Rock Legends at Chemainus Theatre Festival. A review. Alex Mustakas brings 25 years of experience helming Drayton Entertainment to the Chemainus Theatre Festival with this summer’s blockbuster musical extravaganza Rock Legends (a sequel to his equally popular Twist and Shout seen in the 2015 season). Over an exhilarating two hours and a half hours, the audience is treated to a window in time, framed by an interesting device—it’s 1975 and TV … [Read more...]
The Canadian Collage of Performing Arts 20th anniversary season 2017-2018
June 12, 2017 By Leave a Comment
The Canadian Collage of Performing Arts 20th anniversary season 2017-2018 The Canadian College of Performing Arts (CCPA) is looking to celebrate its 20th birthday with thousands of its best friends. CCPA’s year-end production, in April 2018 at the McPherson Playhouse will be a celebration of some of CCPA’s best musical theatre performances from the past 20 years and will feature suites by the creative team of Jacques Lemay and Janis … [Read more...]
Proof at Langham Court Theatre June 7-24, 2017. A review.
June 12, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Proof at Langham Court Theatre June 7-24, 2017. A review. Probing family relationships and the psychology of brilliance, Proof (currently at Langham Court Theatre until June 24th) is spell-binding in the interplay between four characters—Catherine (Melissa Taylor) the daughter who stayed behind to become caregiver to her mathematician father Robert (Jon Scheer) as his faculties declined, Claire (Melissa Blank) who jets in from her high-powered … [Read more...]
A Summer of Theatre 2017 in Victoria BC
June 8, 2017 By Leave a Comment
A Summer of Theatre 2017 June-August in Victoria BC Ah, summer, and the chance to slow down and partake of outdoor festivals, classical theatre, innovative new works and fundraisers. This information is accurate to June 1st and will be updated as needed. Waiting for the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival performance to begin. A quintessential Victoria experience. June Born Yesterday by Garson Kanin, directed by Janet Munsil Blue … [Read more...]
Hedwig and the Angry Inch by Atomic Vaudeville June 7-18, 2017. A review.
June 8, 2017 By 1 Comment
Hedwig and the Angry Inch by Atomic Vaudeville June 7-18, 2017. A review. Exploding onto the stage in riotous glory, then proceeding to regale the audience in low confessional tones, before rocking hard, Griffin Lea, in complete control of the room from the opening number, teases and tantalizes as Hedwig in Atomic Vaudeville’s production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, currently playing at the Metro Studio Theatre until June 18th. What’s … [Read more...]
Avenue Q by the CCPA Alumni Company May 31-June 17 2017. A review.
June 6, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Avenue Q by the CCPA Alumni Company May 31-June 17 2017. A review. Avenue Q has been described as “Sesame Street for adults”. It’s easy to see why the show is attracting new audiences to the Performance Hall at the Canadian College of Performing Arts—loveable puppets (with the exception of the Gary Coleman puppet which was built locally by Pamela Stringer, the others are rented), catchy and audacious lyrics, upbeat choreography (Sarah Murphy), … [Read more...]
Born Yesterday at Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre May 30-June 11 2017. A review.
June 5, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Born Yesterday at Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre May 30-June 11 2017. A review. What felicitous and preternatural ability did Brian Richmond, Artistic Director of Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre, possess to program the never-more-topical Born Yesterday by Garson Kanin for the second production of the 2017 season? Harry Brock (Jacob Richmond) is a wealthy junk dealer, come to Washington in the hopes of making the deal of his career by bribing a … [Read more...]
Last Train In by Adam Grant-Warren. A review.
May 29, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Last Train In by Adam Grant-Warren. A review. An audience is often complicit in how a story is told—particularly for solo artists (on the Fringe circuit and elsewhere). Popular narratives sell tickets, thus engendering more popular narratives, ad infinitum. Love conquers all, coming of age, overcoming a challenge—these are some of the more common tropes. Equally popular is “person with a disability triumphs”. During the Diversity Panel … [Read more...]
Born Yesterday at Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre. Interview with costume designer Graham McMonagle.
May 26, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Born Yesterday at Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre. Interview with costume designer Graham McMonagle. Since 2014, costume designer Graham McMonagle has worked in close association with Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre, on Lagrimas Crueles (Cruel Tears) and Gaslight in 2014, Private Lives in 2015 and The Importance of Being Earnest in 2016. During this period, he also obtained his MFA from the University of Victoria where his designs were featured … [Read more...]
I’m Doing This For You by Haley McGee. Intrepid Theatre Uno Fest 2017. Review.
May 25, 2017 By Leave a Comment
I’m Doing This For You by Haley McGee. Intrepid Theatre Uno Fest 2017. Review. Underneath the winsome veneer and placating manner, Haley McGee’s character in the darkly disturbing (and oh-so-funny) I’m Doing This For You is brilliantly fragile, seesawing between conspiratorially recruiting the audience into her party plans, and despair as events swiftly go off the rails. From the outset, she’s the perfect hostess, seeking help with blowing … [Read more...]
