The Whipping Man is educational, historical – and captivating – theatre, at Toronto Centre for the Arts

I watched Whipping Man on opening night at the Toronto Centre for the Arts accompanied by our founding editor Megan Mooney. Generally I don’t make the trek out to North York – or close enough – for a show. There’s plenty of great theatre I can watch in the downtown area but, considering that Megan really wanted to see this show, directed by her idol Philip Akin, I knew I would be in for a treat and I was!

When the show started I was sitting there with my notebook discreetly folded in one hand and a pen in the other. I didn’t write a single word for the first 45 minutes at least, since at intermission the page was blank and my hand was full of smudged ink. I decided not to bother with the notes. The show is so intense and sucks you in from the moment the lights go down. Continue reading Review: The Whipping Man (Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company/Obsidian Theatre) →

Contemporary dance show Half Life Motel explores an array of moving themes

Half Life Motel, a collaborative effort of Flightworks and Blue Ceiling Dance, happens to be my first foray into Toronto’s contemporary dance scene. Presented by the DanceWorks CoWorks series at the Dancemakers Centre for Creation, I was enthralled by the deft skill of the dancers and impressed by their intensity. A show comprised of three separate pieces by three different choreographers, Half Life Motel tackles a varying array of themes in interesting and sometimes perplexing ways.

The first piece, entitled Centennial Motel and Rest is an exploration on the theme of falling. Choreographed by notable dance artist Karen Kaeja, and danced with verve by Diana Rose and Suzanne Liska, I found their partnering to be at times both tender and sensual. Sharp jerky movements mixed with fluid moments of balance and trust made Rose and Liska most interesting to watch. There is a lot of intricate floor work and, of course, falling, sometimes synchronized, and it brought me into the notion I think Kaeja was attempting to convey. Falling is a lot about timing, but also about support, its presence and absence.

Continue reading Review: Half Life Motel (DanceWorks CoWorks) →

Clowns against the war at University of Toronto’s Studio Theatre

Death Clowns in Guantanamo Bay playing at U of T’s Studio Theatre has a lot of good ideas, a lot of good actors, and a few moments of genuine innovation. My guest and I both had a soft spot for clowning, for political themes and for unconventional approaches to theatre–and this company takes good, hard swings at all three.

The clowning is wonderful. Their success in other areas is more mixed.

Continue reading Review: Death Clowns in Guantanamo Bay (Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies/The Blacklist Committee for Unsafe Theatre) →

Thought-provoking theatre in The Seagull in Four Movements, staged at Toronto’s Winchester Kitchen and Bar

Upstart Theatre’s The Seagull in Four Movements takes place in a faded cocktail bar in present day Toronto. Like its late nineteenth-century Chekhovian reference, it’s rife with the passion of a love-pentagon – much more complex than a love-triangle – and balances everyday issues of vanity, insecurity and the pursuit of a mother’s love with modern-day vernacular. Writer/Director Meg Moran included lines like, “Sorry I was late, the College car was backed up” or “God I love Toronto!” to make the piece instantly accessible and applicable to the here and now, despite The Seagull’s antique origin.

Continue reading Review: The Seagull in Four Movements (Upstart Theatre) →