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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The Illusionists razzle dazzle Edmonton
The art of illusion is probably as old as civilization itself. Once the province of wizards and enchanters, it became a popular entertainment in the hands of Thurston and Houdini in the early years of the 20th Century – known now as “The Golden Age of Magic.” As our culture and society advances, seeing something […]
EDMONTON THEATRE 2018: The Colin MacLean Awards
If the Alberta economy is in tatters, it would be hard to tell from the number of plays and musicals to grace our stages this year. Theatre budgets may be suffering and costs ballooning, but we fortunate Edmonton theatre-goers have enjoyed a mountain range of productions. Like our Rockies, some were high, others not so […]
Gush for Singin’ in the Rain!
The answer is a triumphant, “Yes!” Yes, Sherwood Park’s Festival Players’ Christmas gift to Edmonton, Singin’ in the Rain: The Musical, does manage to create a quite dazzling job of the joyous deluge in which Gene Kelly danced the title tune in the 1952 MGM musical. For one thing – there’s real rain. It comes […]
THEATRE: Oh! Christmas Tree, how lovely are thy branches
Anyone who doubts our desire to be entertained this Christmas only needs to check out the listings in the paper. However, in this whirlwind of off-the-rack predigested Christmas fodder offered, could I suggest an ornament for your season? It’s a play called Oh! Christmas Tree, part of Theatre Network’s Roxy Performance Series in a co-production […]
