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...]
Hedwig and the Angry Inch by Atomic Vaudeville July 20-29, 2018. A review.
July 23, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Hedwig has fans, and so too does Griffin Leonard Lea, as attested by the long line snaking from the top of the stairs at the Upstairs Cabaret on opening night of Atomic Vaudeville’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Those waiting spoke of seeing productions in London, New Year, San Francisco, Toronto and then went on to compare Lea’s performances in not only Hedwig (this show is a reprise of the last year’s inaugural run at the Metro Studio) but also … [Read more...]
Hedwig and the Angry Inch presented by Atomic Vaudeville. July 20-29 2018. Preview.
July 9, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Hedwig and the Angry Inch presented by Atomic Vaudeville. July 20-29 2018. Preview. Media release. I ended my review of last year’s inaugural Hedwig and the Angry Inch presented by Atomic Vaudeville with the prescient words “with its boisterous energy and cabaret vibe it is well on its way to cult-hit status. I’m already asking when they plan next year’s version.” Wait no more, loyal fans—Hedwig returns, this year to the Upstairs Cabaret … [Read more...]
Grease at the Chemainus Theatre Festival. A review.
June 20, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Grease at the Chemainus Theatre Festival. A review. With catchy tunes, toe-tapping rhythms and a story line seared into North American consciousness for forty years, Grease the musical is bound to be a sure-fire hit for any theatre company planning to take advantage of its cross-generational appeal. Now playing at Chemainus Theatre Festival during the very popular summer season (June 8-September 1, 2018) under the direction of Barbara … [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...]
Once at the Chemainus Theatre Festival. A review.
February 14, 2018 By 2 Comments
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...]
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...]
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...]
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