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Students bring Energy and Emotion to Titanic When I first heard about Titanic – The Musical, I did not expect to like it.  After all, this is a story of a great tragedy – how could they turn it into a musical?  But to my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed the production I saw in Toronto […]

A Full Cast of Characters Delivered by Two There are many amazing things about Bed and Breakfast now on stage at Blyth Festival Theatre in Blyth.  First, it’s another hit by Mark Crawford.  Crawford is the playwright born and raised in the small town of Glencoe who has brought us the hilarious comedies Stag and Doe,

Yee Haw! Hogie takes the Stage   To the delight of the Petrolia audience, David Hogan owns the stage in the latest production Hogan’s Hoedown. Affectionately known as Hogie, he tells the audience that he spent over 32 years as an actor with several seasons at the Stratford and Shaw Festivals.  For the last eight

The Crucible’s Message is Missed   Arthur Miller’s works may be having a little revival here in southwestern Ontario.  In 2016, Stratford Festival offered a brilliant production of All My Sons in the old Tom Patterson Theatre, a gut-wrenching lesson in greed.  In 2017, Drayton Entertainment produced an equally powerful Death of a Salesman at

Inside the Press Room at the Courthouse The more things change, the more they stay the same.  As we approach 2020, we are concerned about corrupt politicians and fake news.  About 100 years ago, it was the same – unethical politicians lining their pockets and sensationalized news. The Front Page, now on stage at the

Tearing Families Apart One of the most difficult tasks that falls on the shoulders of adult children is to decide on care for elderly parents.  Siblings can’t even agree on whether or not mom and dad need to move into a long term care facility.  A brand new play In the Wake of Wettlaufer on stage at

Grease is the Word!   Grease is the word – but so are the words “powerful singing” and “high energy” when it comes to the production now on stage at Huron Country Playhouse in Grand Bend.  In fact, the whole show moves at the speed of greased lightning. The Broadway version of Grease came out

Diversity on Ice with Lots of Laughs There are some new members joining up over at the curling club.  We aren’t sure where this curling club is located – it might be in Petrolia.  There’s a Tim Hortons and a small hospital in this town, as well as the curling club.  Could be Strathroy.  Or

Bring the Grandkids or Grab the Neighbour’s Kids Playwright Caroline Smith continues to use her winning formula for panto writing, and another hit is on stage at Playhouse II in Grand Bend.  If you don’t recognize Smith’s name, well, perhaps you didn’t study her in your high school drama class.  Nevertheless, this is the fourth

Funny and Touching Look at Farm Succession Once again playwright Dan Needles demonstrates his amazing ability to get to the heart of farm life.  In his play The Team on the Hill, now on stage at the Blyth Festival Theatre, Needles examines the question of farm succession.  Can three generations exist together on the farm?