Note: This show is now closed at Huron Country Playhouse, but will run at Dunfield Theatre, Cambridge, October 14 to November 8, 2015 I love Anne of Green Gables – I first read the book when I was about 10 years old, and have re-read it several times. I have
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Inspiration and Motivation Ben Vereen is a verifiable, Tony award winning, Broadway triple-threat. He has appeared in hits such as Pippin, Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar. He has a long list of TV shows to his credit, most notably the landmark mini-series Roots, and more recently How I Met Your Mother. So what’s he doing
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