Mary

Doing It By The Book Reviewed by Mary Alderson Remember all those “Dummies” books that came out about 10 or 15 years ago? In fact, I must confess, as I am sitting here at my desk, I can look over at my bookcase and see two in their distinctive yellow and black covers:  Playwriting for […]

Family Secrets, Old Grudges, Sibling Rivalry and Grandma Reviewed by Deb Lord Every family has a bit of dysfunction which needs to be shaken out of their family tree! Sibling rivalry, curses, grudges, old and new secrets turn a funeral into a hilarious day at Blyth Festival’s Liars at a Funeral. The play was written

A Few Laughs in a Dated Script Reviewed by Sookie Mei Port Stanley Theatre Festival is smack-dab in the middle of its season, with Wrong For Each Other the third play of six in the line-up, and it feels a bit like they have turned on the auto pilot.  An oft-produced show, Norm Foster’s script

Carole King’s Story: A Musical Memory Lane Reviewed by Vicki Stokes Huron Country Playhouse is now in full operation with the opening of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical on the Mainstage, the larger of the two venues. Once again, Drayton Entertainment is bringing affordable, high-quality entertainment to the Grand Bend area. This music-filled production is

Rousingly Beautiful, This Show Touches your Heart   Reviewed by Holly Wenning It’s been a while since I’ve seen a production at Victoria Playhouse in Petrolia, and I loved how different, poignant, and thoughtful this show was. Where the Heart Is continues on stage at VPP until June 25. Director David Hogan opened the preshow,

A Truly Canadian Soul Reviewed by Mary Alderson If you like a true story of someone overcoming a difficult childhood and somehow moving on to reach a goal, then you’ll enjoy the The Ballad of Stompin’ Tom. Like all Tom Connors’ songs, this musical tells a tale. The story of how little Tommy eventually becomes

Let Dorothy and Her Friends Entertain You Reviewed by Vicki Stokes All is wonderful in the town of Bayfield for Dorothy and her friends (friends of Dorothy, if you will!) That is until Toto gets into mischief with the terrible Gulch. The adventure of this fun cast of characters is a must-see for families with

Is it Only a Disappearing Act? Reviewed by Mary Alderson In 2018, Stratford Festival included in its roster the play Napoli Milionaria! by Eduardo de Filippo. Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino directed it. It was a fascinating story about life in Italy in World War II. Based on that success, Cimolino is directing Grand Magic by

Forget Regret, or Life is Yours to Miss Note: Rent has been extended to November 5. Reviewed by Mary Alderson It’s a story about the lack of affordable housing, about drug and alcohol addiction, about violence in the streets, about police brutality, about homophobia and prejudice, and about the deadly rise in HIV/AIDS. It doesn’t