Magic Unicorn Island by Jayson McDonald. Uno Fest May 2015. This is a review of a previous production I saw at the Victoria Fringe Festival in August 2014. Jayson McDonald first popped up in Fringe consciousness the year Giant Invisible Robot played the Intrepid Theatre Club in 2007 (and promptly sold out). Since then he’s become a regular not only at the Victoria Fringe Festival but also at UNO Fest. Audiences love his lanky physical … [Read more...]
Suitcase Stories by Maki Yi. Uno Fest May 2015.
May 18, 2015 By Leave a Comment
Suitcase Stories by Maki Yi. Uno Fest May 2015. Maki Yi begins her performance of Suitcase Stories with a quote, in French from Québecois writer Dany Laferrière who fled Haiti in his youth, and now returns. " Arrivé au nord, il m'a fallu me défaire de toute la lourde réalité du sud qui me sortait par les pores. J'ai mis trente-trois ans pour m'adapter à ce pays d'hiver où tout est si différent de ce que j'avais connu auparavant. De retour … [Read more...]
Macbeth at Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre May 5-17 2015. A review.
May 10, 2015 By Leave a Comment
Macbeth at Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre May 5-17, 2015. A review. Macbeth at Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre (May 5-17, 2015) is quite simply astonishing--an exemplary, boundless and prodigious theatrical production that displays finesse and intricacy in all levels of design, acting and stagecraft. In a short three week rehearsal period, working with the confines of the small stage at the Roxy Theatre, the ensemble brings this much-studied … [Read more...]
An interview with Alanna Mitchell. Sea Sick at UNO Fest 2015 in Victoria BC.
May 7, 2015 By Leave a Comment
An interview with Alanna Mitchell. Sea Sick at UNO Fest 2015 in Victoria BC. Alanna Mitchell is an award-winning Canadian journalist and author (New York Times, CBC’s Quirks & Quarks, Globe and Mail, and more) who writes about science and social trends specializing in investigative reporting. Sea Sick is inspired by her international bestseller and award-winning book of the same name. I had the opportunity to speak with her before her … [Read more...]
Cock by Mike Bartlett at Theatre Inconnu May 5-23, 2015. A review.
May 6, 2015 By 1 Comment
Cock by Mike Bartlett at Theatre Inconnu May 5-23, 2015. A review. John is confused—but is it by his sexual orientation or by life in general, bound-up as he is in a general inability to make a choice? Theatre Inconnu tackles the Oliver-award-winning play Cock by Mike Bartlett, one of Britain’s rising young stars in the theatrical firmament. Director and designer David MacPherson, in his first production for Theatre Inconnu, sets the audience … [Read more...]
Hedda Gabler by Working Class Theatre at Craigdarroch Castle. A review.
May 1, 2015 By Leave a Comment
Hedda Gabler by Working Class Theatre at Craigdarroch Castle April 28 – May 6, 2015. A review. There can be no more perfect setting for the great classic by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen than the dance hall and sitting room on the fourth floor of Craigdarroch Castle. Surrounded by luxurious woodwork, ornate staircases and deep bay windows, in a building of the same period as the play, one cannot help but be pulled back in time to a society … [Read more...]
The Mousetrap at Chemainus Theatre Festival April 24-May 30, 2015. A review.
April 29, 2015 By Leave a Comment
The Mousetrap at Chemainus Theatre Festival April 24-May 30, 2015. A review. There is something irresistibly delicious about being wrapped in a comfortable sweater, sipping a mug of hot Ovaltine, ensconced in a pair of well-worn slippers. Certain literary and theatrical forms recall this sense of familiarity. Agatha Christie’s play The Mousetrap, currently at the Chemainus Theatre Festival April 24-May 30, 2015 is one of the finest examples, … [Read more...]
August Osage County at Langham Court Theatre. April 22-May 9 2015. A review.
April 27, 2015 By Leave a Comment
* This review has been revised* August: Osage County at Langham Court Theatre April 22-May 9 2015. A review. Important note: August: Osage County begins at 7:30pm and late-comers will not be seated until the end of Act I. It runs three hours with two intermissions. Woohee! August: Osage County, currently at Langham Court Theatre (April 22-May 9, 2015) is like throwing gasoline on a smouldering campfire & running like hell. … [Read more...]
Smokey Joe’s Cafe at the Canadian College of Performing Arts. A review.
April 20, 2015 By Leave a Comment
Smokey Joe's Café at the Canadian College of Performing Arts. A review. Presented April 16-25, 2015 in Victoria BC. Youthful energy and exuberance abound in Smokey Joe’s Café, the end-of-year On Broadway! production by the first and second year students of the Canadian College of Performing Arts. With no story line or dialogue Smokey Joe’s relies on staging and the ability of the artists to convey the emotional through line. The College, … [Read more...]
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at the Belfry Theatre. A review.
April 19, 2015 By Leave a Comment
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at the Belfry Theatre. A review. There’s something to be said for the absence of the traditional curtain in modern theatre for it allows time to admire and appreciate the set design before the action begins, and to wonder all the while about what it divulges of the characters who will soon appear. Cory Sincennes design reveals a very comfortable and elegant abode, absent clutter and filled with family … [Read more...]
