Stage Centre Productions’ Arsenic and Old Lace is Ridiculous and Hilarious
Stage Centre Productions’ decision to stage Joseph Kesselring’s dark comedy Arsenic and Old Lace was a bold choice. The show was first seen in 1941 and runs the risk of being dated with its references. I was worried that as a young whippersnapper, the jokes could fly right over my head. Luckily, the sharp writing and devious humour proves the play is a classic that seems to have no expiration date.
Arsenic and Old Lace is about the Brewster family, which suffers from the genetic disposition of insanity. As Mortimer Brewster, played by Luke Slade, states: “Insanity runs in my family…It practically gallops.” The insanity shows most easily with his brother Teddy Brewster, played by Scott McNabney. Teddy believes he is Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt. His delusions lead him to dress in full adventure gear, blow a bugle to announce his presence, and shout “Bully!” whenever he’s excited. Continue reading Review: Arsenic and Old Lace (Stage Centre Productions)→
Toronto’s Alumnae Theatre performs George F Walker’s ’90s-era play Escape from Happiness
Escape from Happiness, currently playing on the Alumnae Theatre mainstage, is a “celebration of the underclass,” according to the director’s note. As far as raisons d’etre go, this one doesn’t feel too auspicious.
Perhaps it’s the inescapable sense that the actors are, in fact, performing the underclass that makes this play so uncomfortable to watch. More likely it’s the fact that they all yell at each other relentlessly.
The weather’s getting seriously chilly… but the theatre scene in Toronto is staying hot! Here’s our listing of the shows playing in Toronto this week. If it’s highlighted in red with two asterisks before it, it comes highly recommended by our Managing Editor, Wayne!
The Canadian Opera Company kicks off their 2014/15 season with Falstaff at the Four Seasons Centre in Toronto
As an opener for the Canadian Opera Company’s 2014/2015 season, Falstaff, by Giuseppe Verdi, was an ingenious choice. The grandiosity and charm of Verdi’s music coupled with all the classic tropes of comedic opera is an almost certain crowd pleaser.
The opera was adapted from The Merry Wives of Windsor and excerpts from Henry the IV, parts 1 and 2 by William Shakespeare. Falstaff is a man of great appetites; his insatiable lust and conceit leave him vulnerable to practical joking. I am not a fan of fat jokes, which are rampant throughout this work. Nevertheless, I did laugh out loud during most of the show at the many other hilarious jokes. It was clear from the audience’s hearty laughter throughout the show that the excesses we fall prey to and the folly they lead to are themes that still resonate for all. Continue reading Review: Falstaff (Canadian Opera Company)→
Toronto’s Artichoke Heart Collective’s We Walk Among You is a disturbing, thought-provoking puppet show
Imagine trying to answer a question such as “what makes a monster?” without using printed or spoken words. That’s what We Walk Among You, now on stage at Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre Extraspace, tries to do. And in the hands of Artichoke Heart Collective, audience members receive a mind-blowing answer.
