The Cult of Corporate Cannabis
There’s a smell in air – of change. As we all know, as of October 17, 2018, our legislators will jump on the cannabis bus to cash in on some sweet, pungent tax revenue. Yes, we Canadians will join the Dutch in not getting arrested for possession of a plant, and there is MONEY MONEY […]
Jim Jefferies crosses the line in Edmonton
Anyone who made it to one of Jim Jefferies’ two shows at the Jubilee Auditorium on Friday knew they were in for a night of boundary-violating, button-pushing, self-deprecating hilarity. But how many would have guessed the Australian comedian would make it through his 90-minute performance without mentioning the name “Donald Trump” once? Because he did […]
THEATRE REVIEW: Oscar gone Wilde
Since its premiere in 1895, Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest has become one of the most successful and oft-produced comedies in the world. Theatre fans may find themselves mouthing the famous epigrams, aphorisms, gags, quips, bon-mots, etc. etc. with the performers on stage. That familiarity can be kind of fun as an audience […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Alberta Grown, award winning
Loathe as we are to celebrate a granfalloon of musicians selected on the basis of where they live, you really can’t go wrong showcasing Alberta talent – can you? So while “Alberta” is technically not a musical genre, there’s certainly enough talent in this province to qualify for a star-studded variety line-up offered at the […]
Sheryl Crow is one hard-working single mother
When Sheryl Crow talked about being a mom at her show in Edmonton on Tuesday night, it struck a deep chord with her mainly middle class, mainly middle aged white audience. In short, soccer moms. Is the soccer over yet? Illustrating the virtues and challenges that modern motherhood entails, the 56-year-old singer showed a depth […]
PLAYBOT: Earnest goes to camp
What great news it is that the respected Edmonton theatre company Teatro La Quindicina has dramatized and condensed for the stage all of the Ernest movies – which starred the late Jim Varney and will now feature Jeff Haslam in the titular role. What? OK, got to read these press releases more carefully. It’s “Earnest,” […]
Walterdale carries off ambitious mental illness musical
It took director Bethany Hughes two years to put together the current Walterdale production of Next to Normal. Along with musical director Sally Hunt, she scoured the local musical theatre scene and very carefully chose some of the best actor-singers from the bubbling amateur community – performers with proven track records, and others who have […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Lucky Seven
Elle King has just one full-length album to her credit, Love Stuff – but what an album it was. The single Ex’s & Oh’s charted around the world, she was nominated for two Grammy awards, and was one of the most buzzed-about artists in the year of the album’s release – 2015. King, the daughter […]
Les Miserables still moves masses to tears
Just when you thought you’d never see their like again – they’re back. Those passionate French revolutionaries are storming the barricades, marching in place and lustily singing of a glorious tomorrow that will never come. When Les Miserables was in Edmonton last, circa 2013, just pausing on its way to a triumphal return to Broadway, […]
PLAYBOT: Les Miserables – oh, the irony!
Wasn’t Les Miserables originally a story about the devastating effects of poverty and injustice in early 19th Century France that resulted in the French Revolution? And now it’s a huge spectacular musical whose tickets only the wealthy can afford? Oh, the irony! That sound you hear is Victor Hugo rolling around in his grave – […]