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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

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

Latest Roald Dahl Musical is More Frightening than Fun Matilda, the stage show based on the movie and taken from Roald Dahl’s book, was a big hit.  I enjoyed the dark humour which made Matilda funny when it was on stage in Toronto in the 2016 Mirvish presentation.  But that dark humour doesn’t translate well

Canada’s Boys in World War I As we approach the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I – The Great War, The War to End All Wars, Timothy Findlay’s The Wars seems more poignant than ever.  Now on stage at London’s Grand Theatre, the play certainly reinforces the Remembrance Day message – Lest

Closed due to pandemic. The Life and Times of The Temptations  Please note:  This show was reviewed in Toronto in Fall 2018.  It opened on Broadway March 21, 2019 at the Imperial Theatre, with the same cast.    Those of us who grew up in southwestern Ontario within the airwaves of The Big 8 CKLW knew

Big Music, Big Voices, Big Theatrics Note:  Bat out of Hell has returned to Toronto after its run here a year ago.  It will be at the Ed Mirvish Theatre October 16 to November 3, 2018.  Andrew Polec continues in the lead role, but some cast members have changed since this review was written in

The Possible Dream The story of the Man of La Mancha is one of dreaming and then achieving the impossible dream.  The production now on stage at the Hamilton Family Theatre in Cambridge is indeed a story of achievement.  Not only did Alex Mustakas, artistic director of Drayton Entertainment, envision and then build the theatre;