REVIEW: Phantom raises goosebumps
Thirty one years ago, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s masterpiece opened in London’s West End. It went to Broadway two years later. Based on Gaston Leroux’s novel of great intrigue and captivation, Le Fatôme de l’Opéra, the show was a hit. This edge-of-your-seat piece about the dark side of the human condition remains the longest running show […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Mission to Mars
The incredible Bruno Mars is in town this weekend for a pair of shows, Sunday and Monday nights at Rogers Place. With a wide range of musical talents, from writing to singing to playing guitars and the keyboards, he is currently touring to support his 2016 album 24K Magic, although it’s his debut from 2010, […]
Ed Sheeran hits Edmonton right in the feels
Ed Sheeran is a force to be reckoned with. Opener, James Blunt, referred to him as the biggest male artist in the world which isn’t an exaggeration. All you have to do is take a look at the music charts and see Sheeran’s name everywhere. Sheeran is no stranger to Edmonton having played here multiple […]
PLAYBILL: Phantom on our mind
“In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came … ” Now you see: Right there your interest is piqued, isn’t it? Andrew Lloyd Webber is a genius. “… and now I find the Phantom of the Opera is THERE” – and there’s that dramatic dominant major seventh note we all know and love […]
Interstellar Rodeo a civilized festival
There were no complaints overheard at Interstellar Rodeo. That’s because I was too busy not complaining myself, sitting there in the front row (the “obstructed view” seats were usually open) with a bowl of delicious coconut curry chicken with sesame cranberry cabbage salad from Filistix, and a (plastic) glass of the finest Medici Ermete Concerto […]
REVIEW: Bob Dylan blowin’ in the wind
Aside from the cool duds the band wore, nothing was dressed up for the Bob Dylan show at Rogers Place Wednesday night. The stage had a candlelit ballroom type of look, and there were no coloured lights. Just varying intensities of white. Of course, that was all that was required. Dylan is his own gimmick […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: 3 festival hacks you must try
1. Stay hydrated. Don’t forget that most alcoholic beverages contain water. 2. Choose wisely. Festivals are piled on top of each other at this time of year in Edmonton. There are three major ones this weekend alone: Interstellar Rodeo, K-Days and Taste of Edmonton. If you’re looking for a more “rural” festival experience, i.e., bush […]
PLAYBILL: Cirque du Soleil a new paradigm
No more performing elephants, no more bags of peanuts to feed the elephants, no more tigers jumping through flaming hoops, no more clowns whose job it is to shovel horse poop, no more picketing by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals – the conquest of circus entertainment is complete. As the Ringling Bros […]
INTERVIEW: Suzanne Vega in the alternative heart
The name of Suzanne Vega’s baby was part of an interesting coincidence that leads to some of the greatest alternative music albums ever made – including her own. Vega is one of the headliners of the Interstellar Rodeo in Hawrelak Park July 21-23. When she was married to the legendary producer Mitchell Froom, she had […]
