I am pleasantly surprised by the recent renaissance of interest in Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale. This summer I attended a delightful all-female production staged by Maiden Phoenix Theatre Company in a Somerville park, free for all to attend. This year Jeanette Winterson released her novel version of the play, The Gap of Time, published by […]
Spoiler Alert: Puffs, Or: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic is a parody of Harry Potter. If you have avoided learning the major plot details of Harry Potter, congratulations, you are like a unicorn who made it to December 25 without hearing any Christmas music! Be aware that this […]
It’s unfortunate that so few magicians receive the funding or programming support to perform regularly in Toronto. Rather than a rich landscape of illusionists within which, like in any performance genre, there are some great and some not-so-great performers, all we really have on this theatrical level is David Ben. In a technical sense, that’s […]
As is the case with many who count the 2003 film Elf, as one of the best Christmas films out there and a staple of the holiday season, its musical iteration has been anticipated by many in the run-up to its recent opening at the Dominion Theatre. Such excitement has manifested itself in not just […]
With the festive season fully in swing, it is unsurprising to find a number of plays in London which are adaptations of children’s novels, particularly of those set during the Second World War. There is something about the war-time spirit that appeals at Christmas. Perhaps it’s the feelings of togetherness and shared effort that characterize […]
It starts off rather oddly. At first glance, the audience is not quite sure what to expect. There is a mattress, deflated balloons, a chair and a phonograph. When the performance begins, circus clown music starts to play and, one by one, the characters come on stage. The first few minutes are very confusing. It […]
Once in a while, there is nothing more pleasurable than feeling like a child again. This musical production of Red Riding Hood, written by Jake Brunger and Pippa Cleary, currently playing at the Pleasance Theatre, makes even the most serious of adults laugh and smile like children again. While it is a musical dedicated to […]
It’s been 4 years since Ins Choi’s play was presented to audiences, and it’s been 4 years that I’ve been wanting to and trying to see this show. On Sunday night, destiny prevailed over work, sickness, procrastination and tardiness and I finally saw Kim’s Convenience in its 5th remount with Soulpepper (at the Bluma Appel). […]