A Little Night Music goes a long way

A Little Night Music goes a long way

A Little Night Music whirls to the rhythm of three-quarter time. Composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim wrote all the music – mazurka, polonaise, gigue, gallops, waltzes, etc. in different triplicate meters: The “one-two-three” of the waltz. The work is based on Ingmar Bergman’s film Smiles of a Summer Night. The composer was intrigued by the notion of […]

MUSIC PREVIEW: Cardinal rule

MUSIC PREVIEW: Cardinal rule

Celeigh Cardinal has been called (OK, by me) the “Metis Sheryl Crow.” She doesn’t mind the label. She gets Adele a lot, too, plus Bonnie Raitt because she plays guitar. It’s not so much a comparison to Cardinal’s original songs, which span blues, rock, soul and adult contemporary in a style all her own, as […]

Green light for cannabis at the folk fest

Green light for cannabis at the folk fest

Within today’s announcement for Hozier, Ani DiFranco, Brandi Carlile, Bruce Cockburn and other acts we already knew were coming to the 40th annual Edmonton Folk Music Festival was a big green light for marijuana. Oh, yeah, cannabis is legal now. Almost forgot. Producer Terry Wickham addressed the issue at the annual media launch, where there […]

Bob the Angry Flower

Bob the Angry Flower

Now he’s a perfect 10! NEXT COMIC: End of the Earth torments joggers:       Next: Bill Benson tries to be nice – for a change:

Bill Benson

Bill Benson

A superhero for our times! NEXT COMIC: Amazing math concepts with Bob the Angry Flower:       Next: End of the Earth proves that poutine is good for the soul:  

End of the Earth

End of the Earth

Mmm, Poutine … NEXT COMIC: Bill Benson gets into another contentious discussion on social media:       Next: Bob the Angry Flower’s heart grew 10 times that day:

REVIEW: Cher turns back a LOT of time in Edmonton

REVIEW: Cher turns back a LOT of time in Edmonton

Among my late mother’s LP collection is Cher’s 1966 self-titled album. As a kid, I would stare at the album cover, mesmerized by this dark-haired woman who looked both exotic and mysterious. The album was produced by her then-husband and collaborator Sonny Bono, and was largely folk-influenced. My mom was a big fan of ‘60s […]

REVIEW: Harold Pinter’s Betrayal unpacks painful love triangle

REVIEW: Harold Pinter’s Betrayal unpacks painful love triangle

The new Broken Toys production of Harold Pinter’s Betrayal, playing in The Studio of the ATB Financial Arts Barns through June 2, is said to be the first Edmonton showing of the play. That’s a rather surprising note in a town that has seen a lot of Pinter over the years. (Movie fans might remember […]

Die-Nasty wraps Game of Thrones homage

Die-Nasty wraps Game of Thrones homage

One million idiots put their name on a petition demanding that Game of Thrones producers remake the last season – prompting an instant backlash: “Hey, if you’re so smart, then you do it!” The Die-Nasty live improvised soap opera is way ahead of the game: Since mid-October every Monday at the Varscona Theatre their theme […]

REVIEW: Alessia Cara inspires little girls in Edmonton

REVIEW: Alessia Cara inspires little girls in Edmonton

Security sure had their hands full at the Alessia Cara concert in Edmonton on Wednesday night. What a tough crowd. Once the 22-year-old star started high-fiving and clasping hands with all the girls in the front row of the Jubilee Auditorium, everyone wanted a piece of her. Moms carried up their little ones to get […]

MUSIC PREVIEW: Cher and Cher alike

MUSIC PREVIEW: Cher and Cher alike

You can’t be too mad at Cher – who retired and then changed her mind, not once, not twice, but thrice! At least she has a healthy sense of humour about it. The show coming to Rogers Place on Saturday night is part of the “Here We Go Again” tour. (IMPORTANT NOTE: On Tuesday night […]

Bob the Angry Flower

Bob the Angry Flower

‘Puissant’ means ‘having great influence.’ NEXT COMIC: New ‘Yo Bro Beer’ brand in End of the Earth:       Next: Pop culture now culture in Bill Benson: