A war. The sacrifice of a mother’s first born. The murder of a son protecting his sister. A love in exile. The disgrace of a noble general. Titus Andronicus starts off with enough conflict and blood in the first scene to have you checking for daggers in your own back.
What's for dinner? Titus Andronicus: Jennifer Lines, Russell Roberts, Julien Galipeau, Bob Frazer; Photo: David Blue
In Metamorphoses Theatre Company's production of Chicago playwright Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses (based on Ovid’s myths of the same name), the ten actors constantly circle into and out of pool of waist-high water - a backyard children's pool edged with stairs and a faux-stone "deck" that functions as the stage.
Pomona (Michelle Kim) caught in a moment of doubt. Photo: Alan Katowitz
Why Not Theatre’s I’m So Close It’s Not Even Funny is an exceptional piece of theatre but it’s difficult to write about as a whole because it contains so many different parts and pieces and so many different styles and ideas. The experienced company consisting of Katrina Bugaj, Troels Hagen Findsen and Ravi Jain created the piece and perform it with vigor, ease and delight.
I'm So Close It's Not Even Funny: what time is it again?
(never underestimate) The Power, presented by One Reed Theatre and directed by Paul Thompson, is constructed from a series of monologues/vignettes created by writer-performers, Evan Webber, Frank Cox-O’Connel and Megan Flynn. An exploration of how three different characters were effected by and perceived the August 2003 Blackout (never underestimate) The Power, is set on Toronto’s Queen Street West on the day the power went out.
Frieda has Alzheimer’s or some similar memory-impairment – her nephew, Matthew, is a drug-addicted beggar who is probably homeless – they meet every Friday in a park, or they’re supposed to but Matthew has stopped showing up or maybe never showed up (it’s not quite clear) – he makes these arrangements by phone –
Maybe it should be called the Sixth Sense effect. For the third review in a row, I feel obligated to issue a spoiler warning for something that happens in the final reel – er last scene – that impacts on the whole work. Fortunately, there’s no bloodshed involved in the reveal that is meant to unlock meaning in this three-hander.
Ablaze: Rosa Laborde and Jayne Collins play sisters with bite
Does the modern world disappoint you at times? Especially when a consumerist society suggests that bought beauty is equal to integrity? Or when liberalism (a big hug to JS Mill) has been subverted by infantilism?
Vaughn Jones & Leslie Brownlee as Eros & Psyche - the perfect couple. Photo: Pink Monkey
The Play:
Flux, an in-concert reading of an operatic musical about
Scottish history and war by Margaret Sweatman. The play is almost as
confusing as the panel you are about to read.
Through his Gracing the Stage newsletter, Steve Fisher is an institution on the Toronto performing arts scene. We’re thrilled to provide Steve’s mini-reviews on this year’s SummerWorks Festival.
For the second review in a row I have to issue a spoiler warning (ironically, for similar reasons). So, if you’re seeing Crush stop reading, immediately.
