The emperor has no clothes in the Toronto theatre premiere of The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic
I must preface this review by saying that I consider myself to be fairly “in love” with performance artist Marina Abramovic. I also find actor Willem Dafoe dynamic, and while I’ve never seen any of director Robert Wilson’s work, I know he’s collaborated with a number of my favorite artists, and is highly regarded by my peers.
I expected an evening of mystique and intrigue, of aesthetic and intellectual confrontation, and I expected to enjoy myself immensely. It took me most of the night to admit this last part wasn’t happening.
Reignite the wonder with a musically inclined magic show at the Luminato Festival in Toronto
I grew up with a kid that wanted to perform magic – David Copperfield illusionist type magic. I remember him starting with the rabbit pulled from the hat to entertain at kids’ birthday parties before moving to more complicated mind boggling tricks to cap off our theatre classes in high school. Last I saw of him, he had his face on a billboard and was given a red carpet reception in China. Not bad.
Fun and puppetry in Toronto with The Daisy Theatre
If you haven’t ever seen a Ronnie Burkett puppet show (marionette show?) this is your chance. His new show, The Daisy Theatre, opened on Friday evening as part of the Luminato Festival and is running for the full two weeks of Luminato.
The Daisy Theatre is “inspired by the illegal underground “daisy” puppet shows of Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. And it’s not really new, Burkett developed the idea in Calgary 20 years ago. This is a new incarnation, a blend of music hall, cabaret, political commentary, audience participation and improvisation. Lots of improvisation.
Rebecca Perry dazzles in her one-woman show at the Storefront Theatre in Toronto
It’s been just over a year since I finished my four-year stint as a barista at a Second Cup in Montreal. It’s no wonder that Confessions of a Redheaded Coffeeshop Girl, playing until Sunday at the Storefront Theatre, resonated so well with me. It’s complete proof that all quirky coffee shops are the same, from the employees to the owners to the hipster customers.
Joanie Little is a twenty-something fresh out of college and on the verge of discovering her next move. She works in a coffee shop to pay the bills, to expand on her anthropological leanings and to figure out exactly what she wants out of life.
Asiansploitation kills with comedy at the George Ignatieff Theatre in Toronto
When you leave Toronto’s George Ignatieff Theatreafter seeing Asiansploitation’s The Text Generation, chances are you will be scratching your head, feeling lost, like you are halfway through a Sudoku puzzle. You won’t be looking for numbers, though- you’ll be asking yourself “Why the Fukuiaren’t the people in this show gigantic stars?”
You might also be considering looking up a good acupuncture therapist on a mobile app, because your jaw will be so sore from an entire evening of laughing out loud.
It’s been just over a year since I finished my four-year stint as a barista at a Second Cup in Montreal. It’s no wonder that 