REVIEW: Arizona road trip shows depth and heart
Think of Mesa, the new production from the Varscona Theatre Ensemble, as a road show. In fact, it is much like the current movie hit Green Book, where two widely different characters find themselves stuck together on a long auto journey. These characters learn a great deal about each other – and about themselves. At […]
PLAYBOT: We Are Not Alone talks ALIENS
Before Drake was cut off at the Grammy Awards, he was about to deliver a talk on his famous Drake Equation, estimating the odds of Earth being visited by aliens. Oops, wrong Drake. It was American astrophysicist Frank Drake who came up with an algorithm in 1961. Do the math from these (somewhat paraphrased) variables: […]
Lend Me a Tenor: The Farce is strong with this one
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: All For Love one for all!
At the beginning of John Dryden’s All For Love a group of 10 jovial players come out and chide us gently. “What a flock of critics are gathered today,” they chuckle. “We are here to tell a tale that has oft been told … a wife and mistress, both of which are too good for […]
REVIEW: Catholic anti-gay doctrine attacked in Walterdale play
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 […]
PLAYBOT: Polar Vortex of Chinook theatre
Now here is a hollow mockery: The biggest winter theatre festival in Edmonton is called The Chinook Series – named for the meteorological miracle of a blessed hot wind that’s nowhere in sight. With dozens of performances taking place Feb. 7-17 in the ATB Financial Arts Barns’ theatres and other area venues, the sked for […]
PLAYBOT: I see dead people – Citadel Theatre unveils new season
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 […]
REVIEW: Here she comes! Miss Teen a magical family comedy
Vancouver playwright Michele Riml is best known for her Sexy Laundry, a spirited comedy in which a middle-aged couple check into a posh hotel to rejuvenate their flagging 25 year marriage. A while back, the play was given a very funny mounting by director John Hudson for Shadow Theatre. This week at the Varscona Theatre […]
PLAYBOT: Stage mom goes overboard in Miss Teen
What it is with stage moms becoming obsessed by their daughters’ beauty pageants? Could it be a faded rose from days gone by? You want to be supportive for your kid and all, but some mothers go way overboard. Many ridiculous cases both real and fictional are evoked in Michele Riml’s new play Miss Teen, […]
The Cardiac Shadow: Human spirit soars above Nazi atrocity in harrowing play
Dr. Sigmund Rascher has not been forgotten. He was the Nazi monster who used human subjects without their consent for extreme experiments. One of his most barbaric practices was designed to determine the best way to warm Luftwaffe pilots who had been shot down into the North Sea. To measure the human body’s ability to […]
The nerve of Minerva lives on in magical new play
The name Houdini still hovers over the world of magic – almost 100 years after his death. The master of “escapology” took the hocus pocus out of the ancient prerogatives of priests and charlatans and turned it into show business gold. Houdini ruled over Broadway, Vaudeville and musical halls. So much so that names such […]
REVIEW: Blue collar drama a play for our times at the Citadel
With her Pulitzer Prize-winning play Sweat, playwright Lynn Nottage has created a gritty work that dramatically captures the tensions and pervasive feelings of anger and despair that have gripped middle America. This is a play for our times – an insightful work based on the lives of real people – putting a human face on […]
