Die-Nasty wraps Game of Thrones homage
Posted on May 24, 2019 By Mike Ross Comedy, Entertainment, Front Slider, news, Theatre
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 […]
THE TEMPEST: Shakespeare all shook up at the Citadel
Posted on April 26, 2019 By Colin MacLean Entertainment, Front Slider, news, Theatre
Citadel Artistic Director Daryl Cloran promised us a “Reimagine Season” this year – and has largely validated that mandate. He is closing his year with an elemental, uncompromising, inventive staging of Shakespeare’s last great play, The Tempest – performed by hearing and deaf actors in both English and American Sign Language. It certainly demonstrates how […]
LIVE LEAK: Folk fest reveals Hozier, Ani DiFranco, Blue Rodeo ahead of official announce
Posted on April 4, 2019 By Mike Ross Entertainment, Front Slider, Music, news
Back in the day, the most famous headliners at the Edmonton Folk Festival would be leaked long before the official annual announcement was made at the end of May. Exciting news just doesn’t keep! This year, the folk fest itself has decided to leak some names before anyone else can – including Hozier, and Ani […]
Interstellar Rodeo 2019 announces star-studded line-up
Posted on March 27, 2019 By Mike Ross Entertainment, Front Slider, Music, news
Son of a bitch, give me a drink! Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats are returning to Edmonton. The folk hero who fortunately revealed a lot more depth than his 2015 hit Son of a Bitch is one of the headliners for the eighth annual Interstellar Rodeo, happening July 26-28 in Hawrelak Park. These guys […]
REVIEW: Anxieties speak louder than words in Small Mouth Sounds
Posted on March 15, 2019 By Colin MacLean Entertainment, Front Slider, news, Theatre
Six distressed souls find their way to a silent spiritual retreat in upstate New York. They hope to find relief from their troubled lives – casting off the mental and emotional baggage they have picked up along the way. There, amongst the mosquitoes (and what sounds like a pack of ravening wolves and one pissed […]
Busker busted for panhandling – Edmonton music scene erupts in outrage
Posted on February 22, 2019 By Mike Ross Crime, Entertainment, Front Slider, Music, News, news
The socials went mad today over news that an Edmonton musician was arrested and charged with “aggressive panhandling” in front of Rogers Place on Thursday night. Fiddler Jarret Gray was busking for the Oilers crowd, just as he and many other local musicians have done at almost every event since the new arena opened. This […]
Lend Me a Tenor: The Farce is strong with this one
Posted on February 9, 2019 By Colin MacLean Entertainment, Front Slider, news, Theatre
Back in 1986, Andrew Lloyd Webber (yes – that Lloyd Webber, not yet called “Sir”) found a hidden theatrical gem. In fact, he personally produced its first major production in his Globe Theatre in London – called Lend Me a Tenor, by American comic playwright Ken Ludwig. Both the play and Ludwig were not well […]
REVIEW: Catholic anti-gay doctrine attacked in Walterdale play
Posted on February 7, 2019 By Colin MacLean Entertainment, Front Slider, news, Theatre
Her name is Blake. She’s 15 years old. And in Walterdale Theatre’s adventuresome production of Lucia Frangione’s Leave of Absence, she’s about to experience a final loss of innocence. It’s the kind of moral wrestling that’s tough enough when you have the benefit of maturity – but at 15, attending a Catholic school in a […]
REVIEW: Arkells open Rally Cry tour with a bang in Edmonton, at home in Oil Country
Posted on February 1, 2019 By Gene Kosowan Entertainment, Front Slider, Music, news
It was hard not to feel empathy for Arkells – who chose frigid Edmonton as the launching point of their current 11-city Canadian tour. But it made sense, given that the Steeltown stereotype of the band’s Hamilton origins is a match for the blue-collar reputation that’s worn on the sleeves of hardy Edmontonians. More significantly, […]
PLAYBOT: I see dead people – Citadel Theatre unveils new season
Posted on January 28, 2019 By Mike Ross Entertainment, Front Slider, news, Theatre
One of the biggest shockers in today’s announcement of the 2019/2020 Citadel Theatre season is the addition of an annual summer musical. Like why didn’t they do this before? It starts this summer with Ring of Fire, based on the life and music of the late, great Johnny Cash. He died in 2003, leaving a […]
Jim Gaffigan takes whitebread comedy to new heights at Rogers Place
Posted on January 19, 2019 By Derek Owen Comedy, Entertainment, Front Slider, news
Thousands of well-dressed suburban upper-middle class white couples in Edmonton decided to venture out in the cold for evening date Friday night in the company of fellow thoroughly white American comedian Jim Gaffigan – smack in the middle of his “Quality Time” Tour. They made a wise choice. Gaffigan reasserted his A-list status at Rogers […]
2019 MUSIC PREVIEW: Ozzy! Priest! Skynyrd! Ariana!
Posted on January 4, 2019 By Mike Ross Entertainment, Front Slider, Music, music, news
The Big Three – can we call them the Big Three? Yes! – THE BIG THREE shall rock Edmonton this summer. Name other metal legends so widely known by only one name: Ozzy, Priest, Maiden – this trifecta alone will make 2019 a huge year for classic heavy metal in Edmonton. Ozzy Osbourne, age 70, […]