All posts by Samantha Wu

Samantha is both a writer and a fan of the arts and has been able to find numerous ways to pair the two. Aside from being an editor here at Mooney on Theatre, she's a photojournalist for Been Here Done That, a travel, dining and tourism blog that focuses on Toronto and abroad and previously for  Lithium Magazine, which got her writing and shooting about everything from Dave Matthews Band to Fan Expo. She's passionate about music, theatre, photography, writing, and celebrating sexuality -- not necessarily in that order. She drinks tea more than coffee, prefer ciders over beers, and sings karaoke way too loudly. You can follow her on various social media including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Denmarked – Toronto Fringe 2016 Press Release

From press release

Clown meets Hamlet in this rare physical theatre adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s iconic plays. The 2016 Toronto Fringe Festival  showcases Theatre Stoogette’s inaugural play Denmarked from June 29 – July 10. The Annex Theatre transforms into Castle Elsinore as Tweed the clown and her sidekick skull Yorick take on sonnets, songs and Shakespearean insults.

In a style kindled by Canadian clown duos Morro and Jasp and Mump and Smoot, Denmarked is a clown’s unique perspective of tragedy. It’s rare to have physical theatre paired with text, especially a classical one. Yes, the “To be, or not to be” soliloquy makes an appearance, but so do raps, character transformations, Ophelia-inspired songs, and brand new sonnets written by the cast. 
 
“It’s amazing what a red clown nose can do, “ says performer and creator Carina Gaspar, “I can be 7 years old in one moment and 75 the next, innocent and playful or experienced and poignant.” 
 
Gaspar harnesses her years of physical theatre training under the tutelage of John Turner (“Mump and Smoot”), along with previous work with Byron Laviolette, Helen Donnelly and Adam Paolozza. The show blends British flavour with Canadian clowning traditions to create a unique hybrid—and celebrate an acting style exclusive to our country. Denmarked is all the tragedy, and all the fun, with no Shakespearean dictionary required.
 
About Theatre Stoogette: Theatre Stoogette is a physical-theatre based company that has been debunking clown stereotypes since 2012. Artistic Director Carina Gaspar spearheads the company, boasting her own track record of involvement with the Toronto Festival of Clowns, Manitoulin Conservatory for Creation and Performance, and 2014 Residency Award from the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas. Be bardsy alongside this crew at thestoogette.com, or Twitter @BeBardsy #Denmarked #FringeTO.
Performance Dates
July 1st at 4:45 PM
July 2nd at 11:00 PM
July 3rd at 8:00 PM
July 4th at 9:00 PM
July 6th at 12:00 PM
July 7th at 1:45 PM
July 9th at 4:00 PM
Details
  • Denmarked plays at the Annex Theatre. (736 Bathurst St)
  • Tickets are $10 at the door, $12 in advance. The festival also offers a range of money-saving passes for serious Fringers.
  • Tickets can be purchased online, by telephone (416-966-1062), from the Fringe Club at Honest Ed’s Alley, and — if any remain — from the venue’s box office starting one hour before curtain.
  • Be aware that Fringe performances always start exactly on time, and that latecomers are never admitted.
  • This venue is wheelchair-accessible provided you arrive early (at least ~20 minutes) and notify the House Manager you require an accessible route.
Photo of Carina Gaspar by Humberto da Rosa

Behold, the Barfly! – Toronto Fringe 2016 Press Release

From press release

Spoon Vs. Hammer is proud to present Behold, the Barfly!; a surreal and cerebral sketch spectacular from the writer of the Soup Can Theatre smash hitsLove is a Poverty You Can Sell 1 & 2 (★★★★★ – Torontoist / NNNNN – Now), featuring some of Toronto’s finest comedy talent! Join us at the historic Monarch Tavern in the heart of Little Italy to peer into the pickled subconscious of a slumbering barfly and behold the wonders within: Mirth! Merriment! Mediocre poetry! Murder-mystery! Demented musical numbers! A Christmas pageant like no other! The erotic appeal of the metric system! Problematic face painting! Sober contemplation of life choices! Benedict Cumberbatch?

