Factcheck is an actor’s play, to be sure. Courtenay Stevens plays all of the 16 characters in this show about an overstressed magazine fact-checker. This gives him a chance to practice his voices, switch his focus, and carry a 60-minute show by himself.
He does it well. Stevens’ skill is impressive and there are many funny moments. I felt a little schizophrenic just trying to keep up with him. But unfortunately, Courtenay’s performance doesn’t make up for the fact that there’s an underlying discomfort throughout the play.
Almost, Againis a sweet and funny romantic comedy with enjoyable performances. This came almost as a relief to me, because I still don’t think the general premise always works.
I enjoyed Love is a Poverty You Can Sell until one of the actors got a concussion onstage. Okay, I enjoyed it after he got a concussion too, but I felt guilty about it.
I guess that just goes to show how into the performance these guys get. LIAPYCSis a cabaret-style show with a cast of 11 and a band of 10 (all squeezed into Bread & Circus’s small venue, if you can picture it.) They recreate a nightclub act circa 1930’s Berlin, with musical numbers from shows like Cabaret, Threepenny Opera, and Sweeney Todd. The numbers are broken up by two emcees, one of whom received the head injury during an onstage fight. (How are you doing, buddy? You okay?)
The good thing about J.H. is that the actors really give it their all. The other good thing is that you can order food and drinks before the show.
I’m afraid that’s all I can say about this play before I inspire people to angrily disagree in the comments below. Listen, I wanted to like this play. I was ready to see some drama after a day of watching comedies. I was intrigued by the idea of using T Cafe on Bloor Street as a venue. I even liked the menu that doubled as a playbill. But despite that, I left the show feeling unsatisfied by what I had just seen.
My favourite parts of Sex and the City were always when Carrie and friends went to brunch. There were no boys, inexplicably expensive shoes, or yet another gratuitous scene of Samantha having sex. Just four women talking about the things that women think about. Breadwinner is like that.
