Dana Ewachow is too shy to order a pizza over the phone, but has no problem writing on the internet. She keeps herself busy and artistically poor by writing news articles, rants, and fiction for the internet. As you may have noticed, she also writes theatre reviews. She enjoys sketch comedies, dark comedies, light comedies, and burlesque. When she isn’t writing, her odd hobbies include: martial arts, throwing hatchets, and trying to cook food that won’t send her to the hospital. Armed with questionable diplomas and a second degree blackbelt, she will surely take over the world.
Driving Miss Daisy explores race and relation-ships on stage in Toronto
The set of Driving Miss Daisy in the Greenwin Theatre was a peaceful and immaculate home. It was clearly a place of wealth, or at least one of expensive taste. In the corner of the stage there was a steering wheel, a chair, and a back seat removed from a car. Although this part wasn’t in the centre of the stage, it was definitely at the centre of the play.
The play is about Daisy Werthan (Sharry Flett), an elderly Caucasian Jewish woman who is forced by her son Boolie (David Eisner) to quit driving after destroying her car in an accident. Boolie hires her an African-American chauffeur named Hoke Colburn (Sterling Jarvis), much to Daisy’s displeasure. Daisy resists the change, partly because of she feels like her independence is slighted, and partly because she is prejudiced against African-Americans. The play is set in Georgia in 1948, before the Civil Rights Movement. Racism is present in every scene, in the forefront and in the background.
Daisy Productions present a series of four one-act plays at the Tranzac Club in Toronto
Fourplay may be a show with a naughty name, but every thing else about it is nice. Fourplay by Daisy Productions is a collection of four comedic plays: Sure Thing written by David Ives; When I’m Gone, Will Anyone Notice? written by Lisa Hagen; Much Ado About Cooties written by Maddox Campbell; and Dial L for Latch Key written by Scott Fivelson. Each play brought a little something different to the stage. Continue reading Review: Fourplay (Daisy Productions)→
Brimstone and Treacle is a darkly twisted comedy on stage at the Sidemart Theatrical Grocery in Toronto
The set of Brimstone and Treacle was positively quaint in the middle of the small Sidemart Theatrical Grocery. It was as if set designer Rachel Forbes stole a living room from 1960s Britain and propped in front of me. It wasn’t a set, but a real home. If only I had been invited in for tea. I would have to be satisfied with sitting only a few feet away and watching.
Othello explores the comedic side of tragedy on stage in Toronto
The Ale House Theatre’s Othello opens with the cast standing on stage. Slowly, they begin to belt out a wordless tune. The harmony is slightly eerie. It’s reminiscent of church bells, but without any indication whether the bells are sounding for joy or for sorrow. Their voices fade and they return backstage, leaving the audience to wonder about their cryptic song.
The story of Othello, the Moore of Venice, is one of Shakepeare’s famous plays. As with most Shakespearean tragedies, it tells the tale of a successful and revered person who quickly tumbles from grace. Othello’s fall in particular can be blamed on the sharp-tongued Iago, or–depending on your perspective–on his own vile thoughts that were beneath the surface all along. As with Iago’s slippery way with words, the truth is always up for interpretation.