Behold, the Barfly! features an all-star cast including Tim Walker (two-time Dora Award nominee; Canadian Comedy Award nominee; Punch Up & Help Yourself, Theatre Brouhaha – both ‘Best of Fringe’; Edmond, Red One / Storefront Theatre),Ned Petrie (six-time Canadian Comedy Award nominee; Just for Laughs Toronto;NXNE), Jeff Hanson (Richard III, Wolf Manor; The Castle & Edmond, Red One / Storefront Theatre; The Complete Works of Shakespeare Abridged, Classical Theatre Project), Sarah Thorpe (two-time My Theatre Award and two-time Broadway World Award nominee; My Theatre Award winner – Fan Favourite; Heretic, Soup Can Theatre; Comedy of Errors, Confidential Shakespeare Project), Kevin MacPherson (Robin Hood: The Legendary Musical Comedy, Hart House Theatre; Watch Out Wildcat! & Swordplay: A Play Of Swords [Fight Choreographer], Sex-T-Rex), Marsha Mason(Generation X-Files & Canadian Idle, Second City Touring Company; The Carnegie Hall Show, National Theatre of the World), Eric Miinch (Love is a Poverty You Can Sell 2, Soup Can Theatre; Wait Until Dark, Bygone Theatre; You Detective, Fratwurst) and Elizabeth Anacleto (recipient of the Mark Purvis Award – Toronto Festival of Clowns; Belleville Ville, Best Improv Troupe Runner-Up – NOW Magazine 2015 Best of Toronto Reader’s Choice Awards).

Fun Fact: Behold, the Barfly! was a very late addition to this year’s line-up after another show dropped out in the last week of March, making it the production with the shortest turnaround time from blank page to full production in this year’s Fringe Festival.

Performance dates

  • June 29th at 7:00 PM
  • June 30th at 7:00 PM
  • July 1st at 7:00 PM
  • July 2nd at 7:00 PM
  • July 3rd at 7:00 PM
  • July 5th at 7:00 PM
  • July 6th at 7:00 PM
  • July 7th at 7:00 PM
  • July 8th at 7:00 PM
  • July 9th at 3:00 PM
  • July 9th at 7:00 PM
  • July 10th at 7:00 PM

Details

  • Behold, the Barfly! plays at the Monarch Tavern. (12 Clinton St)
  • Tickets are $10 at the door, $12 in advance. The festival also offers a range of money-saving passes for serious Fringers.
  • Tickets can be purchased online, by telephone (416-966-1062), from the Fringe Club at Honest Ed’s Alley, and — if any remain — from the venue’s box office starting one hour before curtain.
  • Be aware that Fringe performances always start exactly on time, and that latecomers are never admitted.
  • This venue is wheelchair-accessible provided you arrive early (at least ~20 minutes) and notify the House Manager you require an accessible route.

Photo of  Marsha Mason, Ned Petrie, Sarah Thorpe, Tim Walker, Kevin MacPherson, Elizabeth Anacleto by Laura Dittmann.

Mullet’s Ghost Story – Toronto Fringe 2016 Press Release

From press release

Zombie clown Mullet reads from a forbidden Book of the Dead, opening a door that’s not easy to close. Mullet wants nothing more than to never be alone. Be careful what you wish for. Just because he’s the walking dead doesn’t mean there are no skeletons in Mullet’s closet. Everyone’s scared of something.

Toronto’s very own cult celebrity clown Jean-Paul Mullét returns to the Toronto Fringe Festival with a brand new play! And he’s brought together a Super Group of award-winning local talent to help create it!

For over 16 years and still going, Allan Turner has performed as his alter ego, the zombie clown Jean-Paul Mullét. Allan was voted Toronto’s ‘Best Male Improviser’ in the 2015 NOW Magazine Reader’s Choice Poll. Since 2011, he has hosted the hit Mullet’s Night Show, a live comedy variety show done in the style of a late night television talk show. The tragicomedy Mullet’s Make-a-Play premiered in the 2011 Toronto Fringe Festival to rave reviews. He appears regularly in the Toronto Festival of Clowns and co-hosts Lunacy Cabaret, the longest running circus cabaret in Toronto. He is a Theatresports and Bad Dog Theatre Company alumnus and continues to be a fixture in the Toronto comedy scene.

