To boldly make comedy where there was no comedy before
Inoculate yourselves, because free comedy is spreading in pubs west of downtown like a sniffle through a kindergarten. The Gas Pump, located at 10166 114 Street, is the latest establishment to offer a slate of comedians on a night which is traditionally slow in the hospitality industry – Mondays at 9:30 p.m., fitting nicely between […]
THEATRE: Chris Craddock is King of All Media
Great – another one-man play at the Fringe. Wait, this isn’t the Fringe. There’s snow on the ground. For a one-hander to go against theatrical behemoths like The Three Musketeers (Citadel) or the new spelling bee comedy at the Mayfield in the regular season of subscription fun in Edmonton, it must be very special indeed. […]
Blue Chair Don’t Swing Blue, but Lenny Bruce Lives On
Once upon a time, on a dark and stormy night in a galaxy far, far away (but still in Edmonton, strangely enough), there was only one story slam. It was at The Blue Chair Cafe and it grew to be so popular that on some nights it even had to turn folks away. But things […]
Next best thing to Vegas
It has long been a dream to see a new theme hotel built in Las Vegas, one that would pay homage to the old Vegas that was torn down to make way for the new Vegas: Vegas Vegas! Imagine: A bar that looks like a mini Sands Hotel, 1950s decor, Rat Pack waiters, Dean Martin […]
THEATRE: All for one and one for all!
So there’s this young sword-fighter named d’Artagnan who goes to 17th Century Paris to seek his fortune, only to get embroiled in a tale of intrigue involving an evil Cardinal, an adulterous French queen, a deceitful countess, various dukes, lords, cutpurses, whoresons, comely wenches, dashing swashbucklers and … to HELL with all this historical exposition! […]
GIGGLE CITY: Tim Koslo’s comic recovery
Tim Koslo once experienced a personal Fear and Loathing in Alberta wasted on alcohol, morphine, Ativan, Valium, Quaaludes and LSD. He remembers the list very clearly. On day three of the epic bender, he did a stand-up comedy show which audience members later described as “brilliant,” featuring material nobody had ever heard before or since. […]
Dominelli dominates Mayor’s Arts Awards
Awards are flying everywhere when you’re in the arts. Keep doing what you’re doing and if you’re reasonably good, sooner or later you’re going to catch one of them. But when the MAYOR himself gives you an award, well, now we’re talking. It’s like the key to the city. Local jazzman Sandro Dominelli was just […]
THE WEEK AHEAD: Cheese, with a side of ham and corn
Ladies and gentlemen: Cheese. Ham and cheese. Ham and cheese with a side of corn. Great. Now we’re all hungry for Julio Iglesias, the man whose picture you see before you, whose pose was obviously contrived to pre-emptively make fun of Julio Iglesias. Yes: I fully admit I am often seen as a hokey old […]
REVIEW: Pervert captures life in a porn shop
It turns out Stephen Massicotte and I share something in common: We both spent time working in a porno shop, hoping our experience would inspire a play out of us. However, while “Uncle Smiley’s House of Dirty Love” languishes half-written on one of my old hard drives, “Pervert” is a real concern, brought to you by […]
Hot Picks: No one left unscathed in Tosca
So there’s this singer, Floria, who’s in love with a church painter named Mario, who is helping an escaped political prisoner named Cesare, who is hiding in the vestibule. Mario has just painted a picture of Mother Mary whose sexy appearance earns stern disapproval from the church custodian. It also looks suspiciously like Cesare’s sister, […]
CONCERTS: Carmen Electra, Art Garfunkel, Men Without Hats
The Pussycat Dolls are coming?! No, it’s the Pussycat Dolls BURLESQUE REVUE – a Vegas-style show featuring music of the Pussycat Dolls without the actual Pussycat Dolls, coming to the River Cree Casino Saturday, June 18. Don’t pull a long face: There is some celebrity oomph to the event: The special guest star will be […]
Edmonton Arts Council a great stress-reliever for local artists
It sure is sweet when you’re an artist who doesn’t have to scrape for every buck to pay the rent. Thanks to the Edmonton Arts Council, 16 talented Edmonton artists will enjoy that chance – for a couple of months, at least – with an extra $7,500 each. Musician Ben Sures (right) and filmmaker Trevor […]
