Monthly Archives: February 2011

Review: Wit’s End III: Lovelife (Sandra Shamas)

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By Sam Mooney

Sandra Shamas in Wit's End 111: Lovelife

Sandra Shamas could have called her show ‘love life’ because any way she tells it, she does.  And I love Sandra Shamas. I doubt that there is a post-menopausal Canadian woman who wouldn’t.  She’s everywoman.  More observant, definitely has better timing, is more articulate but her life is our life in the same way that it was when she first performed My Boyfriend’s Back And There’s Going To Be Laundry 25 years ago. Continue reading Review: Wit’s End III: Lovelife (Sandra Shamas) →

Review: Nixon In China (The Canadian Opera Company)

by Melissa Bridges

History is being brought to life on stage with the Canadian Opera Company’s current offering of John Adams’ Nixon in China. The 1987 opera, with a poetic libretto by Alice Goodman, chronicles US president Richard Nixon’s momentous trip to China in 1972. It’s a challenging work, thanks to its minimalist score and abstract story line, however the COC’s production is spectacular.

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L’Orchestre d’Hommes-Orchestres performs Tom Waits – March 2 to 5th, 2011, Toronto

Now that we have our tickets to see L’Orchestre d’Hommes-Orchestres at The Theatre Centre in Toronto I can finally write and tell you all about it so you can get your tickets now. (Note to ed.: We do have our tickets, don’t we?) The full name of the show is L’Orchestre d’Hommes-Orchestres performs Tom Waits and it’s (they’re) playing on March 2nd through March 5, 2011.

They played in Toronto last year for two sold-out nights so book your tickets now. I suspect this show will sell-out fast. We loved them last year.  Here are a couple of excerpts from the review:

  • “From the first bang of the suitcase to the last note of the encore L’Orchestre d’Hommes-Orchestres performing the Music of Tom Waits was fabulous.”
  • “It’s not easy to classify the evening.  It’s not a concert, and it’s not a play; it’s a performance of music. As my play partner John said, “It’s Rube Goldberg music”.  It’s music you have to watch because so much depends on the sight gags.”
  • “This isn’t your regular run-of-the-mill Tom Waits tribute; it’s a rollicking, sometimes raucous, ride with Tom Waits as the  connection between the performers and audience.”

Here’s L’Orchestre d’Hommes-Orchestres’ Facebook page. I can’t wait to see them again.  And I promise you’ll have a great evening. It’s not a big venue so book your tickets now.

Details:

– L’Orchestre d’Hommes-Orchestres performs Tom Waits is playing at The Theatre Centre (1087 Queen Street West)
– The show runs from Wednesday March 2nd through Saturday March 5th, 2011, with performances at 7.30 pm (Performances run for about 2 hours)
– Tickets are $25.00 and are available by phone – 416-538-0988 – or online or in person at the box office one hour before the performance.

Review: The Man in Black: A Tribute to Johnny Cash (Mirvish)

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By Sam Mooney

The Man in Black: A Tribute to Johnny Cash
You could be forgiven for asking whether The Man in Black: A Tribute to Johnny Cash – a Mirvish production –  is theatre.  After all isn’t it just another tribute band? Yes and no. Yes, it’s theatre.  By my definition anyway.  And, no, this isn’t just another tribute band.  They’re terrific.  Shawn Barker is Johnny Cash.  He bears a striking resemblance to a young Cash and, as well as sounding like him, moves like him.

Think of the show as a musical with very few words or as a discography on the stage.

Rather than trying to reproduce an actual concert we’re treated to a what if concert.  The stories that Barker as Cash tells aren’t necessarily the things Johnny Cash actually said but are things that he could have said.

Continue reading Review: The Man in Black: A Tribute to Johnny Cash (Mirvish) →