REVIEW: Rock of Ages succeeds despite, or maybe because of, cheesy music
Going into Rock of Ages, the latest Broadway Across Canada production to set up shop at the Jubilee Auditorium, I had a real fear that this was going to be one of those shows that I would be tempted to leave at the intermission (I quit halfway through Cats; I don’t care how popular that [...]
REVIEW: Horses upstaged by amazing humans in Cavalia
Funny thing about Cavalia, the equine-themed extravaganza now playing under the very big top at the City Centre Airport – it could do with a little less horse play. “It’s ABOUT horses, idiot!” I hear you saying. “Why would you want fewer horses in a show about horses?” First, there are no two ways about [...]
REVIEW: A spoonful too much sugar from Mary Poppins
Would it be unbearably clichéd to say that Mary Poppins just wasn’t my cup of tea? Yeah, it probably would. But I’m going to use it anyway, because that’s the best way I can describe the Broadway Across Canada production of the hit musical playing at the Jubilee until July 29th. There’s nothing actually wrong [...]
REVIEW: Steve Martin bluegrass hits the right tone
Too much stage banter can ruin a perfectly good concert. That is, of course, unless it’s Steve Martin doing the bantering: then, corny jokes become the star attraction, and Martin doled out plenty at the Jubilee Auditorium Sunday night. For example, “I’m the one in the white pants, and I will be all night – [...]
FOOD: A ‘taste’ of Edmonton is about right
Some, not me, have seen fit in the past to deride A Taste of Edmonton as the River City’s Festival of Small Portions, a pay-to-play agglomeration of lean-to food factories cranking out small bites for ticket-wielding foodies clogging up a Sir Winston Churchill Square desperately in need of shade. But of course, that’s the point—to [...]
REVIEW: Bill Maher laughs with us, at them
There was a time when Bill Maher’s jokes were so shocking, he had to warn the audience. “I’m about to start talking about religion,” he would say, “and it’s usually right about now that some of you get up to leave.” But the guy used to star on a show called Politically Incorrect, too. These [...]
REVIEW: Bryan Adams takes fans back to ’80s
Escapism comes in many forms: rom-coms, daydreaming…. And Bryan Adams. With the Canadian icon’s endless list of sticky-sweet, hook-laden hits, listening to him is just like reading a good novel or eating half a pumpkin pie in one sitting. It just feels good. Adams passed down that comfort-zone spirit to the crowd at Rexall Place [...]
EIFF REVIEW: Matching Jack turns on the waterworks
In a film festival lineup filled with so many heavy-hitting documentaries and scriptwriting gems, the Australian drama Matching Jack really is somewhat out of its league in most respects, a paint-by-numbers story about coming to terms with family loss. The redeeming element of the film, which showed Sunday at the Edmonton International Film Festival, is [...]
EIFF REVIEW: Crime After Crime commits a few of its own
There are a few things that you should know if planning to attend the documentary “Crime After Crime,” airing today at Empire City Centre at 4:45 pm as part of the Edmonton International Film Festival. First, the subject of the documentary, Debi Peagler, should have been out of jail years ago. Instead, she served 26 [...]
EIFF ENCORE: Bob and the Monster turnaround
Bob Forrest is one brilliant guy. He’s funny, compassionate, talented, magnetic. Unfortunately, he credits all of it to the comfort he feels when he’s drunk or high. It’s not an uncommon story. But surviving it when you also happen to be a minor-league rock star with a big budget and lots of time on your [...]
NEW MUSIC: Hip-Hop busts genres for two buzz-heavy releases
This week’s selections feature buzz-heavy artists Theophilus London and Washed Out. London is getting noticed for his multi-influenced rap; while artist Ernest Greene (stage name Washed Out) is also influenced by hip-hop, but has veered radically to effects-driven, heavily processed backing tracks, or “chill wave.” If you weren’t sure who you were listening to when [...]
 is also influenced by hip-hop, but has veered radically to effects-driven, heavily processed backing tracks, or “chill wave.” If you weren’t sure who you were listening to when [...] "Pin It")
FOOD: Thanh Thanh’s break elicits mournful sighs
Vietnamese spring rolls, barbecue beef satay, spicy Thai soup, lemongrass chicken with coconut and hot peppers, better make that two orders, cubes of beef, shrimp in black bean sauce – and Vietnamese iced coffees all around. You order the coffee first so the espresso can have a chance to drip into the sweet cream by [...]
