Perhaps one day I’ll review a comic book and become a mighty geyser of vitriolic verbage, but today is not that day. Maybe it stems from reading as many comics as I do and my tendency to see something good in every one. I end up using this forum as a way to recommend my […]
The history of Shakespeare Bash’d, up to and including their current production of Macbeth at the Monarch Tavern, reveals a pattern of wonderful comedy and middling tragedy. Some of this has to do with the Fringe Festival comedies being shorter and more fun, enlivened by the festival environment. But, mostly, I think it comes down […]
Alicia and Frank, Cordial Enemies As Alicia is working to build an ad that will show who she is and the experience that she that qualifies her for States Attorney, she gets a visit from Frank Prady. David Hyde Pierce is becoming one of my favorite recurring guest stars on this show. Prady approaches Alicia […]
Good solo shows are undeniably impressive. It takes a lot of energy, storytelling skill, and presence for one actor to capture and maintain an audience’s attention. That said, Bob Brader has all of those qualities (and then some) in his one-man show Spitting in the Face of the Devil, which I saw at the United […]
On September 21, 2007, the film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford opened in limited release in 5 theatres. My research on its release outside of theatres shows that it screened at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). I am certain it may have been screened for critics at other film […]
Hart House’s Tempest, which runs until November 22, was certainly big on ambition. While there were moments of brilliance here, they often came too few and far between. The ensemble of nymphs, expertly choreographed by Ashleigh Powell, executed coherent and well-rounded physical and vocal performances. The Troupe of white-clothed and white-powdered spirits (compliments of […]
I had a disappointing movie weekend. On the surface, Big Hero 6 is the perfect movie for me. It’s a cartoon! It’s action packed! It features adorable, beautiful animation! And it’s genial enough. Funny enough. Engrossing enough. But at the end I was left with the distinct impression that I’d just sat through a decent […]
Australian acrobatic company Circa has livened CanStage with a refreshingly new and desperately needed contemporary circus show. Opus is 75 non-stop minutes of circus feats, but also shows the audience a new side of modern circus. It was a difficult transition, it seemed, for many patrons to adjust their pre-show anticipation into respectful awe and […]