MEET THE FRINGE CRITICS: Opinion and perspective needed
The army of Fringe theatre critics – more than 65 in all – have by now seen and reviewed just about all of the 215 plays at Village of the Fringed. Each review comes with a star rating to aid the bewildered theatrical consumer in making the difficult choice of what to see on the […]
FRINGE HOLDOVERS: The people, and the critics, have spoken
Want to see that great Fringe play that got five stars in all the papers, but found it’s all SOLD OUT? They hate it when that happens – which is why we have the annual Fringe Holdovers, the Fringe After the Fringe, starting next week at the Westbury Theatre (Venue 1, Arts Barns) and at […]
FRINGE EXCLUSIVE: Inside the Critics Studio
There is a secret room located deep in the bowels of the Fringe headquarters where the hopes, dreams, aspirations, talent and hard work of theatre artists are CRUSHED by the bucketful. It’s the “media room,” where Fringe theatre critics practice their art for 10 days every August. More than 65 journalists, broadcasters and bloggers are […]
REVIEW: Jersey Boys a gem – superb songs with a story to match
Jersey Boys sounded like a pretty lame premise for a hit Broadway musical. I mean, c’mon, the Four Seasons? Can you base an entire show on “Walk Like a Man”? As it turns out, you can. The story of four Guidos whose rose from the streets (literally — they started singing on street corners) to […]
FRINGE OF THE PICKS: Locals expected to rise to the top
According to a highly scientific study tracking the statistical average quality of Fringe plays over the last 20 years or so, a full sixty per cent of Fringe plays are now at the level of “not bad,” up significantly from past ratings of “OK.” It’s what you say to a friend asking about that play […]
REVIEW: Cirque du Soleil’s Quidam defies the laws of physics
You can really summarize any Cirque du Soleil show by calling it an amped-up adult circus, a collection of incredible and joyous athletic feats punctuated by complete lunacy. Quidam, which runs through Sunday at Rexall Place, is no different. The stunts that are performed leave you spellbound, and then they usually crank it up a […]
What’s in a name? Edmonton doesn’t have a clue
Edmonton can’t be the only city that has such a boneheaded habit of badly naming and then constantly renaming its festivals, buildings and streets. On July 10, organizers of the Capital Ex festival released the six choices to replace the name Capital Ex, which had in turn had replaced Klondike Days. They are: – EdFest […]
REVIEW: Julius Caesar an old story full of surprises
In the program for Julius Caesar, now playing at the Freewill Shakespeare Festival in Hawrelak Park, director John Kirkpatrick is quoted, “I have decided to set the play in a world/time period of my own imagination…” It’s a pragmatic and serviceable idea given William Shakespeare’s constant – and anachronistic – references to “clocks,” something which […]
