The documentary is the Maysles brothers’ 1975 film Grey Gardens about mother and daughter, “Big” Edie and “Little” Edie Beales. The Beales are reclusive upper class women, aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy, who live in a deteriorating mansion, Grey Gardens, with many cats, raccoons, and fleas, in East Hampton. They have definitely known better times.
The theme of this week’s budget-friendly theatre spotlight is separated lovers: whether by gruesome death or fatal flaws, all these shows feature pairs of lovers who, for whatever reason, have complicated relationships with the idea of happily ever after. Check ’em out under the cut! Continue reading Cheap Theatre in Toronto the Week of February 22nd→
Contempt, now on the Toronto stage, is “impressive on many levels”
When I heard about the subject matter of Contempt, on now at The Storefront Theatre, I immediately knew I had see it. The premise – a woman hiring someone to have sex with her disabled, virgin, adult son – is one close to the heart of a sex workers’ rights activist like me.
So, once again this week, I went in to a theatre with high hopes. However, given the other representations of sex work I’ve seen in both film and theatre, I was very cautious with my optimism. I was right to be cautious, but I was also very satisfied by the end.
The stage of The Box theatre had been transformed since I last saw it. The night I went to see Matchstick Theatre’s production of Oleanna, the stage had changed into a small office. The office had the typical look of academic interior design: a large desk, wooden chairs, and a mug full of pencils. The set gives an impression of the mediocre. Suspiciously mediocre. I knew that Oleanna couldn’t be about a simple office chat. The banality of the scenario, the set, and even the professor’s tweed jacket with leather elbow patches, began to feel like an obvious trap.
Oleanna was introduced in 1992 by the well-known playwright David Mamet. Oleanna is a story about Carol, a young and confused student, who meets with her professor John to discuss her failing marks. John decides put aside his other responsibilities to help Carol improve her grade. The meeting ends and they part ways. When they meet again, the circumstances have shifted in an unexpected way. Continue reading Review: Oleanna (Matchstick Theatre)→
Shows That Caught Our Eye in Toronto the Week of February 22nd, 2016
If you’re looking to go out and enjoy some theatre to take your mind off the hideous weather, then you’re truly the kind of dedicated theatre-goer we like! We’re here to make your show-scheduling by having our team select our most anticipated picks of the week. This time around, it’s Megan up at bat! Check out her picks in red under the cut.
Toronto’s Acting Up Stage Company presents a superb production of the musical Grey Gardens
Contempt, now on the Toronto stage, is “impressive on many levels”