“Damn,” I thought to myself in the queue on Commercial Drive, smelling the melange of odours donated by several restaurants in mid-Drive business, various herbal vapours wafting past from patrons in need of their pneumonic medications, and a bit of bike smells, perfumery and human aromas. We had to line up on the curb to avoid blocking the strollers and becoming invalided by bikes on the sidewalk. I wished I knew more of One Crazy Frenchman’s first take on his alter ego. I wished I had seen it performed at that earlier Fringe.
Toronto indie musician “Gentleman Reg” is Regina, a self-assured drag queen who tells her story of growing up in Guelph. She begins with how she got “out of the closet” that she was the last to know she was in. Now Regina, a true diva, is ‘out’ and taking audiences on a first date full of ‘80s inspired song, style and dance. She performs some original songs from her album as well. Her monologues are literally glamorous as they engage us with witty lyrics that poke fun at everything we want to poke fun at, including ourselves.
Wow. What a delightful treat. I admit, I was very much looking forward to seeing this show from the start. I'm not a big fan of the traditional “clown” (they scare me actually - ahem...Poltergeist…It…enough said) but I do have a full appreciation for the fierce commitment that buffoonery demands in order to capture an audience, and capture them she did. The audience was on the edge of their seat from the moment this amazing curvy clown stepped on stage. A Bouffon protege of Cirque du Soliel’s Masimo Agostinelli, Priscilla Costa had the audience roaring with laughter and eating out of the...
Rhonda Badonda: Pain in Her Brain is a credit to the solo show format. Rhonda Musak, the writer and performer of this creative autobiographical piece, fills the stage with motion and personality. She slips into her many characters with ease, and while some of the accents don't quite ‘stick’, the characters themselves are lovingly crafted and portrayed. Musak acts, narrates, and sometimes dances her way through the experience of growing up with a learning disorder she doesn't know she has, a story she tells with glowing wit and humor.
Martin Dockery’s latest one-man marvel reminded me of why I f**cking love solo theatre.
Have you ever seen YouTube videos of Indian snake charmers? Stop reading this, go to YouTube and google “indian snake charmer with 4 kobras” and then come back.
You’re back! Great.
Dockery is both snake charmer and snake. If that doesn’t sound like a compliment, it is. His strangely magnetic presence makes it impossible to look away...
Sigh. I really wanted this to be good. The actor/writer duo of Katie Hartman and Nick Ryan have come all the way from New York City. This is clearly a labour of love for them. They’re young, smart, dedicated and talented, but their show just doesn’t work.
For me to explain what doesn’t work about this play, I need to first set the scene. This is a two hander, loosely based on the childhood and short stories of lauded writer Edgar Allan Poe. Sounds good...
The Canadian premiere of Post Secret: The Show is happening at the Firehall Arts Centre. With a cast of three plus a guitarist, the show promises an exploration of the worldwide phenomenon that is found online at postsecret.com. Below you'll find Twitter commentary and interactions about the performance on opening night.
TWITTER COMMENTARY FOR YOU:
@allysonmcgrane At opening for Post Secret: The Show @FirehallArtsCte + see lots of people (young crowd). #PSVancouver #yvr
@allysonmcgrane Show tagline is "Free your secrets and become who you are." Is that why we're invited to leave secrets on the bathroom mirror? #PSVancouver
REPLY FROM @PostSecretShow ...
Cast of Kahlil Ashanti, Nicolle Nattrass, Ming Hudson (photo by Emily Cooper)
The premiere performance of Nightmare Before the Nutcracker is happening at Vancouver's own Rio Theatre on December 5 and 12. Meant as an alternative, Gothic take on the Christmas classic, this performance features a mash-up of music, burlesque, circus and Tim Burton characters. For adults only.
Written by Chris Murdoch, the script features characters from The Nutcracker as well as Tim Burton films such as A Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice and Mars Attacks! It tells the story of young Clara at Christmas who finds herself entering a mystical world where her Nutcracker Prince is none other than Edward Scissorhands...
Voodoo Pixie - one of the show's burlesque performers
Don’t miss Stickboy, a contemporary opera written by Neil Weisensel and Shane Koyczan playing at the Vancouver Playhouse Oct 23 – Nov 7.
I don’t know if you’ve seen the posters around town with phrases like “Nobody likes you.” scribbled in white on a vast black background. It's an evocative campaign. This opera got under my skin. As it was supposed to. I hope it gets under yours. My response was anything but objective:
As the lights dimmed my inner defiant child hunkered low...
You don’t have to be a fan of the Evil Dead films to enjoy this musical spoof playing at the Norman Rothstein Theatre, but you are going to feel a little left out if you’re not. The best thing about the evening was being surrounded by enthusiasts, on stage and off, everyone there was committed to having a silly, gory, geeky, good time. The atmosphere extended all the way out of the splash zone and spilled into the lobby.
This is not high brow humour, but it is well-executed. The set was more high-tech than I had been expecting,...
