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.
You cannot imagine what a relief it was to me to discover that My Granny the Goldfish was a title less about magical realism and more about a alcoholic grandmother. While that may seem a bit strange, the truth is that I am generally fairly averse to magical realism, while playwright Anosh Irani has written one of the funniest drunken elderly ladies since Lady Bracknell. And he could not possibly be any luckier than to have Yolande Bavan to play Granny, lending every bit of her considerable expertise to the role.
Forbidden Broadway presented by Toronto’s Civic Light Opera Company is a musical about Broadway musicals
Forbidden Broadway at the Civic Light Opera Company (whose home theatre is tucked cleverly under the Fairview Library in North York) was full of charming surprises. Some of them I’m embargoed from discussing, at the request of the company, in order to preserve that pleasurable frisson of “That’s not….is he…oh, he is,” that the audience gets to enjoy. As a reviewer, of course, it takes a little of the fun out of the job, but since it might preserve the fun of the reader I’ll play along gladly.
Legendary Theodore Bikel performs in Visiting Mr. Green at Toronto’s Jane Mallet Theatre
In my enthusiasm at the prospect of seeing Theodore Bikel onstage in Visiting Mr. Green, it’s possible that I may have gone on at length to my theatre-partner (and husband) about his myriad accomplishments: originating the role of Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music on Broadway, more than 2,000 performances in Fiddler on the Roof, television, films, folk music.
He’s a living treasure of theatre, with 68 years of performance in five languages under his belt. To the benefit of all, certainly including playwright Jeff Baron and costar Aidan deSalaiz, both of whom must understand how much they’ve been enriched by their association with Bikel in Visiting Mr. Green.
As a Jew, I am usually exhausted with The Christmas Imperative at this point in December, and cross with all its trappings. I mention this so that when I say that I unreservedly adored The Story at Evergreen Brickworks, readers will understand how really, very, exceptionally good it is. I would use more superlatives if I thought the editors would let me.
Hair never fails to please – pretty boys and girls dancing around onstage, all enthusiasm and skin, cheerfully swaying stoned-ly along with whatever the music happens to be when they’re not engaged in some legitimate stage business. Some of the anthems are famous, by now, and the audience can usually be counted upon to sing along (or at least clap at whatever level of rhythm is available to them) by the time “Let The Sun Shine In” comes around at the end of the show and audience members are invited to join the cast onstage for a dancefest.
You cannot imagine what a relief it was to me to discover that My Granny the Goldfish was a title less about magical realism and more about a alcoholic grandmother. While that may seem a bit strange, the truth is that I am generally fairly averse to magical realism, while playwright Anosh Irani has written one of the funniest drunken elderly ladies since Lady Bracknell. And he could not possibly be any luckier than to have Yolande Bavan to play Granny, lending every bit of her considerable expertise to the role.
