Giacomo Puccini’s three-act ode to fidelity and sacrifice plays out with predictable beauty on the stage of Toronto’s Four Seasons Centre. The Canadian Opera Company, as usual, dresses the production with lush and expansive set and costume design by Kevin Knight, and while such stunning aesthetics are an expected treat of attending the COC, it’s […]
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I’m always a fan of the plus-sized odd couple sitcom model- you know, the trope that throws more than 2 people together as roommates even though they have nothing in common. The Golden Girls, for example, or, more recently, New Girl; it’s a setup that often pays off with fun misadventures and heartfelt common-ground-achieving. So, […]
So winter decided to bite back a few weeks ago and, in the midst of a relatively anaemic January, hit my city with enough snow to give one pause. Not to be dismayed, two of my friends braved the winter winds and arrived for what would be a couple of hours of Lovecraftian fun. The adventure board game […]
The Trojan Women, Alumnae Theatre’s latest effort, was the best thing I’ve seen from the company since 2010’s Hedda Gabler. It was not, however, as good as it should have been. With a strong cast led by a wizened Molly Thom as the beaten-but-not-yet-broken Hecuba and My Theatre Award nominee Sochi Fried as the defiantly […]
When I was little, I went to see The Secret Garden in theaters with my mom. During one scene, as young Mary Lennox is creeping towards the garden, I started to freak out. When my mom asked, “What’s wrong?” in a very nice voice, although I’m sure what she meant was “Why the hell is […]
NBC is looking for a star. With one flop after another, we’ve hit midseason premieres. And I’ve had my eye on a certain bright-lights showstopper for months. SMASH has been NBC’s not-so-hidden gem for months with over $25 million in advertising. From billboards to playbills, the network is pulling out all of the stops for […]
The latest offering at Toronto’s Factory Studio Theatre comes from TheatreRUN, a quirky collective created by Jaques Lecoq-trained artists (translation: theatre professionals with some of the best movement and mime training in the world). Known for the Dora-winning hit Spent, Adam Paolozza once again explores dark comic territory with his oldschool, jazzy take on modern […]
*Originally Posted: June 21, 2011* In January I read a pretty harsh review of Showtime’s new “comedy”* Shameless, calling it crass, preachy, pretentious and easy. Of all the features of a series I might hate, those are probably the four I have the hardest time getting over. But then I heard the series’ praises sung […]