Theatre & Dance Reviews

Review by Lizzie

Show: Canopy Theatre present As You Like It
Written By: William Shakespeare
Director: Lada Darewych
Where: Philosopher’s Stage at Philosopher’s Walk, U of T
When: July 16- August 2
Players: Kristina Stanclik – Rosalind, Tyrone Savage – Orlando, Evelyn Wiseman – Celia, Cameron Johnson – Touchstone, Anthony Reid- Jacques

In A Nutshell: It’s Shakespeare so you know the deal. Kooky cross-dressing, usurping dukes, exile to a forest, euphemistic wordplay galore, tangled love affairs, and a giant wedding finale that’d make Sun Myung Moon proud. Plus, it's outside, so you can pick at grass and listent to the twittering of birds.

Highlights: The wrestling match between Orlando and Charles is Fight Club worthy. Evelyn Wiseman, who plays Celia, is a charismatic delight on the stage. I last saw her in the Hart House production of Criminal Minds, and once again she thrills the audience with her firecracker energy. The guitar playing numbers were a welcome, jolly touch. Definitely, the biggest laugh arose when a squirrel frantically ran across the stage. I also enjoyed the two adorable toddlers sitting in the front row who didn’t make a peep throughout the whole show. Half the fun of an outdoor play is audience gazing, right?

Annoying Qualities: When packing up my picnic at the end of the show I realized that hundreds, nay, thousands of ants were devouring my prosciutto. Afterwards, I suffered nightmares where I kept waking up all itchy, convinced that the ants had invaded my bed.

Memorable Quote: “I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it.” This line cracks me up, oh William, no wonder people call you a genius
Made Me Feel: Slightly self-righteous. Years of taking Shakespeare at school has had the effect of internalizing an association in me between attending to The Bard and the feeling of, “oh what a good girl am I.”

You will like this show if you like: Dream in High Park, and nibbles of hummus dipped pita paired with theatre.

Verdict: Everything’s better in the outdoors. Drinking, sex, Shakespeare. For those of us who are no longer students, it’s pleasant to play academic for a night: sitting in the gorgeous setting of U of T, analyzing the director’s choices. The play did feel a bit amateur at times, especially whenever the ensemble silently pretended to chat to each other in the background of scenes, but that was part of its charm.

Go See This Show With: Anyone with a folding camping seat to spare.

Exercise comes in many forms; running, going to the gym, playing soccer or moving apartments. However, some exercise is so damn good that the pleasure shadows the pain, and the 'work' hardly feels like labour. So what magical work out am I referring to? Dancing darling.

Danceology is a new studio located in Liberty Village, that offers a plethora of dance classes that you can take solo, with your mate, alongside a pro or by joining a group. Yes, most of us on Saturday night can be seen at 1AM going nuts-o in a crowded bar...but the dancing I refer to is much more sophisticated and doesn't involve beer being sloshed on your back or some twit nailing your big toe with her stiletto. It's sexy to remove yourself from the hustle and bustle of city life, whether that be debaucherous nights on the town or simply a squished-squashed subway car and opt for a smooth foxtrot or a spicy salsa.

While in Havana, a few years back, my boyfriend and I took a daring move and joined the locals at the hottest Cuban dance floor to attempt some kind of fast salsa. Forty seconds later we both returned to sitting on the sideline drinking Sangria. What happened? We bumped heads badly, and it was extra cause for concern as previously that day we had been snorkelling and both had water logged ear conditions. Anyhow, my point being is that had we known how to dance properly, we would not have ended up fighting and caressing our dancehall wounds.

Further, at a wedding you can count on us, for a slow song, to simply float in a monotonous circle - similar to a grade eight dance. Terribly boring and so friggin' conservative WASP it stings.

Schedules get filled fast with late nights at the office, after work drinks, must see movies and strings of birthday celebrations; it’s often difficult to find time with your loved one to gracefully hold each other – look into one another’s eyes and laugh at embarrassing footing. Thus I highly recommend taking a class as it's fun, good for your body and will most definitely rekindle some romance.

Although I think dancing with your mate is as good as a $150/week therapy session, I did also test out the group dancing…essentially a bunch of anonymous strangers swapping partners. As I interlaced fingers with tall men, short men, old men and oh-my-god-handsome men, I thought to myself – what a great place to meet a guy. Twirling, bending, looking into each others eyes, firm grasps, pulling in and out - it's hot. First things first, if he's in a dance school versus drinking beer and watching hockey at Shoeless Joe's - he already gets five points prior to any initial chat.

In the month of July, group dancing was offered in; Tango, Rumba, Salsa, Swing, Cha Cha and Waltz.

However, I'm not trying to say that Danceology is either for couples or singles wanting to look for dance partners - these two characteristics just popped into my head; perhaps because I find the whole practice to be so romantic.

