All posts by S. Bear Bergman

S. Bear Bergman has great faith in the power of theatre to make change, and has been putting his money where his mouth is on that one for some time. A writer, performer, and lecturer, Bear works full time as an artist and cultural worker and loves to see as much live performance as possible – making this a fantastic gig for him.

Review: The Illusionists (Mirvish) Kid +1 Review

Mirvish brings all-ages magic show to the Toronto stage

With all the marketing around The Illusionists as a great show for the whole family, I was pleased but not surprised to see lots of kids hopping eagerly up the stairs with their grownups at the Princess of Wales Theatre on Friday evening. My seven-year-old companion was similarly irrepressible with anticipation for all the excitement that awaited, which – – mostly — delivered on its promise.

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Preview: The Magic Victrola (Canadian Opera Company)

Like a much, much nicer version of hanging around schoolyards offering kids their first hit for free, our Canadian Opera Company has begun to expand its programs aimed at introducing young people to the wonders of opera early, so that their appreciation for the art form can grow and mature as they do. The Magic Victrola, this year’s specialty offering from the COC, is a magical journey assisted by an old trunk and a record player that a pair of children — Gracie and Sam — find in their grandfather’s attic. As the opera unfolds, not only do they get to hear the music on the old records, but fully-formed and dramatic operatic vignettes spring to life before their delighted eyes. Over the hour, children are introduced to a sort of Greatest Hits of operatic moments (with themes suitable for children, that is) by Bizet, Delibes, Donizetti, Mozart, Offenbach, and Puccini.

To find out what goes into making a piece like this, what to expect and what surprises there might be in store, we spoke to Ashlie Corcoran, the director, and Bruno Roy, who alternates as Papageno (the beloved everyman character from The Magic Flute):

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Review: Grease (Irregular Entertainment)

The classic rock n’ roll musical Grease takes over the Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto

There are, I discovered last night at the Winter Garden Theatre for the new Toronto production of Grease, a LOT of people in Toronto who are really excited about the classic musical. Like, dress-up-like-the-characters level stoked. I wasn’t able to poll all of them after the opening on Thursday, but the general mood of the people around me was…rather mixed. Though the show’s production values were high and the cast included some very talented people, the production as a whole never really gelled for me.

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Review: Backbone (Red Sky/Canadian Stage)

A breathtaking look at Indigenous dance, Backbone takes the stage in Toronto

Backbone, playing until November 12, 2017 at Berkeley Street Theatre, is a dance performance for eight dancers who could just as well be a single organism, like those stands of aspen trees that look separate and discrete but are really one very brilliant and beautiful thing with many limbs. It is vigorous, aerobic, living and breathing, shifting, rising and falling and faster than you expect. Continue reading Review: Backbone (Red Sky/Canadian Stage) →

Review: Kiinalik: These Sharp Tools (Buddies In Bad Times)

Kiinalik “deserves to run forever”, now on the Toronto stage

After seeing Kiinalik: These Sharp Tools at Buddies In Bad Times Theatre, watching the interplay of languages — English and Inuktitut and the low embellishment of the cello,  theatre and dance and music, folk song and throat singing, tools and weapons — I am sure that my attempts to describe this extraordinary, affecting performance in a single-dimensional medium can only fall short. If you want to experience it for yourself — and oh my stars, I believe you do — click over and get tickets this minute (the run is deservedly almost sold out already).

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