Hadestown one HELL of a musical
The first thing you see when you enter the theatre is a vast empty space with a huge bleached tree reaching out with leafless arms. Winter’s coming. It’s a powerful invitation and a warning of the wonders and dangers that are to come in the new musical Hadestown. It’s a simple enough start to a […]
Mayfield’s ‘80s sequel a riot of gnarly fun
The 1980s decade was not the best of times. Following just after the cultural explosion of the ‘60s, it brought us bad hair, gay bashing, Margaret Thatcher and AIDS. But after the astonishing success of the musical revue Back to the ’80s in 2015, the Mayfield Dinner Theatre has deemed to go back to the […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Diggin’ Skydiggers
The acclaimed Skydiggers are in town on Saturday night, playing the featured weekend slot at the Needle Vinyl Tavern. The concert will showcase the band’s newest release, October’s Warmth Of the Sun, a 12-track romp basking in the band’s epitomal folk-rock sound. Of course, many fans will instead look to their classic tracks from the […]
Halsey cancels Edmonton, cut short Calgary
New Americana singer Halsey has canceled Wednesday night’s show in Edmonton at Rogers Place, following a performance that was cut short Tuesday in Calgary, citing a “personal emergency.” No other details were available Wednesday morning, and her social media accounts have been silent. Ticket refunds were offered in Calgary, as they will in Edmonton, at […]
Jabberwocky a union made in puppet heaven
Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The Jaws that bite, the claws that catch! So warned Lewis Carroll back in 1871 in his famous nonsense poem in Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There. But, by all means, don’t take the author literally when it comes to the latest puppet show from Calgary’s Old Trout […]
REVIEW: John Ware gets the story he deserves
John Ware was the most famous Alberta hero you’ve never heard of – and the subject of a remarkable new play by Calgary playwright Cheryl Foggo. John Ware Reimagined is an absorbing and ultimately touching production from Edmonton’s Workshop West (from the original 2014 Ellipsis Tree Collective production in Calgary). It plays until Nov. 19 […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Dallas Smith not wasting time
Musicians who make the leap from mainstream rock to mainstream country have only served to illustrate how similar these two genres of music can be in the right (or wrong) hands. That “leap” feels more like a hop across a dried-up creek-bed these days. Dallas Smith has been a country guy since 2011, a steady […]
PLAYBILL: John Ware comes to life
Not much is known about the life of John Ware – which of course means it’s open season for curious biographical playwrights. As long as their poetic license is up to date with not too many demerits. The record of Calgarian playwright Cheryl Foggo appears to be clean, and her celebrated play John Ware Reimagined […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: The Glorious Sons on upward path
Hailing from Kingston, Ontario – hometown of the late Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip – The Glorious Sons have had five singles hit the top 10 on the Canadian rock charts since they were founded in 2011, including Lightning, The Contender, and Kill the Lights. And three of those came off their glorious debut […]
Tegan and Sara share queer agenda in Edmonton
Tegan and Sara are Alberta-bred – twin sisters and openly queer. They used to play at the old Edmonton institution known as the Sidetrack Café. The connection to Edmonton is fitting because the crowd who filled the Jubilee Auditorium on Tuesday night looked like a throwback to the good ol’ days at The Roost with […]
Mollys Reach scratches Reunion Itch
The “20 Year Itch” phenomenon reveals that any rock band reaching its platinum milestone experiences an incontinent gush of nostalgia. It results in re-releases of 20-year-old albums followed by theme tours to play said albums in their entirety. Even if the band is broken up, the Itch (which no penicillin can cure) can be potent […]
PLAYBILL: Sing, Little Women!
It would be interesting to go back in time and tell Louisa May Alcott that her coming-of-age novel Little Women would one day be made into a musical. Indeed, this would be the best use of a time machine. “Prithy, sir, what is this ‘musical’ of which you speak?” the Victorian authoress might’ve replied. So […]
