Jeff was introduced to theatre at a young age, enjoying such shows as The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, and Cats. His love for live performance grew through watching various Fringe Festival and SummerWorks shows. Jeff loves the raw reality of theatre performance. He is drawn to the fact that there are no do-overs and there is no screen in between the audience and the performers. Theatre is as live and true as life itself. He maintains a website of his own at jtkwriting.com, that features his own stories and musings about the written word.
The Chasse-Galerie, based on French-Canadian folk tale, plays in Toronto
I love the energy of opening night. The anticipation of the audience and also from the performers is palpable. When I walked into The Storefront Theatre to experience the opening of The Chasse-Galerie presented by The Red One Theatre Collective, the energy and excitement was running high and I was excited for the lights to go down and the show to get on.
Late Company is a show “full of emotion” that will “take you on a journey” on stage in Toronto
When I chose to review Jordan Tannahill’s Late Company at The Theatre Centre, I was interested to see how it compared to Herman Koch’s novel The Dinner as both share the same premise. Two couples –- one a political family –- sit down to discuss their teenage sons and the horror that boys that age can reap.
Coal Mine Theatre’s The River is “transporting”, on stage in Toronto
As I have heard from my actor, producer, and director friends, opening night of a live production can be a nervous mess. With the Coal Mine Theatre’s production of The River, at their temporary location at 982 Danforth St., nerves only made an appearance from the emotionally fraught characters in what was a professional, polished and very tense show.
The Baby, now playing in Toronto, is “hilarious, self-aware, and irreverent.”
I faced a dilemma when it came to reviewing The Baby playing at the The Storefront Theatre. Do I watch the original film or give writer and director Dan Spurgeon’s adaptation of Abe Polsky’s script virgin eyes? I decided to eschew the film, as this is the second production of Spurgeon’s adaptation, and I have no doubt it won’t be the last.
The House of Yes, playing at The Storefront Theatre, is the very definition of a “dark comedy”. Wendy MacLeod’s layered script and devious characters are brought to life by a cast committed to both parts of the genre, so much so, that even with the more taboo material I found myself laughing at the extremes presented on the stage.