For Mullet’s Ghost Story, Allan reunites with director Bruce Hunter. Previously, they worked together in the 2013 Toronto Fringe on Allan Turner’s Sour Grapes (awarded Outstanding Ensemble by NOW Magazine). Allan and Bruce met in the 1990s when Bruce was Allan’s teacher at The Second City Training Centre. Bruce is a comedy legend, whose long list of accolades includes a Gemini and two Canadian Comedy Awards. He also directed A Freudian Slip of the Jung (Best of the Fringe 2011).

Mullet’s Ghost Story is co-written by playwright Ron Fromstein. For the last two years, Allan and Ron have worked together on Mullet’s Night Show. They also met in the 1990s when both were performing weekly in Theatresports, often together as a two-person team. Ron was Allan’s first comedy partner. Ron is a three-time winner of the Canadian National Playwriting Competition (2006, 2007, 2009), thirteen-time winner-finalist of the Toronto and Hamilton Fringe Festivals Playwriting Contests, and four-time winner-finalist of the Ottawa Little Theatre Playwriting Competition (the only person to be a multiple winner-finalist in one year in its 75 year history).

Also appearing is Hilary June Hart, who Allan first worked with as Mullet in Nuit Blanche. Mullet’s Ghost Story is Hilary’s third appearance in the Toronto Fringe Festival. Her past Fringe hits include Soupcan Theatre’s Love is a Poverty You Can Sell II and Killing Game with RedHanded Theatre.

Rounding out Team Mullet is stage manager Pola Stankovic, who previously worked as stage and tour manager for the phenomenally successful clown duo Morro and Jasp. Andrea Ouellette returns as costume designer after having previous­ly collaborated with Allan on Sour Grapes, for which she created “colourful characters…imaginatively outfitted” (NOW Magazine).

Performance dates

 

  • June 29th at 9:30 PM
  • June 30th at 9:30 PM
  • July 1st at 9:30 PM
  • July 2nd at 9:30 PM
  • July 3rd at 9:30 PM
  • July 4th at 9:30 PM
  • July 5th at 9:30 PM
  • July 6th at 9:30 PM
  • July 7th at 9:30 PM
  • July 8th at 9:30 PM
  • July 9th at 9:30 PM
  • July 10th at 9:30 PM

Details

  • Mullet’s Ghost Story plays at the Harbord House. (150 Harbord St)
  • Tickets are $10 at the door, $12 in advance. The festival also offers a range of money-saving passes for serious Fringers.
  • Tickets can be purchased online, by telephone (416-966-1062), from the Fringe Club at Honest Ed’s Alley, and — if any remain — from the venue’s box office starting one hour before curtain.
  • Be aware that Fringe performances always start exactly on time, and that latecomers are never admitted.
  • This venue is wheelchair-accessible provided you arrive early (at least ~20 minutes) and notify the House Manager you require an accessible route.

Review: Riverdance 20 Years (Mirvish)

Photo of the Riverdance troupe by Jack HartinMirvish presents the 20th Anniversary of Riverdance on stage at the Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto

Mirvish Productions celebrates 20 years of Riverdance with a special performance from the touring cast on stage at the Ed Mirvish Theatre until May 29, 2016. This two-hour performance features a cast of over 20 troupe and principal dancers, percussionists, singers, as well as an in house band all set against stunning backdrops and paired with a sumptuous musical score that tells a story all on its own. Simply put, this show is viscerally beautiful to watch and you won’t be disappointed.

Continue reading Review: Riverdance 20 Years (Mirvish) →

Review: The Rape of Lucretia (MYOpera)

Photo of Christina Campsall as Lucretia. Photo by William Ford PhotographyMYOpera presents Benjamin Britten’s classic chamber opera at the Aki Theatre in Toronto

MYOpera presents a more modern version of Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia on stage this weekend only at the Aki Studio Theatre.  What was originally set during the Roman Empire at approximately 509 BC is now staged at the end of the Second World War when the opera originally debuted. The costumes are updated for the period but the text from the opera remains unchanged.

Admittedly, neither I or my guest are experts on opera and entered this performance hoping to be moved by a powerful and gripping drama. At the end, we were end with unfortunately lukewarm impressions.

Continue reading Review: The Rape of Lucretia (MYOpera) →