Once at the Chemainus Theatre Festival. A review. Once (currently at the Chemainus Theatre Festival to March 10) is a breath of fresh air in the world of the contemporary musical. Once had an unusual progression to the stage, and a backstory to rival the script—originally conceived by John Carney as a low-budget Irish film, songwriters Glen Hansard (frontman of The Flames, an indie rock group of some repute) and Markéta Irglová (a young … [Read more...]
Company C presents Cabaret at the Canadian College of Performing Arts. A review.
January 29, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Company C presents Cabaret at the Canadian College of Performing Arts. A review. The 2017 Company C of the Canadian College of Performing Arts (CCPA) caps off two years of training, and a solid 5 months of ensemble work, with the quintessential musical Cabaret. Packed with gravitas and grit, and featuring both bold ensemble numbers and punchy solos, this production whisks the audience away to the heady time between wars, when life in Berlin … [Read more...]
Forget About Tomorrow by Jill Daum at the Belfry Theatre. A review.
January 26, 2018 By 2 Comments
Forget About Tomorrow by Jill Daum at the Belfry Theatre. A review. Theatre is a gift that can allow an audience an experience far above mere entertainment, offering a way to examine the human condition, with all its challenges and difficulties. Playwright Jill Daum, who for decades has been entertaining generations of theatre goers with the questions and antics of motherhood as one of the co-creators of the Mom’s The Word series, turns her … [Read more...]
Intrepid Theatre YOU Show February 2018. Tusk Turns One! and Awkward Hug. Interviews with creators.
January 24, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Intrepid Theatre YOU Show February 2018. Tusk Turns One! and Awkward Hug. Interviews with creators. Tony Adams and Cory Thibert (May Can Theatre) first came to the attention of Victoria audiences at the 2016 Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival when they performed their hit satirical show Happiness TM. Soon after, Adams moved to Victoria permanently and has been performing with Monica Ogden as NicklePumpernickel. Now, they embark on another … [Read more...]
Urinetown at Langham Court Theatre January 17-February 3, 2018. A review.
January 22, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Urinetown at Langham Court Theatre January 17-February 3, 2018. A review. Fans of musical theatre are in for a treat with Urinetown, currently at Langham Court Theatre (January 17-February 3 2018)—a musical of musicals, replete with allusions to tropes, styles and stock characters, this cheeky take on a dire environmental catastrophe and concupiscent corporate greed is simply a delight. Featuring a large cast of 26 with stellar principals and … [Read more...]
The Prisoner of Second Avenue by Bema Productions January 7-28 2018. A review.
January 10, 2018 By Leave a Comment
The Prisoner of Second Avenue by Bema Productions January 7-28 2018. A review. Now in their fourth season, and operating from the community space, turned black box theatre, at Congregation Emanu-El, Bema Productions continues to impress with their insightful interpretations of classic and often little-known comedies, beginning 2018 with The Prisoner of Second Avenue (playing Saturdays and Sundays January 7-28). Artistic director Zelda Dean … [Read more...]
A Winter of Theatre January February 2018 in Victoria BC.
December 20, 2017 By Leave a Comment
A Winter of Theatre January February 2018 in Victoria BC. It's official! There is no longer any downtime in theatre in Victoria BC. The holiday pantomimes produced by Kaleidoscope Theatre for Young People, St Luke's Players and Peninsula Players as well as Launch Pad Theatre's radio play and Atomic Vaudeville's NYE Cabaret are barely finished before Castlereigh Theatre Project and Bema Productions kick the year off in high style with two … [Read more...]
God’s Lake by Castlereigh Theatre Project January 4-6 2018. A preview.
December 20, 2017 By Leave a Comment
God's Lake by Castlereigh Theatre Project January 4-6 2018. A preview. Anyone who follows my writing knows how difficult it is for me to select a list of top shows in the year. It’s the same thing for work that I am looking forward to in 2018. However, I am making an exception for God’s Lake, produced by Castlereigh Theatre Project and appearing at the Metro Studio Theatre January 4-6 2018. Due to its very nature—documentary theatre—and … [Read more...]
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by The Canadian College of Performing Arts. Interview with Barbara Poggemiller.
December 11, 2017 By Leave a Comment
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by The Canadian College of Performing Arts. Interview with Barbara Poggemiller. Director Barbara Poggemiller is no stranger to Victoria audiences—with directing credits that include, among others, The Winter’s Tale and As You Like It for the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival and The Odyssey and The Penelopiad for the Canadian College of Performing Arts. She teaches acting currently at the college. In … [Read more...]
A Christmas Carol at the Belfry Theatre November 28-December 17, 2017. A review.
December 7, 2017 By Leave a Comment
A Christmas Carol at the Belfry Theatre November 28-December 17, 2017. A review. When Michael Shamata arrived as the Belfry Theatre Artistic Director in 2007, he wanted to bring a treasured theatrical tradition to Victoria—his adapted production of A Christmas Carol, first produced at Theatre New Brunswick in 1990, and then at Soulpepper Theatre in Toronto since 2001. The original Belfry production was in 2012, followed by an encore … [Read more...]
