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
“I Fart in your General Direction” Note: Spamalot has been extended until November 18, 2023. Reviewed by Mary Alderson Here is how I would sum up opening night of Spamalot at Stratford Festival: Wow, did it ever feel good to laugh. And there were many, many laugh-out-loud moments. Don’t tell me you’re not going because
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Dark Humour with a Different Lear Reviewed by Mary Alderson How wonderful to have Stratford Festival return to the grandeur of the opening week, something we haven’t seen since 2019. It felt like all the pomp and circumstance was back in place after Covid wreaked havoc with the last three seasons. In hopes of filling
Everything’s Coming Up Roses Reviewed by Mary Alderson Gypsy has just opened in Niagara-on-the-Lake on the Shaw Festival Stage. Kate Hennig owns that stage and rightly so – she is Rose, the ultimate stage mother. She makes the role her own. Rose is a narcissist, wanting all the attention for herself, and expecting her daughters
A Heartfelt Tribute to a Canadian Legend Reviewed by Sookie Mei Leisa Way and her Wayward Wind Band were rehearsing Early Morning Rain: The Legend of Gordon Lightfoot in Orillia, Lightfoot’s hometown, when they heard that the Canadian singer-songwriter had died. A sad day for all Canadians, it must have hit the band especially hard,
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Mid-life Crisis? Go to Greece! Reviewed by Mary Alderson Shirley is trapped in a midlife crisis. Her husband Joe is predictable and stubborn. “Marriage is like the Middle East,” she says, “There’s no solution. You keep your head down and hope the cease-fire holds.” The Liverpool housewife is so lonely she talks to the wall,
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Dysfunctional Family Ties Reviewed by Mary Alderson Divorce, distance, drinking – all the ingredients of an estranged father-son relationship. Not the usual fodder for a Norm Foster comedy. But while Mending Fences provides Foster’s signature quips and quick one-liners, there is also much to think about, when it comes to family dynamics. This dramedy (drama/comedy)
Bring Your Clapping Hands Reviewed by Sookie Mei It was good timing that I went to see The Grand Theatre’s East Coast Kitchen Party on the same day that the lineup was announced for this year’s Home County Music & Arts Festival. Watching and listening to the musicians on stage felt like I was at
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Back to the Eighties Reviewed by Mary Alderson If you’re looking for a time machine to transport you back to the 1980s, then look no further than the Elgin Theatre in Toronto. Rock of Ages, now on stage there, is guaranteed to make you believe you have reversed time 35 years. So “Don’t Stop Believing”.
