The intimate Circle in the Square theatre has never felt so atmospheric. A lush revival of the Lynn Ahrens’ and Stephen Flaherty’s Once on this Island fills the theatre in the round with such vibrancy and authenticity that it is difficult as an audience member not to feel pulled into the action of the tale unfolding on stage. […]
Without a doubt, I am a huge fan of non-linear work. I feel it’s more reflective of how our brain’s complex neural pathways actually work. Red Light District and Buddies’ co-production of LULU V.7//Aspects of a Femme Fatale has had four years and seven versions to explore the intimate relationship one has with the subconscious, […]
Thalia Kane’s new play offers up a dark version of four young women’s coming of age in a rural Canadian high school. While the script needs some development, the play makes a significant contribution to current political conversations around consent and assault. Entering the space, the set is immediately impressive. Strings hanging from the ceiling […]
Girls Like That (Tarragon Theatre) The more I think about this fantastic ensemble piece about teenage girls dealing with the age of slut-shaming gone viral, the more shocked I am that it was written by a man. Playwright Evan Placey captures the complexities and contradictions and crushing, inescapable pressures of girlhood with such painful authenticity […]
Billed as “music theatre”, Njo Kong Kie’s first production in his residency with Canadian Stage is more of a concert with multimedia aspects than it is a piece of theatre. Inspired by his experiences picnicking in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, composer-pianist Njo Kong Kie cleverly uses this juxtaposition of life and death to create music that […]
The cryptic title of this Tom Noonan two-hander refers to a story within the play. Taken as a suggestion as to what the play itself might be, it hints that something is coming, pulling the audience to the edge of our seats as we await the inevitable devastation. What actually happens is mostly fairly mundane, […]
Love is a daunting theme on which to base any kind of project, not least because it’s been written about for thousands of years, and any attempt to say something new is nearly impossible. 40 Days and 40 Nights (co-produced by Necessary Angel Theatre Company, Electric Company Theatre, and the Theatre Centre) ambitiously tries to […]
Every now and then a play comes along which helps to define its time. Ella Hickson’s The Writer does just that. With an explosive script, stunning design, and phenomenal acting – led by Romola Garai in what may be her finest performance to date – the Almeida’s new production is compelling. While the play takes […]