Venus in Fur at the Belfry Theatre. A review. To portray Venus in Fur, currently at the Belfry Theatre November 11-December 14, as a play uniquely about S&M is akin to calling the Pacific Ocean a pond. Venus in Fur opens with a bang—to the rumblings and claps of a thunderstorm—and the sparks fly continually for the next 100 minutes without let-up. Vince Gale (Thomas) and Celine Stubel (Vanda Jordan) last appeared together at the … [Read more...]
The Secret Garden presented by Four Seasons Musical Theatre. November 14-22, 2014.
November 13, 2014 By Leave a Comment
The Secret Garden presented by Four Seasons Musical Theatre. November 14-22,2014 in Victoria BC (Langford and Sidney). Media release. Four Seasons Musical Theatre invites the public to enter The Secret Garden this November. Based on the enchanting classic of children's literature, the musical follows Mary Lennox, a young girl raised in the British Raj who is orphaned by a cholera outbreak and sent to a darkened Yorkshire manor house to live … [Read more...]
James and Jamesy in High Tea. November 13-16, 2014 Victoria BC.
November 12, 2014 By Leave a Comment
James and Jamesy in High Tea. November 13-16, 2014 Victoria BC. One of my favourite duos, the acclaimed, multi-award-winning James and Jamesy return to Victoria BC with their summer 2014 Fringe hit High Tea. Unknown to Fringe audiences before 2013, their high energy physical performance attracted attention and garnered sell-outs from coast to coast. In particular, I was struck with their ability to incorporate four audience members into the … [Read more...]
A Midsummer Night’s Dream at UVic Phoenix Theatre. A review.
November 9, 2014 By Leave a Comment
A Midsummer Night's Dream at UVic Phoenix Theatre. A review. Boisterous, rambunctious and full of heart, the current UVic Phoenix Theatre production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (November 2 -22, 2014) is a treat. Director Fran Gebhardt has set the play in 1970s New York City, imagining factions of hippies, punks and preppies, complete with an extensive collection of music of the time (Kieran MacNaughton sound design) The Duke—Theseus … [Read more...]
Laughing Allowed! —The Slapstick World of Neighbourhood Activism. November 8th, 2014.
November 3, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Laughing Allowed! —The Slapstick World of Neighbourhood Activism. November 18th, 2014. My readers may remember local theatre director Will Weigler for his community-based work that resulted in From The Heart: Enter the Journey of Reconciliation. He's at it again--this time with a more comedic bent. It’s great when neighbours unite and work hard to make their community better, but sometimes there are bumps on the road to getting … [Read more...]
Intrepid Theatre launches New Play Reading Series
November 3, 2014 By 2 Comments
Intrepid Theatre launches New Play Reading Series. I'm a big fan of play readings and play workshops. They are an important part of the play development process and represent an opportunity for the playwright to "test" their work in front of a live audience. I received the following message from Janet Munsil, Artistic Director at Intrepid Theatre. Intrepid Theatre has launched a New Play Reading Series at the Intrepid Theatre Club, on … [Read more...]
The Rocky Horror Show by RKO Productions October 23-November 1, 2014. A review.
October 26, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Bold, energetic and full of heart, The Rocky Horror Show by Rebel Knock Out Productions (currently at the Metro Studio October 24-November 1, 2014) was an initiation to the cult classic musical that exceeded all my expectations. How I’ve missed both the film and the musical up to this point remains a mystery, and other than a few signature songs I was completely in the dark, other than availing myself of a plot synopsis. Thankfully I wasn’t … [Read more...]
Spring Awakening by Company C, October 21-November 2, 2014. A review.
October 25, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Spring Awakening by Company C, October 21-November 2, 2014. Presented at the Belfry Theatre in Victoria BC. Edgy and frank, with catchy and raw tunes that remain days later, Spring Awakening (the current Company C/Canadian College of Performing Arts production at the Belfry Theatre October 21-November 2, 2014) takes us back in an instant to the chaotic days of our adolescence. Based on Frank Wedekind’s scandalous (and later banned) 1890 … [Read more...]
Spring Awakening by Company C, October 21-November 2, 2014. Preview.
October 24, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Spring Awakening by Company C October 21-November 2, 2014. Presented in association with the Belfry Theatre Victoria BC. 14 highly talented Year III performers from Oak Bay’s Canadian College of Performing Arts (CCPA) are working tirelessly to produce the region’s first-ever staging of Spring Awakening. Claiming an astonishing eight Tony’s in 2007, Spring Awakening is a ground-breaking musical by Steven Sater and music by Duncan Sheik that … [Read more...]
Gaslight at Blue Bridge Theatre October 21-November 2, 2014. A review.
October 24, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Gaslight, currently at Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre’s Roxy (in Quadra Village), October 21-November 2, 2014 is an intense game of cat-and-mouse that will have you perched on the edge of your seat. Written in 1936 in the style of a Victorian thriller, but bearing none of the signature over-the-top melodrama, Patrick Hamilton’s classic harkens back to a simpler time while retaining a modern sensibility in the script. It becomes apparent soon … [Read more...]
