festival

Written by Katherine King and Hannah Vaartnou, this show is 45 minutes of pure cringe-making hell. Pretentious beyond belief, boring, amateur, with two young performers caught way over their heads. If the performers had produced this mess themselves I might just forgive them, instead they are betrayed by King’s hubris. (Here’s a concept for you, Ms. King - study that one and leave the hero’s journey and cabaret alone. No matter how “off balance” you try to keep us as an audience you cannot disguise the lack of talent displayed here.)

Performers Maya-Roisin Slater and Paisley Nahanee deserve better....

Our reviewer doesn't pull any punches...

Jigsaw is a blend of feel-good fun, smart humour, and quiet sincerity, and its young performers work hard to bring its nuances to life. Billed as “a youth-produced cabaret” that draws inspiration from the 1920s, The Hero's Journey, and our modern desires,” it is a series of inter-connected vignettes that follow two loosely-sketched characters (played by Maya-Roisin Slater and Paisley Nahanee) on a psychological and theatrical journey through the world of 1920s stage-performance. The scenes are conntected thematically, but each is also a self-contained drama and characters shift and transform from scene to scene.

Though it wanders into serious territory,...

Jigsaw

If, like me, you’ve been feeling overwhelmed with work and unable to do anything well because you’ve taken on too many things, then I suggest you head downtown to the salubrious surrounds of the Metro Parking Garage and take in Bridge Mix. It’s theatre with a serotonin kick and I guarantee you’ll come out feeling a whole lot better. Even if you’ve been feeling rather chipper, give it a go – we can always use a bit of body-induced sunshine.

Bridge Mix

Toronto’s fifth annual Sketch Comedy Festival has (long) come and gone, leaving behind a wake of satisfied audiences and enthused sketch artists.

This is not a picture of Justin or Ryan

Summer 2009 may seem sometime ago (especially by internet standards) but really was it so far back? Justin Haigh submitted his final round-up of mini-reviews for Toronto's SummerWorks Festival right in the middle of the Victoria and Vancouver Fringe Festival madness. We had to table the reviews - and Justin's take on the overall Festival experience - until now, when we've had a bit of a chance to catch our breath.

Feeling melancholy that summer play is over or the Melancholy Play from last summer.