Drowsy Chaperone a fresh, lively romp
The story of The Drowsy Chaperone might make a musical in itself. It began as a stag party lark from Toronto playwrights Don McKellar and Bob Martin (with music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison). It was transferred to a modest production at the Toronto Fringe where it wowed the locals. So much […]
PLAYBILL: Homosexual scandal rocks theatre scene
Shocking news, everyone: There may be gay sex occurring right under our very noses inside Edmonton’s live theatre community – and not the “lighthearted and carefree” definition of the word gay, either, though it could be both. Won’t someone think of the children?! Concerned citizens must pay heed to this menace that threatens the moral […]
REVIEW: Only In Vegas a full meal deal
The Mayfield Dinner Theatre may have finally hit the wall with their Christmas show this year. Not that audiences have had enough—just try to get a table for their new show, “Only in Vegas.” Perhaps their winning formula of good food, seductive nostalgia and superlative musical production has reached saturation. Probably not though, because, as […]
WEEKLY PLAYBILL: Mobile homophobia
You know you’re trailer trash when … … you own a home that’s mobile and five cars that aren’t. … your house doesn’t have curtains – but your truck does. … if anyone in your family has died right after saying, “Hey, watch this!” No, it’s not Jeff Foxworthy. Quite the opposite. These lines come […]
WEEKLY PLAYBILL: ABBA cadabra!
November is a huge month for live theatre in Edmonton – almost a dozen openings, at last rough count. At the top of the list of the songs you can’t get out of your head this week is Mamma Mia, at the Jubilee Auditorium for five shows Nov. 11-13. Short run, big bang. What’s this […]
SHOCKER: Teen sexuality on Scona stage!
German theatregoers discovered sex in 1906. And boy, were they stirred up. The good Burghers of the time were horrified (and delighted) by a new work called Spring Awakening, from playwright Frank Wedekind. This provocative play dared to suggest that adolescents discover their sexuality. In the early years of the 20th Century, the heady rush […]
Sister Sister takes sibling rivalry to torturous new level
Northern Light Theatre is often way out there on the edge. Under the adventurous guidance of its artistic director Trevor Schmidt, it has become Edmonton’s most challenging theatre company – constantly probing human relationships and demanding intelligence, commitment and an open mind. It hasn’t always worked, but mostly it has – winning awards and giving […]
Million Dollar Quartet comes to life
Jukebox Musicals have been all the rage on Broadway. Examples include Buddy (Holly), Jersey Boys (about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons) and the godmother of them all, Mamma Mia (ABBA). Included in that list is the current attraction at the Citadel Theatre, Million Dollar Quartet. This production is simply superb. It was assembled by […]
Turandot is one messed up love story
Puccini’s Turandot is a maddening, brilliant mess that goes against every shred of decency, logic and common sense – but that’s opera for you. It was a crazy old story seen at Edmonton Opera’s spectacular season opener Saturday night: A strong-willed princess whose best friend was murdered by a man takes revenge against an entire […]
Weird town to be less weird without weird artist
To mangle a line from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Planet Edmonton will be a very great deal less weird without Philip Alexander Jagger. The performance artist, experimental musician, filmmaker, actor, poet and distant cousin of Mick Jagger has spent 30 years Making Something Strange in Edmonton, but will soon be moving to an […]
10 out of 12 not a 5 out of 5
Toward the end of the neorealism wave in Italy in the late 1940s the auteurs of the time turned out a series of films about the ennui and boredom of the upper classes. The idea was to make the films long and boring so you wouldn’t just see the privileged tedium on the screen. You’d […]
Bittergirl triumphs over heartbreak
The hilarious musical Bittergirl comes to the Citadel Theatre after generating years of audience laughter in its various forms – but there are deeper, timeless issues here. The original play was the brainchild of three women, Annabel Fitzsimmons, Mary Francis Moore and Alison Lawrence, who had been dumped by their respective boyfriends (and husband). Rather […]
