Archives

Under the Sea, Darling it’s Better, Down where it’s Wetter…    Huron Country Playhouse was packed with little girls wearing fish tails and glitter, and little boys all dressed up for the opening of The Little Mermaid.  This favourite Disney classic will sell out, and I predict Grandmas and Moms will be scrambling for tickets.  […]

When Local Lore Meets Local History   Gil Garratt tells us that interviews were conducted to collect the local legends about Blyth’s favourite watering hole, The Boot.  He claims the names were changed to protect the innocent and the guilty.   But throughout the audience on opening night, there was laughter of recognition, and the type

Integrating Baltimore   Note:  This production was originally reviewed at the Hamilton Family Theatre in Cambridge.  It is now on stage at the King’s Wharf Theatre, Penetanguishene, August 9 to September 1. Last year on TV, I heard a Trump supporter yelling the slogan “Make America Great Again”, and a reporter asking him “When was

Better than a Hip Replacement    Note: This play was originally reviewed at Playhouse II in 2017.  It is now playing at the Hamilton Family Theatre in Cambridge August 9 to August 26, 2018. Another great Norm Foster comedy is on stage at Playhouse II in Grand Bend.  Foster, as I have often explained before,

A Comedic Trip into History with a Sobering Conclusion Blyth Festival Artistic Director Gil Garratt brings the play 1837: The Farmers’ Revolt home to the theatre where it was born.  Yet this is the first time it’s actually been performed on this stage for an audience.  What a special homecoming. 1837: The Farmers’ Revolt was

Hilarious British Farce Highlights Political Scandal Note:  This play was originally reviewed at Playhouse II, Grand Bend.  It is now on stage at St. Jacobs Country Playhouse, August 15 to September 1. Remember the good, old days when the whiff of a sex scandal would force a philandering politician to resign immediately?  Nowadays, even a

Talented Cast makes up for Thin Plot After various musical revues at Victoria Playhouse, I was looking forward to seeing an actual musical with a plot.  But The Andrews Brothers, currently on stage, is more of a revue than an actual musical.  There is a plot, but it is pretty thin. Peggy Jones is excited

Let’s Celebrate Canada Every Year!     What happens when Alex Mustakas and David Rogers work together?  You get a hybrid:  a superior product, by putting two shows together.  Mustakas, artistic director at Drayton Entertainment, and Rogers, co-artistic director at Victoria Playhouse, Petrolia, have both created all-Canadian shows in the past.  So now they’ve taken the

Grandparents & Kiddies Alike will Love the Ugly Stepsisters    Drayton Entertainment has hit the mark again with a panto that offers lots of fun for the wee ones and enough laughs to keep Mom & Dad or Grandma & Grandpa entertained.  Caroline Smith, the same playwright who brought us the Aladdin and Snow White

Like Piglets, this Play Needs a Chance to Grow Here’s the best thing about Blyth Festival:  It introduces brand new Canadian works.  Then it helps those plays find their place on Canadian stages.  As their audience, we get to see the birth of a play, and sometimes we are allowed to see it grow. With