For many, 2016 will be recalled with disdain as one of the worst years in recent memory. From political side shows (horror shows?) to international scandals to ever-frequent visits by the grim reaper, it has become difficult to look back on this past year with anything but malaise. After a bountiful year of New York […]
2016 was the second year of the London branch and a time when many more theatres opened their doors to us, including the National and, just recently, the Almeida, signalling the coup that we now have access to virtually every new writing theatre in the city. Which is astounding given where we started from. […]
Okay, so it wasn’t our best year as humans, but lots of great people made lots of great stuff in 2016 and god dammit we’re going to celebrate that stuff. This is home base for our entire 2016 Awards Season. Starting with the Nomination Announcements, then the Nominee Interview Series and, finally, The Winners! Without […]
At some point in life, we have all been Evan Hansen – feeling alone and invisible to the world. Unfortunately, in the technological age, the chatter surrounding a person who feels alone is magnified to a digital roar and sometimes that roar bares its teeth at the outcast in the form of online bullying. Steven […]
A timely and shaded production that breathes much-needed life into the faces of primary school history posters. Based on Friedrich Schiller’s text from 1800, Mary Stuart- both adapted and directed by Robert Icke- is unexpectedly riveting. Following the story of Mary Queen of Scots and her cousin, Elizabeth I, it recounts Mary’s final days in prison […]
As I checked in at the ticketing table, the young ladies hovering around in bright blue Beta Tau Alpha t-shirts and perfectly cuffed jeans transported me back to college. It is there I stayed for the duration of Beth Hyland’s new play For Annie, unable to escape the sense that the ideal audience For Annie, […]
Toronto’s (Canada’s?) most ambitious professional theatre company is undoubtedly Soulpepper. The artist-led organization has never been shy about making their mark on the city but lately they’re expanding at a rate worth noting. This is especially noticeable at Christmas time, a season which used to consist of just two signature productions remounted in alternating years […]
Am I the only person who actually enjoys clichés once in a while? I mean, not every production is the most inventive but is that really the worst thing? When your job title is “critic” it can be difficult to just…. enjoy. Old Red Lion Theatre’s production of Benighted reminded me that sometimes a cliché […]