My first thought after watching The Emotionalists was “Wow, this is a really good play.” My second thought was “Wow, this is a Sky Gilbert play?” That’s not to say that I haven’t enjoyed his other work, but it’s quite different in style and tone from most of his Buddies in Bad Times fare. Mr. Gilbert, if you’re reading this, more The Emotionalists please!
I’m probably the only person in the world who didn’t read The Fountainheadin my teens, so I know Ayn Rand only by name. You don’t need to know much about the woman or her philosophies before going in, though, because the play is clear and entertaining in its own right.
Molotov Circus is not a one woman show, but it is a one family show. It is playing at The Lower Ossington Theatre in Toronto as part of Summerworks. Anybody who has ever been part of a family can recognize their own youth, their own mothers, fathers and siblings in this play.
This is a family of gypsies, so they don’t have the typical domestic trappings. What they do have is each other and their great talents.
In Pyretic ProductionsMe Happy a young woman named Biddy lives in a tiny remote town in Ireland called Muff. Muff’s only claim to fame is three large cliffs which provide a spectacular view, constant danger of falling to one’s death, and an ideal venue for cliff diving.
I wanted to see The Kreutzer Sonata when the Art of Time Ensemble produced it earlier this year, but this silly need to pay my bills got in the way. So, I was excited to hear that the monologue was being remounted for Summerworks, but a little suspicious about whether the story would stand on its own without Art of Time’s music and dance to accompany it.
I’m happy to say that it did. (What can I say? I’m a worrier.)
