Posted on November 26, 2011
By Mike Ross
The Latest, Theatre
Most guys don’t start their day expecting to be trapped in an elevator with a giant transvestite – nor realize that he and “she” are not so different after all. That’s the premise of Darrin Hagen’s new play With Bells On, opening Tuesday at the Roxy Theatre. It’s based on a real life experience – […]
Posted on November 25, 2011
By Mike Ross
Music
One of the most powerful figures in the Canadian music business was once arrested for trying to bring explosives on an airplane. Oh, my, that doesn’t sound good, does it? Just imagine if that had happened today – and not in 1978, when airport security wasn’t so serious. “He’d probably still be in jail,” says […]
Posted on November 23, 2011
By Mike Ross
Front Slider, Theatre
When tying up one’s sexual partner, it’s easy to learn knots that won’t constrict blood vessels or cause nerve damage. And one should always have a safeword, preferably not “please … don’t … stop” or combination thereof. These are just some of the many things you can learn at Taboo, the Naughty … But Nice […]
Posted on November 23, 2011
By Mike Ross
Music, Theatre
You get all kinds of buskers in LRT stations, but this one is a doozy – an entire opera company in Bay Station on Friday night. BING BONG! Northbound to Clareview! Clareview! Cue Nessun Dorma. Anyone who pays their fare is welcome to attend Mercury Opera’s experimental opera recital in a production called “104 Underground.” […]
Posted on November 22, 2011
By Mike Ross
Front Slider, Theatre
Strange but true: Fiction can sometimes illustrate truths about reality even better than reality. Wrap your heads around that, non-fiction people. This idea is demonstrated in a big way with Concrete Theatre’s touring school plays. The latest production, Offensive Fouls, deals with racism, something young people – heck, most people – are often unwilling to […]
Posted on November 21, 2011
By Mike Ross
Comedy, Front Slider
Jon Lajoie is admittedly a “little hungover” when reached on the phone for an interview one recent morning. Some kind of late-breaking Halloween party, apparently. We’re trying to get him to explain how it is that some guy with a viral YouTube video suddenly becomes one of the hottest new comic performers in Canada – […]
Posted on November 18, 2011
By Mike Ross
Comedy, Culture, Front Slider, TV and Radio
Awkward Travis has asked spelling questions to drunk people on Whyte Avenue, accosted Oilers fans to talk about Twilight and tried to get women to give him their bras at the mall. He got his nickname one day when he approached people sitting by themselves in a coffee shop and said, “Hey, you look lonely. […]
Posted on November 17, 2011
By Mike Ross
Front Slider
Anything living “Up North” is tougher, stronger, larger, hairier and able to drink more than their Southern counterparts. It’s survival of the fittest in the harshest realm on Earth. Edmonton “is already halfway there,” says local artist Fish Griwkowsky, who was tasked to convey the “Up North” spirit in the Art Gallery of Alberta’s Refinery […]
Posted on November 17, 2011
By Mike Ross
Music, The Latest
There will be no horns on Bruce Conte’s stage – nor will he be playing any Tower of Power songs. Wait a minute – what?! Yes. Truth in advertising. He’s moved on. He played Friday at Festival Place. The original guitar player on What Is Hip? and all those other great songs points out […]
Posted on November 16, 2011
By Mike Ross
Comedy, The Latest
Gavin Stephens is half black and half Portuguese – “which means at some point in history, I might’ve owned myself.” He doesn’t do that joke anymore. There’s a lot of “let’s talk about my race” material he could do, but chooses not to. Of course it’s a swell way for a young comic to get […]
Posted on November 14, 2011
By Mike Ross
Front Slider, Theatre
The great thing about magical realism is that you get the magic out of the way first. Then you get to enjoy real characters behaving realistically in a really unbelievable situation. This sort of work-out for the imagination is what Wishbone Theatre, a new Edmonton company, has been going for – that and the acting […]
Posted on November 13, 2011
By Mike Ross
Culture, Music, The Latest
To answer the burning question of the day – why does everybody seem so depressed? – we turn to a prominent Canadian rock singer who suffers from bipolar disorder. Mental illness doesn’t necessarily make Matthew Good an expert on depression, but as fans can tell you from his music, he’s put some deep thought into […]
