REVIEW: Scottish comic does his people proud
Craig Ferguson did a remarkable show at the Winspear Centre on Thursday night – considering that he appears to have no appreciable career plans since his talk show ended in 2014, beyond doing stand-up dates. On what calls the “Hobo Fabulous” tour, Ferguson is a dyed-in-the-tartan Scot, for sure, and left absolutely nothing on table […]
Arkells, now an arena act, plays Edmonton in 2019
After years of “bubbling under” in the turbulent world of indie rock, Arkells is the latest Canadian rock band to ascend to the mainstream. The final confirmation is today’s announcement of their first cross-country arena tour. In the wake of today’s release of their new album Rally Cry, the band will play Thursday, Feb. 7, […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: They Might Be Giants stomp into Edmonton
The Gods of indie rock have smiled on Edmonton once again – They Might Be Giants is coming to town. At the Starlite Friday night, this unusual band has spanned genres and decades with the sort of introspective, esoteric, insufferably quirky and intelligent pop music that’s so hard to pin down it comes unravelled in […]
DEDfest Still Alive – With a Vengeance
In a flurry of complaining, local film producer Derek Clayton told the CBC that last year’s DEDfest would be its last year ever. Yet here we are, again. The 10th annual genre film festival now called DEDfest With a Vengeance runs Oct 19-21 at the Metro Cinema in the Garneau. Selections include Climax (above), a […]
PLAYBOT: Love means never having to say you’re sorry
Opera buffs claim La Traviata was an inspiration for several Hollywood movies – highbrow stuff like Moulin Rouge or Pretty Woman. But there is another … Giuseppe Verdi’s famous opera bears a striking similarity to Love Story, the 1970 romantic drama starring Ryan O’Neal and Ali MacGraw. Does anyone remember this? It was the highest […]
Origin of the Species shows it’s time for women to take over
The first thing you notice on entering the intimate Northern Light Theatre space is Trevor Schmidt’s remarkable set. It’s an eccentric collection – all sorts of objects, gadgets, small sculptures, bottles, knick-knacks, doodads and doohickeys. And clocks. Many clocks. At the Arts Barns’ Studio Theatre until Oct. 27, it’s a fitting setting for a play […]
REVIEW: Edmonton Comedy Festival math adds up
Down at the ATB Financial Arts Barns Saturday evening for the last night of this year’s Edmonton Comedy Festival, the comic math added up pretty good: during the 4 Days of Funny, those in attendance this 1 night got 2 solid hours of gut-busting comedy from 4 great comics, and 1 who needs some work. […]
BREAKING VLAD: Lenin’s Embalmers a dark riot
The story of ancient Egypt’s effort to preserve the earthy remains of their citizens is well known – through endless television documentaries, learned books and “B” grade Universal Studio horrors. But the 2600 B.C. Egyptian necromancers are pikers compared to the Soviets. That revered father of the revolution, Vladimir Lenin, who died in 1924, lies […]
Triangle Factory Fire Project a distressingly familiar tragedy
To launch its 60th season, Walterdale Theatre has chosen The Triangle Factory Fire Project, a highly dramatic retelling of the deadliest industrial disaster in New York’s history. Similar recent worldwide events have served to tear the Century-old disaster out of the dusty pages of newspapers and into a renewed currency. The play runs until Oct. […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Major crush on Major Love
Major Love is being touted as this city’s new supergroup – and there’s more than a little truth to that statement. Led by the extraordinary musical wizardry of Colleen Brown, who’s released some stellar solo material herself, when a chance meeting with the braintrust of Scenic Route To Alaska in England led to a group […]
PLAYBOT: Theatre season off to morbid start
Vern Thiessen is a busy man. His play about Shakespeare’s dead wife Shakespeare’s Will just finished its run – in a graveyard! – and now the esteemed local playwright will star in his own play Lenin’s Embalmers, a Studio Theatre production Oct. 11-20 at the Timms Centre for the Arts. He plays Lenin. Current state: […]
UP+DT REVIEW: Weird wonderful walkabout
By far the weirdest and most wonderful thing witnessed during a walkabout at the Up+Downtown indie rock festival on Friday night was Tanya Tagaq. She makes Yoko Ono look like Britney Spears. At the storied McDougall United Church, a lovely space with cavernous acoustics, the Polaris Prize-winning Inuk throat singer took several hundred people on […]
