Laugh, cringe and think: Metis Mutt a triumph over racism
“My name is Sheldon Elter and I’ll be your native comedian for the night” – and thus the Edmonton-based actor-musician-comic (and a whole pile of other talents) launches into Metis Mutt, his semi-autobiographical one-man show at Theatre Network until March 4. Be prepared to be immediately outraged. We live in an age where various ethnic […]
REVIEW: Janes stage another successful rescue musical
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is a daunting musical for even so fruitful a production company as Plain Jane Theatre. The play started life as a 1988 Pedro Almodovar film – the Spanish director’s first successful international hit. Now regarded as a classic, its track record as a stage musical has been […]
Avenged Sevenfold an amazing metal mash up
Avenged Sevenfold comes off like this superhuman Frankenstein monster made of body parts of other hard rock bands – and you better get out of its way if you know what’s good for you. Specifically, it’s Metallica stitched together with AC/DC plus Black Sabbath and Soundgarden and a small piece each of Pink Floyd and […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Frequency off the dial
Can a DJ be a rock star when all they apparently do is push the “play” button, and then dance around waving their arms and looking fabulous, while thousands of equally fabulous fans dance their brains out for nine straight hours? It is the age-old argument. Headlining Boodang’s annual Frequency rave at the Shaw Conference […]
Motown the Musical: Berry Gordy’s lavish love letter to himself
Motown: The Musical begins with a high decibel blast of pure soul straight from the ’60s. Immediately we are in the midst of a marvelous musical battle – an energetic sing-off between The Tops and The Temps (Temptations), two of the best known male groups from the early years of Motown. From their patent leather […]
PLAYBILL: Metis Mutt matures
“I am Metis – which means that I’m both native and white. Half of me wants to assimilate you into my culture – and the other half is just too lazy to do it.” Does that joke make you cringe? Yes? Does it make it any better coming from an actual Metis man? No? Well, […]
FORE! Locals let loose on links in Ladies Foursome
Norm Foster is probably the most produced playwright you’ve never heard of. For the past 35 years, from his home in Fredericton, New Brunswick, the prolific wordsmith has turned out a stream of comic works that have been produced as far away as Canberra, Australia. Although one of his plays was produced off-Broadway, that was […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Temple of the Starlite
The historic Starlite Room – originally constructed as a “citadel” for the Salvation Army before becoming the headquarters for the Citadel Theatre in 1965, and then a TV studio where the late Chuck Chandler hosted Disco Daze – first started running live music in 1978. It was later a popular underground club called the Bronx, […]
PLAYBILL: All about the women
Anyone complaining that women don’t get a voice in theatre ought to get a load of what’s going on in Edmonton this week. Opening this week are two plays on opposite ends of the theatrical spectrum – one from a mainstream commercial landmark; the other by a beloved amateur institution – and all the main […]
Portugal. The Man. Greater. Than. That One Hit.
It’s always a interesting experience seeing a concert from a modern rock band known in the mainstream for only one massive radio hit. Seems like they’re all that way these days. You never know what you’re going to get. They could be a box of chocolates – or as has been witnessed once or twice, […]
Edmonton trans singer to perform at anti Jordan Peterson rally
It started with a quibble about pronouns that escalated into a hill to die on – a bitter partisan war over free speech and gender politics that shows no signs of a ceasefire. University of Toronto psychology professor Jordan Peterson started it with his outspoken criticism of Bill C-16, which is meant to protect a […]
