Fringe festival to tee off on James Bond
And the Fringe theme of the year is … Bond, James Bond. Doesn’t “From Fringe With Love” open a whole can of fun and adorable worms – the classic Bond film from 1963, made at the height of the Cold War. Fringe themes rarely coincide with actual content of the plays – but the fact […]
Freak flags unfurled in new k.d. lang ballet
Well before k.d. lang delivered her memorable speech at the 2013 Juno Awards in which she encouraged Canadians to fly their “freak flags,” she’d already helped create a freak flag flying ballet based on her life and music. She’ll be in Edmonton to see it this weekend, along with members of her family including her […]
Van Wilmott under no pressure to revive the past
An astounding thing is discovered in talking to Edmonton music guru Van Wilmott to mark his 20th year of producing musical theatre for the Mayfield Dinner Theatre – there isn’t a trace of his old band Grace Under Pressure on the Internet. No photos, no videos, no music, just a little entry in the Canadian […]
THEATRE: Century old labour dispute more relevant than ever in Strike!
Just to save Ezra Levant the trouble of looking into this, the show Strike! – a musical about the bloody 1919 general strike in Winnipeg – is all union. Equity actor’s union, stage tech union, you name it, no scabs here. The only dodgy bit is the show’s co-creator, producer, promoter, chief cook and bottle […]
OPERA: Dark ache of an unhappy soul in Eugene Onegin
There’s a burning question about opera that most opera buffs never talk about because they fear they’ll look like complete idiots. No problem here: Why not just perform all operas in English? Most of opera fans speak English – so why do they keep coming to operas performed in languages they don’t even understand? Imagine […]
THEATRE: Kenneth Brown and Tim Hortons a marriage made in heaven
“We didn’t know if Tim Hortons was going to sue us or adopt us,” says Kenneth Brown on his new play set in Canada’s favourite coffee shop. It’s called – you had to see this coming – Double Double. Timmy’s people did ask to look at the script: a romantic comedy between two 40-something divorced […]
Stewart Lemoine values his Diamond Jubilee Medal
Stewart Lemoine has to be the most decorated playwright in Edmonton. The founder and chief creative force of the Teatro La Quindicina company based in the Varscona Theatre recently received the Diamond Jubilee Medal, honouring “significant contributions and achievements by Canadians,” on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II’s 60th anniversary. It should go well with […]
Nude burlesque show canceled for lack of exotic dance permit
The line between art and erotic entertainment appears to be as thin as the pasties covering the performers’ nipples. A nude acrobatic burlesque show called Cirque De L’Erotique that was supposed to have taken place this weekend in Edmonton has been cancelled because promoter Jade Janvier doesn’t have an exotic entertainer license – “despite the […]
THEATRE REVIEW: Private Lives pithy without the stiffy
The Citadel Theatre’s version of Private Lives by Noel Coward should be prescribed by doctors to treat depression. To quote a gentleman sitting three rows back from me on opening night, “Wow, there is nothing quite like a good laugh.” My sentiments exactly. Having being written in 1930 and last produced in Edmonton in 1986, […]
THEATRE: Actor pretends to be a bastard in Private Lives
When I was very young, I wanted to be a fire truck. So, naturally, I pretended to be one. I didn’t realize it then, but I was acting. Acting is a solitary exercise. There are other actors on stage with you, and an audience watching, of course, but you’re on your own – pretending. Noel […]
OPERA: A carnival named desire in Les Contes d’Hoffman
This Hoffman is one messed-up dude. First he falls for a chick who’s clearly a robot and only finds out when her arm comes off. Then he falls in love with a woman who’s so frail she sings herself to death, then with some floozy who leaves him for a cowboy the moment his back […]
THEATRE: Charles Ross the Weird Al of The Lord of the Rings
In the matter of using other people’s intellectual property as the basis for your own work, it has been said that it’s easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission – but the actor who’s bringing the “One Man Lord of the Rings” back to town can attest that this is not the case. “They’re scary […]
