The BBC has a long history of its ‘family drama’ series. These series are shows that are meant to entertain the entire family. Doctor Who is the most famous and successful of these. There was also Robin Hood, which despite its faults gave us a brooding Richard Armitage clad in black leather and guyliner. There […]
At the Papermill Theatre last week, the East Side Players premiered one of the most ambitious and beautiful works in the Canadian theatrical canon- Timothy Findley’s Elizabeth Rex. The complex hypothetical places the “virgin” Queen rather outlandishly in the barn where Shakespeare’s troupe The Lord Chamberlain’s men are lodging after performing Much Ado About Nothing […]
I don’t go in for sexy vampires and demons and things anymore. Not that I ever really did. There’s nothing wrong with sexy vampires and demons and things, I guess, except that I feel like they’ve taken what was once my favourite network away from me. With The WB of Gilmore/Dawson/Everwood fame a distant memory […]
Out from the looming shadow of Peter Sellars’ agonizing Hercules, The Canadian Opera Company is crawling back to the light as they close in on the end of their generally strong 2013/14 season. Said light is shone by thoughtful director Stephen Lawless onto Donizetti’s emotionally mature and structurally sound opera about the great and confounding […]
Ask the average American under 40 what they know about President Lyndon B. Johnson and they will likely do one of two things: (1) stare at you blankly or (2) start mumbling about JFK’s assassination. Despite having a political science degree and twenty years of U.S.-based education, I know very little about President Johnson. Don’t […]
Before we announce the winners of the 2013 My Theatre Awards, we’re proud to present our annual Nominee Interview Series. Jesse Nerenberg was the first independent artist to ever win a My Theatre Award for Best Actor (he took home the inaugural prize for his 2010 performance as Alan Strang in Equus). Since then, we’ve […]
Firebrand, the newest site-specific piece from Single Thread Theatre Company, is like a poster child for what the company does. Or at least what they’ve been doing lately. The very nature of Single Thread’s process is (I believe unintentionally) locking them into a niche that is interesting but fairly limiting. They pick a space (often […]
Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief is a masterpiece. I’m dead serious. So I’m both excited and terrified by the prospect that a movie interpretation of the book will be in theatres November 15, 2013. I always get this way about movie adaptations. I don’t know whether to be scared or excited or both. I usually […]
When I heard there was going to be a mini-series about the women behind the War of the Roses, I was psyched. A series focusing on awesome historical ladies? Yes please, that is right up my alley. I spent a good part of my summer reading up on English queens (She Wolves by Helen Castor […]
Hilary Mantel’s Thomas Cromwell series is fantastic. The series is planned to consist of three books, two of which are already out (Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies). The series (at least, so far) tracks Thomas Cromwell, advisor first to Cardinal Wolsey and then to King Henry VIII, through the tumultuous political and religious […]
History Channel’s new mini-series Vikings is a lot tamer than one would expect, considering the subject matter. The first episode set up a lot, and consequently the premiere felt like it was on the edge of something substantial happening. Instead of bringing a lot of blood and gore (there was still some), it focused on […]
Just when we think we’ve seen the best from writer/director Quentin Tarantino, he comes out with another film that astounds us once again. Django Unchained, despite the idea that it’s a homage to classic ‘spaghetti westerns’ is a film that forces the audience to experience a multitude of emotions. Throughout the film we experience sadness, […]
The Single Thread model is a successful one. The concept of experiencing a Toronto landmark under the premise of theatre instead of museum-dull tourism is intriguing to residents and visitors alike. For most Torontonians, The Campbell House Story will be a reminder of “oh yeah, I read about that guy in grade 7” combined with […]