Few would dispute the fact that Robert Lepage is Canada’s most celebrated stage director, and a global brand unto himself. Lepage is such a powerhouse that it is quite surprising to see him take on a far less dominant and much more vulnerable role in the multidisciplinary spectacle that is Eonnagata. This is not to say that Lepage is unaccustomed to a collaborative creative process, in fact he is the first to admit that his company, Ex Machina, is littered with artistic minds in whose instincts he trusts. Eonnagata is nevertheless a departure for Lepage - although given the...
Ballet BC opened its 25th season with Songs of a Wayfarer and Other Works. The evening began with the titular work, “Songs of a Wayfarer,” a four-movement piece set to the music of Gustav Mahler, choreographed by Emily Molnar. In many respects, the piece radiated the aura of classical refinement that one associates with ballet: cherished music is translated with lyrical gesture by dancers whose bodies are highly-trained instruments of interpretation. Mahler's Songs 1-V and VII suffused the theatre with an atmosphere of delicate melancholy, and the setting felt like a moody, early 19th century Romantic painting: dancers navigated a...
Justin: This has got to be one of my favourite festivals of the year. It may not be as gargantuan as Luminato, nor as circus-like as the Fringe, nor as heady as SummerWorks, but for sheer entertainment value it is hard to beat. Just for Laughs makes for an obvious comparison, but their focus is primarily on standup. Although standup and sketch share the common goal of laughter, the two are entirely different creatures and I love the fact that sketch and its dedicated practitioners have their own week to shine.
I had a great time this year, what about...
Deadpan Powerpoint part of this year's Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival
Combine Michel Marc Bouchard’s admirable script, UBC’s talented Bachelor of Fine Arts students, and skilful director, Craig Holzschuh, and what do you get? A stunning, professional and praiseworthy production by Theatre at UBC.
Sankai Juku has blown me away at least three times now. The first was when I initially learned about them in my Japanese Performance class during my undergraduate degree. The second time was when I saw them perform their piece Kagemi at Place des Arts in Montreal in 2006, and most recently, they did it once more through their piece Tobari: As if in an Inexhaustible Flux.
Mimi (or A Poisoner’s Comedy) set in seventeenth century France, is a modern musical, with a clever and creepy feel that I loved. In this Touchstone production currently on at the Firehall Arts Centre, lavish costumes and wigs transport the audience to a world where debauchery rules. The opening scene is a rich romp in a Paris boudoir with sex, music, and Louis XIV's lavish draped material. Even the pianist plays in costume and wig.
Debauchery is fun but when Mimi’s lover introduces death to her it proves even more titillating. Mimi uses pigeons to bake her poisonous pies so...
Love Fights is Solo Collective Theatre’s latest production featuring two one-act plays - Coffee Makes Me Cry by Adam Underwood, and The Trolley Car by Amiel Gladstone. Both plays are essentially about love and how it can affect the choices we make, but in two very different, and somewhat absurd, situations.
Coffee Makes Me Cry tells the story of Steven (Raphael Kepinski), and Jasmine (Emelia Symington Fedy), who agree to go on a blind date together after the match-making efforts of a mutual friend. The date could not begin more awkwardly, with clumsy conversation and a poorly-timed waiter (Hamza...
Raphael Kepinski and Emelia Symington Fedy make love in Coffee Makes Me Cry
On the night I saw Dr Egg and the Man with No Ear the audience was resolutely adult. This is a shame because this Australian production, which was re-staged recently in Chicago and is currently on at the Cultch, would be a great introduction for young people to the power of theatre to create beautiful and evocative imagery. The visual flair that the production exhibits – which ranges from crisp projections (animated by Jamie Clennett) through to puppets (built by Graeme Davis) to the clever set and costume (designed by Jonathon Oxlade), all supported by a wonderful musical score (by...
Shadow Machine, the latest work by Co. Erasga (presented at W2 Storyeum from Oct 21-30), is described in broad strokes in its press materials, as “an exploration of the conflicting relationships humanity has held with machines and the industrial process since the first years of the industrial revolution.” Based on this ambitious description, I expected the performance to examine technological evolution in a large sense, and anticipated an evening of strangely morphed bodies and surreal technological experiments. While Shadow Machine did indeed feature inventive sets and mechanistic choreography, the narrative elements of the work were more idiosyncratic and...
Before the show starts, I suddenly realize that this experience is so American. It just feels hopelessly sincere and awfully over the top. The warmup guy (otherwise known as Vince Fontaine played by Eddie Mekka of “Laverne and Shirley” fame) tried his best to get this Vancouver crowd going but wow what a cold cold room. Eventually, there was actual singing and even some minimal hand jiving. It's all a bit crazy for me. He is certainly a talented guy but I don't know if this is the right town for this kind of schtick.
