One of the latest revivals to hit the West End, Guys and Dolls is a classic piece of light-hearted entertainment, a thoroughly enjoyable romp which is sure to cure those pesky January blues. Set in a dizzying yet dazzling den of debauchery within the New York City underworld, Guys and Dolls tells the tale of […]
After two episodes, Showtime’s Billions is on just as steady ground creatively as it is commercially (the premiere put up the biggest cross-platform debut numbers the pay channel has ever earned). The scripts are razor sharp, the execution top-notch, and co-creators Brian Koppelman and David Levien’s partnership with finance journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin has paid […]
A revived musical has just pulled into town. SpeakEasy Stage Company has brought back the musical Violet, directed by Paul Daigneault, musical direction by Matthew Stern, to the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion. Jeanine Tesori (music) and Brian Crawley (book and lyrics) first joined forces to adapt Doris Betts’ short story “The Ugliest Pilgrim” into a musical […]
For the past three years, I’ve been ranking every film I see- just the new releases, from January 1st to December 31st. The rankings are subjective, based entirely on how much I enjoyed and/or connected with or appreciated the film rather than on some sort of objective artistic criteria. Basically, this is a list of […]
The imaginary beasts are back this January with their seasonal Winter Panto. This year they present the story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the well-loved classic by L. Frank Baum, and proceed to shake it up in true panto style. References to Beyoncé, State Farm Insurance, and Hamilton bubble easily to the surface, as […]
Tad Quill, the creator of this latest Jane Lynch delivery vehicle, has excellent sitcom pedigree- Spin City, Scrubs, Samantha Who?, Dirty Sexy Money, the too-soon-canceled Perfect Couples and one of my early favourites Good Morning, Miami. Maggie Lawson is a sweet, solid leading lady, Kyle Bornheimer (who plays her brother) is great, Kevin Pollak (who […]
For the past three years, I’ve been ranking every film I see- just the new releases, from January 1st to December 31st. The rankings are subjective, based entirely on how much I enjoyed and/or connected with or appreciated the film rather than on some sort of objective artistic criteria. Basically, this is a list of […]
Byhalia, Mississippi (Cue6 Theatre) This excellent contemporary drama from Cue6 Theatre tells the story of flawed but defiantly happy couple Jim and Laurel whose simple lives in nowheresville Byhalia, Mississippi are thrown into turmoil when the birth of their son destabilizes everything from Laurel’s relationship with her mother (a wonderfully infuriating Kyra Harper) to Jim’s […]