PLAYBILL: Phantom on our mind
“In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came … ” Now you see: Right there your interest is piqued, isn’t it? Andrew Lloyd Webber is a genius. “… and now I find the Phantom of the Opera is THERE” – and there’s that dramatic dominant major seventh note we all know and love […]
Interstellar Rodeo a civilized festival
There were no complaints overheard at Interstellar Rodeo. That’s because I was too busy not complaining myself, sitting there in the front row (the “obstructed view” seats were usually open) with a bowl of delicious coconut curry chicken with sesame cranberry cabbage salad from Filistix, and a (plastic) glass of the finest Medici Ermete Concerto […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: 3 festival hacks you must try
1. Stay hydrated. Don’t forget that most alcoholic beverages contain water. 2. Choose wisely. Festivals are piled on top of each other at this time of year in Edmonton. There are three major ones this weekend alone: Interstellar Rodeo, K-Days and Taste of Edmonton. If you’re looking for a more “rural” festival experience, i.e., bush […]
PLAYBILL: Cirque du Soleil a new paradigm
No more performing elephants, no more bags of peanuts to feed the elephants, no more tigers jumping through flaming hoops, no more clowns whose job it is to shovel horse poop, no more picketing by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals – the conquest of circus entertainment is complete. As the Ringling Bros […]
INTERVIEW: Suzanne Vega in the alternative heart
The name of Suzanne Vega’s baby was part of an interesting coincidence that leads to some of the greatest alternative music albums ever made – including her own. Vega is one of the headliners of the Interstellar Rodeo in Hawrelak Park July 21-23. When she was married to the legendary producer Mitchell Froom, she had […]
Matchbox Twenty and Counting Crows meet in the middle
“Wow, I got totally out of control at the Matchbox Twenty concert last night!” is probably not something you want to admit today. This is not a band – like White Zombie or Insane Clown Posse or something – whose music you’d think would incite uncontrollable behaviour. Unless you count 40-year-old guys dancing in the […]
PLAYBILL: Mirthful murder mystery mayhem
Things are lighter in the summer – clothing comes to mind. Now think of other things robbed of gravity with the addition of summer: Summer school, summer romance, summer theatre. Hey now: Would you accuse playwright Stewart Lemoine and his Teatro La Quindicina theatre company of being “light”? Certainly their work is often light-hearted. Also […]
Duran Duran wows Edmonton moms
Someone once said that video killed the radio star – and that Duran Duran was the first pop group to prove it. They were pioneers of MTV. Now the British group is a nostalgia act, while YouTube killed the video star and little kids are asking, “What’s MTV, Mommy?” But Mommy wasn’t listening. Mom was […]
EDMONTON: City of bad names
The $2 million rebranding of Edmonton as “Edmonton” may have made Edmonton the laughingstock of the world, but this is just the latest boneheaded move in the rich history of Edmonton’s embarrassing problem with names. Look at that: “Edmonton” four times in one sentence. Pay me now. Recall the last branding blunder: K-Days. Short history: […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Seven to rule them all
Every festival has its own “feel.” Now see if you can tell what the acts at the Seven Music Festival Saturday in St. Albert have in common: The Strumbellas, The Rural Alberta Advantage, The Provincial Archive, Paul Woida, The Elwins, Sykamore, Frazey Ford, and The Royal Foundry. Yes, they’re all white, but that sort of […]
Adam Lambert gives new life to Queen
Queen is never going to replace Freddie Mercury. He was one of a kind. But what about the rest of the guys in the band? What do they do when they want to keep the band going after their lead singer died? Life isn’t fair. And so, in their desire to give these great songs […]
PLAYBILL: Streetfest serious about silly
Jesters, jugglers, fools, clowns and buffoons … but enough about Edmonton City Hall. Bah-haha! That joke never gets old. Nor does the Edmonton International Street Performers Festival, for its 33rd year in Churchill Square July 7-16. Performers include the Mellifluous Mr. Bombo, Dan the Balloon Man, The Great Balanzo, Kamikaze Fireflies, Tianna the Traveller, Silver […]