There are a few key ways to judge a new artistic director taking over an established company. Some people who aren’t technically wrong but are awfully cynical might look to fundraising ability or at least PR prowess. Artists invariably talk about company leadership and setting the right tone in the rehearsal room, which makes sense. […]
I’m a cryer. I cry easily and a lot, triggered by all sorts of things from nostalgia to empathy to heartbreak. It can be difficult to explain to people what it means when I cry. Our basic human instinct is to assume that if someone is acting in a certain way, it means they’re feeling […]
CBS doesn’t make great comedies. With the exception of How I Met Your Mother, which felt cool and genuinely new in its early seasons and therefore read as a total fluke for the uncompromisingly oldschool network, the modern story of CBS is top-notch reality competitions, homogenous procedural dramas, and tired three-camera comedy. Mom has its […]
In Tennessee Williams’ extensive canon, The Glass Menagerie stands out as the original “memory play”: the work is framed as the hazy recollections of the main character, whose reliability as a narrator is an open question. Williams uses this to issue an invitation to actors and directors to fill in and flesh out those memories as […]
Both the best and worst thing about theatre, and indie theatre especially, is its ephemerality. Productions close so fast that you never have the time you need to tell every person you’ve ever met, and some you haven’t, that they have to see the show you just saw. And in the Toronto independent theatre landscape, […]
David Yazbek & Itamar Moses’ slinky musical adaptation of the 2007 Israeli film The Band’s Visit is one of those artistic oddities that wins incredible acclaim and most people still have never heard of it. Its 2017 Broadway premiere earned 10 Tony Awards, including all the big ones, including Best Musical, but it hasn’t captured […]
When it premiered in July 2013, Orange is the New Black was only the third original show on Netflix. House of Cards, which I’ve always maintained wasn’t half as good as reputed, will be remembered for the worst reasons. Hemlock Grove isn’t likely to be remembered at all. Which leaves us with OITNB. There are […]
The 1978 play Betrayal comes alive through Soulpepper’s production. The cast and crew are immaculate, and the set is designed in an incredibly effective way. Time slides through the cracks in the audience’s fingers, manipulated with slight changes of costume, hairstyle, or the addition of a single prop. Streamlined and sensual, Betrayal brings to light […]