Author Archive
Review: 2000 Candles (The Arts Engine)
By Samantha Wu
‘Tis the season for the fat man in the red suit to descend upon millions of homes across the globe while riding a sleigh propelled by reindeer travelling faster than the speed of sound. How else is he supposed to visit every home in the span of one night?
‘Tis the season for Christmas pageants gone awry complete with mini-prima donnas playing Mary and that awkward kid chewing
on the ear of his sheep’s costume. ‘Tis the season for 2000 Candles,
a delightfully hilarious set of vignettes celebrating the many ways Christmas is celebrated. Read the rest of this entry »
Review: Uncharted Zones – A Sequence of Four (Monkeyman Productions)
By Samantha Wu
It’s like watching The Twilight Zone – four episodes exploring the human connection with the unknown and the unexpected and how we cope with what we will never know. Each piece is a rest stop along a galactic highway of past and future. This is what you can expect when sitting down to experience Uncharted Zones by Monkeyman Productions.
Directed by Martin Chodorek, written by D. J. Sylvis, and featuring the performances of Martha Girvin, Jennifer Kenneally, Michael Mackinnon, Amanda Ives, and Leeman Kessler as The Tour Guide, these four mini plays provoke the audience to ponder life in ways many have not considered. Read the rest of this entry »
Review: The One – Love and Obsession Theatre (Good Humour Productions)
By Samantha Wu
What is it to fall in love? And while we’re at it, what does it mean to find The One? How about multiple ones? How many “ones” are there for a single person? And if one chooses to limit themselves to a single “one” how many other possible “ones” are we then closing ourselves off to? June Morrow explores the act of loving and finding love in her one-woman show aptly titled The One. Read the rest of this entry »
Review: Cabaret Enchanté (Les Coquettes)
By Samantha Wu
It’s the Sunday before Halloween Monday and after a long month of new job stress, is it so much to ask for an evening with gorgeous nearly naked girls (and guys)? I sure hope not. I harbour a distinct admiration for the art of burlesque and when I read about Les Coquettes’ Cabaret Enchanté show of fairy tales gone awry, I jumped at the opportunity.
When my date, Bob, and I arrived at the Revival club, we were pleasantly surprised by the huge crowd filing through the doors – a sea of beautifully adorned people: fascinators, pin-curls, glitz, glitter and costumes galore. The crowd took their seats and when the lights dimmed and the music started, our gaze wasn’t captured by the stage up front but by the spotlight focused to the back of the club as the cast of stunningly dolled up performers took to the stage through the crowd. Read the rest of this entry »
Review: I Send You This Cadmium Red (Canadian Stage and Art of Time Ensemble)
By Samantha Wu
It’s not a play; it’s not a standard story that you can easily follow along. It has elements of dance, movement and spoken word against bright colourful projections all set to live orchestrated music. Different is an understatement, you have to see it to really understand it. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I first walked into the Berkeley Street Theatre to witness I Send You This Cadmium Red so I simply allowed myself to be taken where the performance was going to take me. It turned out to be a rather unexpected ride. Read the rest of this entry »
Review: A Fool’s Life (Ahuri Theatre in Association with Why Not Theatre)
By Samantha Wu
I’m beginning to see a theme in the recent plays I’ve seen on behalf of MoT. I’m drawn to stories driven by intense emotion – passion, rage and obsession – yet still maintaining a sense of whimsy, of humor and also the macabre. Something that is in essence beautifully grotesque. The show I was asked to review last night covers all of that. Just in time to draw in a month of horror comes A Fool’s Life presented by Ahuri Theatre and Why Not Theatre based on the works of Akutagawa Ryunosuke.
The play is comprised of three short stories The Nose, Horse Legs and Hell Screen commonly narrated by Julian DeZotti portraying Akutagawa himself. In a series of flashbacks and memories, the production reflects the writer’s chaotic life and his battles with mental illness that ultimately lead to his suicide. Read the rest of this entry »
Review: Pains of Youth (WORKhouse Theatre)
By Samantha Wu
“Bourgeois existence or suicide.” I can’t find a better way of describing Pains of Youth, an adaptation by Martin Crimp based on the play Krankheit der Jugend (The Sickness of Youth) by Austrian playwright Theodor Tagger writing under the pseudonym Ferdinand Bruckner and directed by Richie Wilcox. “Warning: Contains scenes of sexual and emotional violence” also serves as a great description. This production is not for the faint of heart. Read the rest of this entry »
Review: Dreams Really Do Come True! (And Other Lies) (The Second City)
By Samantha Wu
I love The Second City. It’s a wonderful place where some of the greatest comedic names that ever graced the stage, the tube (in the form of SCTV and Saturday Night Live), and the big screen (Wayne’s World anyone?) got their start. This is where legends like Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Eugene Levy, Mike Myers, and John Candy learned how to perfect their funny. With that in mind, attending Dreams Really Do Come True! (And Other Lies) (directed Kerry Griffin), a comedic sketch performance, at this golden staple of a venue holds high ground. Read the rest of this entry »
Review: Babel Rap (Speakeasy Productions)
By Samantha Wu
It’s yet another hot evening in the city; one of those evenings where I can feel my face drip as I walk. Not fun. So I’m very appreciative of a theatre venue (namely the Bread and Circus) where I can enjoy an icy beer and a play at the same time. The play in question is Babel Rap written by John Lazarus and directed by Emilio Vieira. Read the rest of this entry »
Operation Impervious (Skinny Jo Productions/Port Moresby Productions) 2011 Toronto Fringe Review
By Samantha Wu
The Fringe Festival is coming into its last day and as I head out to my final show for the season (a late show to boot) I’m hoping it’s a performance I’m going to enjoy. What I mean is, I’m tired and I really need to have fun so I can keep going! Bil Antoniou’s Operation Impervious was just that. Read the rest of this entry »