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When Murder is Funny Reviewed by Mary Alderson Playwright Steven Gallagher writes in the program notes that “Murder at Ackerton Manor is my tribute to Agatha Christie with a little bit of Mel Brooks thrown in for good measure.” His description is pretty accurate: Yes, there is a dastardly murder but at the same time, […]

Stroll Through the Crooning Years Reviewed by Vicki Stokes As a fan of Michael Vanhevel, I was disappointed when I couldn’t make it to see The Crooner last year at St. Jacobs Schoolhouse Theatre. Fortunately, Alex Mustakas brought it to the South Huron stage at Huron Country Playhouse, as he says it is one of

Doing It By The Book Reviewed by Mary Alderson Remember all those “Dummies” books that came out about 10 or 15 years ago? In fact, I must confess, as I am sitting here at my desk, I can look over at my bookcase and see two in their distinctive yellow and black covers:  Playwriting for

Family Secrets, Old Grudges, Sibling Rivalry and Grandma Reviewed by Deb Lord Every family has a bit of dysfunction which needs to be shaken out of their family tree! Sibling rivalry, curses, grudges, old and new secrets turn a funeral into a hilarious day at Blyth Festival’s Liars at a Funeral. The play was written

A Few Laughs in a Dated Script Reviewed by Sookie Mei Port Stanley Theatre Festival is smack-dab in the middle of its season, with Wrong For Each Other the third play of six in the line-up, and it feels a bit like they have turned on the auto pilot.  An oft-produced show, Norm Foster’s script

Carole King’s Story: A Musical Memory Lane Reviewed by Vicki Stokes Huron Country Playhouse is now in full operation with the opening of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical on the Mainstage, the larger of the two venues. Once again, Drayton Entertainment is bringing affordable, high-quality entertainment to the Grand Bend area. This music-filled production is

Rousingly Beautiful, This Show Touches your Heart   Reviewed by Holly Wenning It’s been a while since I’ve seen a production at Victoria Playhouse in Petrolia, and I loved how different, poignant, and thoughtful this show was. Where the Heart Is continues on stage at VPP until June 25. Director David Hogan opened the preshow,

A Truly Canadian Soul Reviewed by Mary Alderson If you like a true story of someone overcoming a difficult childhood and somehow moving on to reach a goal, then you’ll enjoy the The Ballad of Stompin’ Tom. Like all Tom Connors’ songs, this musical tells a tale. The story of how little Tommy eventually becomes

Let Dorothy and Her Friends Entertain You Reviewed by Vicki Stokes All is wonderful in the town of Bayfield for Dorothy and her friends (friends of Dorothy, if you will!) That is until Toto gets into mischief with the terrible Gulch. The adventure of this fun cast of characters is a must-see for families with

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