Review: Big Plans (Scapegoat Collective)

Big Plans - Andy Trithardt and Daniel PagettToronto’s Scapegoat Collective presents Jeremy Taylors darkly comedic play Big Plans

The are a lot of things to love about independent in Toronto. Right now Big Plans – playing at Storefront Theatre – is one of them. It’s a perfectly polished gem of a show; an example of what happens when you have a really good script (Jeremy Taylor), really talented actors (Andy Trithardt, Daniel Pagett, and Maria Riscossa) and a really great director (Kat Sandler).

Spoilers follow. You may want to stop reading now and buy tickets to see the show. It’s an evening of terrific theatre and I’m going to gush through the rest of the review. Continue reading Review: Big Plans (Scapegoat Collective)

Review: Babelle et barbarie (Collectif BUS 1.2.3.)

Photo of Barbelle et barbarieCollectif BUS 1.2.3 presents Babelle et Barbarie at Toronto’s Winchester Street Theatre

As technology becomes part of our lives, how do we, as people, understand ourselves?  Babelle et Barbarie by the Collectif BUS 1.2.3. playing at the Winchester Street Theatre is a multimedia, multi-lingual performance that wants to  examine the relationship between technology and identity.

Unfortunately, in the service of technical exploration the performance manages to lose itself in the presentation.

Continue reading Review: Babelle et barbarie (Collectif BUS 1.2.3.)

Review: Holodeck Follies (The Dandies)

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Star Trek-inspired improv delivers an “engaging” show for Toronto audiences

Around this time last year, I had never seen a single episode of Star Trek, though as a small child, I’d humoured my friend’s request that I be Dr. Crusher in our playground games. I had no idea what the fuss was about. Now, I’m four episodes away from the end of The Next Generation, having spent more obsessive time with the good doctor, Captain Picard, and Lt. Commander Data than I’d care to admit. To mitigate the horror of finishing the series, I was eager to watch The Dandies perform their latest installment of Holodeck Follies, an improvised Star Trek adventure with songs and special guests.

Continue reading Review: Holodeck Follies (The Dandies)

Review: Full House The Musical! (Starvox Entertainment and Redwood Entertainment)

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Full House The Musical! starring Perez Hilton is playing at Toronto’s Randolph Theatre

Ok, so here goes. Full House The Musical! currently running at The Randolph Theatre in Toronto, Ontario has been skewered in the press. I now see why. But I want to make something very clear; these actors are doing one hell of a job with a very imperfect script. Continue reading Review: Full House The Musical! (Starvox Entertainment and Redwood Entertainment)

Review: Superhero! A Bam! Zap! Pow! Murder Mystery (Mysteriously Yours Theatre)

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Superhero! is Toronto’s Mysteriously Yours’ latest dinner-theatre murder-mystery

In the world of theatre, a certain unofficial hierarchy of “importance” is known to exist and – we should probably all acknowledge – murder mystery dinner theatre tends to get ranked toward the bottom of the Serious Cultural Events scale. As the one who had to sit through Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia last fall, I can tell you for certain that while Superhero! A Bam! Zap! Pow! Murder Mystery might be less important, it’s certainly a lot more fun.

Continue reading Review: Superhero! A Bam! Zap! Pow! Murder Mystery (Mysteriously Yours Theatre)