By Dana Lacey
I won’t lie—despite the Oscar buzz, I never bothered to see Doubt on the big screen. It looked boring and weighty and depressing.
Nuns and pedophilia? No thanks.
Yet, somehow, with only 4 cast members and very minimal sets, Bluma Appel Theatre’s production of the Pulitzer Prize winning play was fantastic.
Weighty, yes, with an overdose of hit-you-over the head morality… but also intelligent and funny (never thought I’d find myself laughing at Lent-related humour.)
by Dana Lacey
The Second City’s “0% Down, 100% Screwed” opens with a chain gang of ex-Bay Streeters chipping imaginary bricks with imaginary picks. They sing under the watch of a shotgun-slinging guard, blaming their woes on the ultimate scapegoat: The Crisis. Ya know, The Crisis, the recession, the mediocre depression…whatever you want to call that vague and terrifying event the media keeps promising will steal our jobs and homes. It sets the tone for the rest of the evening, which is a mash-up of short scenes about politics, economics and that guy who always asks to see your gas bill (tip: he doesn’t work for your gas company.)
Continue reading 0% Down, 100% Screwed
By Dana Lacey
If you want to fully enjoy Tarragon Theatre‘s production of Molière, be sure to bone up on Paris’ theatrical history first. I thought that a quick stroll through Molière’s Wikipedia page would be enough research to prepare me for a play about his life. I’ve even seen and reviewed and enjoyed Tartuffe, his most famous play.
By Dana Lacey
My initial disappointment at the absence of actual Lego® in Theatre Passe Muraille’s newest production was quickly replaced by never-ending giggles: Legoland made my insides bleed. In a good way.
by Dana Lacey
When, one by one, I asked my friends to come see East Side Player’s production of Tartuffe by Molière, I didn’t get one taker. Maybe they were scared off by the foreign title and powdered wigs, or were worried that Molière was too 16th-century to be entertaining.
Their loss.
Tartuffe, it turns out, is an insanely sarcastic satire that attacks just about everything you’d like to see attacked–hypocrites, government, dogma, patriarchs and, of course, the ignorant masses. The audience (mostly silver haired) got really into it, cheering as their favourite characters wandered onstage. Didn’t take long to realize why: after getting hit with the first zinger of the night, I didn’t stop laughing till the curtains fell.
