A Second Look at Nora’s Story Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House was written and first performed in 1879. At the time, theatregoers were shocked at Nora. How could a wife with a husband and three children, living in a perfect little doll house, possibly be unhappy? Her husband, Torvald, would be called a “mansplainer” […]
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The Sins of the Fathers The sins of the fathers shall be visited upon the sons. In Fences, the character Rose alludes to this Bible verse, and indeed, it is the message of this heart-wrenching play. Now on stage at London’s Grand Theatre, Fences is the story of a dysfunctional black family, struggling with
A Drag Race Across the Outback Take a cult movie, spin it into a jukebox musical, add fabulous costumes and a bus for a set, and you get Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Based on an Australian-made film, it’s the story of two drag queens and a transgender woman who travel across the Australian desert
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A Tale of Two Families Sometimes, you get caught up in other people’s assumptions, and you let a little white lie slip by. And then that little white lie grows and spreads, and pretty soon you are trapped within a big messy lie. That’s what happens in Dear Evan Hansen. High schoolers get wrapped
Another Examination of the Donnelly Massacre The Donnelly story has been told so many times that one might wonder what could possibly be new in Vigilante, currently on stage at The Grand Theatre in London. So you might be forgiven if you thought you could skip this show. But don’t miss it. It’s a
Sting Brings his Last Ship to the Stage The British seem to love turning their stories about hard-luck small towns caught in economic downturns into musicals. Billy Elliott is a musical of a boy from a coal mining town, when Margaret Thatcher shuts down all the mines – but Billy perseveres and becomes a
Great Drama from Secret Peace Talks In early 1992-93, a series of secret meetings was hidden away in a castle near Oslo. Orchestrated by Norwegian academic Terje Rod-Larsen, the peace talks were designed to prove his theory that he could bring enemies together to chat. Without the huge baggage brought by high level leaders,
A Strange but Compelling Play Before I begin, I have two confessions. First, I don’t like Homer’s Odyssey. I was forced to buy a very heavy copy of it as an undergrad English student. The spine was never cracked. Coles Notes got me through the finals, and that was all I wanted to know. Secondly,
When the Set Steals the Stage The Play That Goes Wrong, currently on stage in Toronto at the Ed Mirvish Theatre, is for anyone who has ever been involved with a play in high school, university, or community theatre. Actually, stagehands might appreciate this show even more than actors. As the title says, it’s about
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In the Battle of the Bands, School of Rock is a Winner If you were a fan of the 2003 movie, School of Rock, you will love this musical adaptation. Now on stage at the Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto, it has stayed true to the performance that made Jack Black a favourite. Yes, there
