One dysfunctional family. A murder that no one talks about. A small, black box containing the biggest secret of all. Brian Watkins’ new play Wyoming, currently playing at the Theatre for a New City, explores concepts and themes of love and loss that are inherently unremarkable, but that are weaved together beautifully to create a […]

If you missed it at the Toronto Fringe, you can breathe easy. Toronto, I Love You, an unconventional, improvised love letter to the city of Toronto from the Bad Dog Repertory Players (BDRP), is back for a two-week stint at Bad Dog’s west end theatre. This unique, surprisingly intimate show fits perfectly in the wood-paneled […]

 

The Babadook is an independently made horror film from, almost, first time director Jennifer Kent. She based this film off her prior short film MONSTER, which I can’t really talk about yet because I haven’t seen it. That may actually be a fault of mine at this point because The Babadook is not only amazingly […]

The Broadway comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, written by Christopher Durang and directed by Jessica Stone (based on the original Broadway direction of Nicholas Martin) is a fun modern romp peppered with Chekhov references and further seasoned with tomfoolery and nostalgia.   Two siblings, Vanya (Martin Moran) and the adopted Sonia (Marcia […]

Now here’s where the show really takes off. If I actually have any complaints about this episode, it would be that it is almost too joke heavy. That can become an issue with a series if it continues like that on a regular basis (ie Family Guy). Here though, it really just fits this episode […]

 

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s at once conventional and bizarre western romance opens with a strapping cowboy named Curly singing about what a beautiful day it is. The first act proceeds down a very charming road from there, full of banter and whimsy, meant-for-each-other lovers, fun dance routines, showy solo numbers and amusing bit parts. Then things […]

 

For the past two 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 […]

 

Chris Abraham knows how to assemble a cast. The Seagull- his latest production for Crow’s Theatre, currently playing at the Berkeley- sports the director’s most perfectly constructed ensemble yet with some of Canada’s greatest actors each playing their strongest notes with a key lack of background noise to distract from Chekhov’s incisive story about art and […]