Review: MOBY: A Whale of a Tale (Pirate Life Theatre)

Photo of Annie Tuma, Jamar Adams-Thompson, and Lena Maripuu in MOBY: A Whale of a Tale by Raiza Dela Pen?a

MOBY: A Whale of A Tale is a seafaring show that takes audiences to an actual boat docked in the harbour at Queen’s Quay West. Moby-Dick, the famed tale by Herman Melville that has become synonymous with the the concept of doomed, obsessive revenge, gets a new life as a musical written by Gorgon Theatre‘s Lena Maripuu and Annie Tuma and presented by Pirate Life Theatre. Let’s just say that you don’t want this site-specific piece to be the one that got away.

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Review: Apocalypse Play (Two Birds Theatre/Common Boots Theatre)

Photo of Kate Lushington and Natasha Greenblatt in an outside setting in a park, holding a clear bag filled with pink balloons between them in Apocalypse Play

It’s a beautiful day for an apocalypse in Hillcrest Park. The sky is blue and children swarm the playground. Meanwhile, feminist theatre-makers and real-life mother-daughter team Kate Lushington and Natasha Greenblatt showcase their new work, Apocalypse Play – presented by Two Birds Theatre Company in association with Common Boots Theatre.

Greenblatt begins by explaining the play’s premise. She tells the audience that her intent was to create a third chapter to two of Lushington’s short satirical works set in the aftermath of a nuclear war.

These best-laid plans quickly go awry, however, as we instead watch a biting commentary on generational differences in arts-based activism and perceived existential threats. More than that, it’s also a story about the uneasy relationship between mother and daughter. and the lines between creation and capitulation, legacy and settling.

It’s messy, funny, thoughtful, and painful; an engrossing way to spend an hour.

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Review: Is My Microphone On? (Canadian Stage)

High Park Amphitheatre

Before you vote on September 20th – you are planning to vote, right? – you need to see the Canadian Stage production of Is My Microphone On? It is part of their Dream in High Park summer programming at the High Park Amphitheatre.

In his newest play, Jordan Tannahill holds us to account for climate change. For the choices we’ve made and the future we’re leaving our children.

In case you’re thinking, “I don’t know, that sounds kind of heavy for a late summer evening entertainment,” trust me, it’s terrific theatre. Invigorating, challenging, entertaining – an evening well spent. Continue reading Review: Is My Microphone On? (Canadian Stage) →

Review: MUKUTHÔ (Nhussi & Muchochoma with Dance Immersion & Canadian Stage))

The pastoral, earthy energy of High Park Amphitheatre was an idyllic setting for the production of Mukothô. The Mother Earth vibes in the space are palpable.

You can practically feel nymphs peeking out at you from behind the trees surrounding the tiered, grass-covered stone seats. It makes the environment perfect for Dream in High Park.

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Review: Box Concerts (Tapestry Opera)

On July 14, 2021, I saw my first live performance since February 2020. Given that I saw my first musical at age 6, this represents the longest absence from live performance to date. I would have been excited to see just about anything. But Box Concerts by Tapestry Opera isn’t just anything. It’s an innovative way to safely bring live performance back to the city as we find our sea legs in the new normal. Continue reading Review: Box Concerts (Tapestry Opera) →