In Birthday Balloon, playing as part of this year’s Next Stage Theatre Festival, David and Millie are at war. Their marriage is at stake and though Millie is desperate to salvage whatever it is they have left, David fears it may be too late. They’ve both already suffered the greatest tragedy that neither of them have been able to recover from.
Continue reading 2018 Next Stage Theatre Festival Review: Birthday Balloon (Mauzy May Productions)
Playing at the Tarragon Theatre is a production that is quite revolutionary: the first Chinese language musical performance to grace the Tarragon stage, and one that already delighted audiences at the SummerWorks Festival in 2016. Mr. Shi and His Lover, written by Wong Teng Chi, captures the unique facets of Chinese opera that have always spoken to me — bold bravado and delicate nuance — in ways that will entice and intrigue western audiences.
Based on a true story that was adapted into the play M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang and featuring live chamber music performed on stage, this performance blends traditional Chinese opera with modern pop seamlessly. Mr. Shi and His Lover is alluring and a pleasure to watch.
Bat Out of Hell is a fiery jukebox musical playing at the Ed Mirvish Theatre in TorontoJim Steinman, Grammy Award winning record producer, songwriter, lyricist and composer, is likely responsible for many of the power rock and pop ballads you heard on the radio throughout the ’90s. He’s also worked closely with such rock megastars as Meat Loaf, in particular their collaboration in creating the albums Bat Out of Hell and Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell, which inspired the stage production. Together, they’ve put together the latest jukebox musical sensation Bat Out of Hell, now making its North American debut on stage at the Ed Mirvish Theatre just in time for Halloween.
Soulpepper Theatre presents the 20th Century classic play Waiting for Godot in TorontoFor many who have studied acting, Samuel Beckett‘s Waiting for Godot is likely part of the curriculum. And rightly so, as there is much to be learned from studying this play, especially if you’re learning the tricks of the trade for good audience-captivating comedy. The careful nuances of timing, repetition, monumental silence, mime and mimicry, as well as wholly absurd dialogue is what makes up Waiting for Godot. This is a 20th Century classic for a reason and, as usual, the creative forces at Soulpepper have delivered this unique performance with aplomb.
What XO Secret is doing with Landline, playing during the final weekend of the SummerWorks Festival, is breaking apart every notion of what traditional and standard ‘theatre’ actually is. Here, one individual doubles as both audience member and actor as they traverse the city on their own, listening to audio cues on an MP3 player. While on their journey — which, without this element, can feel rather isolating — they are texting back and forth with an individual in Hamilton, taking part in the Hamilton Fringe, who are simultaneously embarking on the same journey but in their own way.
This is the kind of interactive performance that takes ‘audience participation’ to a whole new level where everything that you can take out of it is entirely dependent on what you put into it.
Continue reading Landline (XO Secret) 2017 SummerWorks Review