Sweeney Todd by Sondheim, currently playing at Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre July 31-August 12, 2018, bristles with electricity and a terrible current of visceral vitality that keeps audiences spell-bound throughout. Daunting in scope for a small ensemble of ten players, this version of Sondheim’s cult hit—it’s been staged around the world since its original Broadway run in 1979, adapted as a movie in 2007 by Tim Burton with Johnny Depp … [Read more...]
Theatre Al Dente presents Phantom of the Light Opera in Victoria BC. A review.
July 13, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Summer—a time for light reading, light clothing, light eating and—light entertainment, a welcome diversion from regular fare. Nothing too troubling or difficult—like the beach books we all love to read (even if we don’t want to admit it). Theatre Al Dente has it covered. For six season (2010-2015) a team helmed by the father/daughter duo of Gerald Schieven and Sasha Moriarty-Schieven (he directs, she writes and choreographs) produced a … [Read more...]
9 to 5 the Musical by the Victoria Operatic Society. A review.
May 7, 2018 By 1 Comment
9 to 5 the Musical by the Victoria Operatic Society. A review. Take a trip back to 1980 and be buoyed by the infectious spirit of 9 to 5 the Musical (May 4-3, 2018 at the McPherson Playhouse) with its can-do nature, peppy music and award-winning lyrics. The Victoria Operatic Society has once again pulled out all the stops—not only are there twenty six actors and twelve musicians, but a quick read-through of the programme reveals dozens of … [Read more...]
Working the Musical by the Canadian College of Performing Arts. A review.
April 27, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Working the Musical by the Canadian College of Performing Arts. A review. Working the Musical may be forty years old this year but it still packs an emotional wallop. Students from the Canadian College of Performing Arts, under the leadership of director and choreographer Matthew Howe, do great tribute to these stories of ordinary working people. Based on the book written in 1972 by ethnographer and oral historian Studs Terkel, of his … [Read more...]
Company C presents Cabaret. Interview with director and cast.
January 17, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Company C presents Cabaret. Interview with director and cast. The largest Company C cohort ever, 16 highly trained triple-threat performers, tackles the inimitable Cabaret for their final show January 26-February 3 at the CCPA Performance Hall. From the original 1966 Broadway production to the many subsequent revivals--1986 (Broadway), 1993 (London), 1998 (Broadway), 2006 and 2012 (London) and 2014 (Broadway)—and the iconic 1972 movie … [Read more...]
Anne of Green Gables by the Victoria Operatic Society November 24-December 3 2017. A review.
November 27, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Anne of Green Gables by the Victoria Operatic Society November 24-December 3 2017. A review. When modern life and the busy period leading up to the holiday season threaten to overwhelm, what comfort there is to be found in the quintessential and iconic Canadian tale—Anne of Green Gables. This spunky orphan girl with fiery red hair has captured people’s attention since the book (written in the 1880s by Lucy Maud Montgomery) was published in … [Read more...]
Anne of Green Gables presented by the Victoria Operatic Society. Interview with Tara Britt and Molly Lydon.
November 20, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Anne of Green Gables presented by the Victoria Operatic Society. Interview with Tara Britt and Molly Lydon. In celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday, the Victoria Operatic Society is once again staging the quintessential Canadian musical—Anne of Green Gables November 24-December 3, 2017. Director and choreographer Tara Britt has a long connection with VOS; her mentor Sylvia Hosie choreographed the 2001 VOS production of Anne. Britt says … [Read more...]
Musical Memories Celebrating the Music of Broadway and Hollywood featuring Bob LeBlanc’s Variety Fare. October 27-November 22, 2017.
October 31, 2017 By 2 Comments
Musical Memories Celebrating the Music of Broadway and Hollywood featuring Bob LeBlanc’s Variety Fare. October 27-November 22, 2017. Bob LeBlanc is a musical wonder. An autodidact with an encyclopedic knowledge of Broadway show tunes (and Hollywood hit songs) who has never learned to read a note of music, he has, for years, shared his love of the genre with an ever-increasing audience. Originally from the East Coast where he presented … [Read more...]
Olive Copperbottom by Penny Ashton. Victoria Fringe 2017. An interview.
August 8, 2017 By 3 Comments
Olive Copperbottom by Penny Ashton. Victoria Fringe 2017. An interview. Penny Ashton plays a remarkable fifteen characters in what is sure to be a rollicking performance if her last appearance in Promise and Promiscuity is any indication. NB: Olive Copperbottom arrives August 28th and is scheduled for FIVE performances. How long have you been producing work on the Fringe circuit? As an artist/company? My first ever Fringe … [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...]
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