For whatever reason you wish to take up dancing, this studio has a lot to offer, and you aren't committed to any crazy plans. The location is in the heart of Liberty Village and further to being close to where many of you live, there is free parking and light streaming through the floor to ceiling windows (often dance studios are dark and musty).

Take a class, and shake that ass!

More info:
www.danceology.org

by El Nino
Show: Queen’s Players Toronto Presents: The Super Real Life
Written By: Paul Levia and Michael Payne
Director: CB Morewood
Where: The Tranzac Club, 292 Brunswick Avenue
When: Jun 19-21, 26-28

Players:  Ashley Keefer - She-Hulk,  Ayla Rosendahl – Claire, Josh Weale – Aquaman,  Mark Andrada - Green Arrow, Mark Raheja - Flava Flav, Michael Bodsworth – Robin, Natalie Robitaille - Wonder Woman, Scotty Feynman – Superman, Siobhan O’Neill – Catwoman, Candice Gilliam - Rogue

In A Nutshell: What happens when D list superheroes who never reached superstardom get their shot on Reality TV? The SuperReal Life! The show is an original script that asks just what could happen if Aquaman, Catwoman and She Hulk got together, hook up with Flava Flav, and hi jinx ensues! The winner gets a place on that A List… Or do they?

Annoying Qualities: The players get very drunk.  This does lead to missed cues in lieu of pee/possible vomit breaks.

Memorable Quote: ‘Wii stick! That was my nickname in Prep School!’ –Green Arrow

Made Me Feel: Like a schoolgirl with a really tasteless sense of humour.

You will like this show, if you liked: Road Trip, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Queen’s Players: Kingston (for more info on the show format: www.queensplayerstoronto.com)

Verdict: Hilarious from beginning to end, even if you don’t take advantage of the traditional binge drinking!  The singing is impressive, the dance routines bawdy and appropriately suggestive and the script, when the actors are not yet drunk enough to forget their lines, is super awesomely sidesplitting.  I have the world’s loudest laugh and you couldn’t hear me half the time, which is a pretty good sign.

Go See This Show With: Anyone with a dirty sense of humour and a desire to get shit faced.

Presented by Shameless Dames Burlesque

In a Nutshell: Pooped from their recent adventure in the boring quadrant of the no fun zone of outer space, the Shameless Dames go on a cruise aboard the virtually unsinkable Titanic. With a vessel full of seamen, crabs at the all you can eat buffet, and hot lesbian action on the itinerary, it’s no wonder that the Shameless Dames ignore both the definition of “virtually” and the doomsday warnings of Catcher in the Rye reading Sassy Sativa.

You’ll Like This Performance If You Liked: Talent shows at summer camp, complete with costume mishaps, Madonna lip synchs and ukulele versions of Tragically Hip tunes.

Indicative Quote: “The ship can’t go down. Nobody’s seen my boobs yet!” –Debauchery Brie

Highlight: The epic battle between the Titanic and the iceberg. I don’t want to give too much away, but let’s just say it involves a frazzled James Cameron, an iceberg marionette and FEATHERS!!!

What Was the Audience Like: Sexually adventurous and covered with tattoos. Suicidegirls.com should start a recruiting booth here.

Who You Should Bring: Anyone who likes a bit of T & A, so, anyone?

Verdict: Sure some cues were forgotten and a couple of the actors could hardly get through a line without giggling, but isn’t that the beauty of burlesque? It’s pure carnivalesque revelry. There’s just something so frickin amazing about women (with bodies that most definitely don’t resemble Jessica Biel’s) proudly swinging their nipple tassels around to songs from Annie. If you’re looking for the perfect antidote to a tedious week at work, this show of kooky costumes and priceless hilarity should do the trick.

Titantric runs June 13 and June 14 @ 9pm (doors open at 8) at The Comedy Bar, 945b Bloor St. West, $15 with reservation (write shamelessdames@gmail.com) $18 at door.

Presented by Dash Arts Productions
Review by Lizzie

In a Nutshell: If you took Grade Nine English or have spent some summer nights in High Park you probably know the convoluted plot to this one. The twist here being that all the actors are from India or Sri Lanka, and they leap into speaking Hindi, Tamil, Malyalam, Marathi, Bengali Sanskrit and Sinhala versions of the Bard without notice or surtitle translation.

You’ll Like This Performance If You Liked: The linguistic leaps and lushness of Monsoon Wedding

Indicative Quote: I could have made some feeble phonetic attempt to quote Tamil but decided to spare you my ignorance.

Highlight: Titania’s sparkling costume, the Kama Sutra-esque dances of the lovers, the lantern lit conclusion, everything that Bottom did, the haunting instrumental accompaniment, simply witnessing the fascinating diversity of Indian faces and voices.

What Was the Audience Like: A lot of impeccably dressed Indian families, made me want to go on a Gerrard Street shopping quest for a churidar suit.

Who You Should Bring: A friend who likes ballet, opera, bollywood or all three.

Verdict: A play like none I’ve seen before, this is the sort of production that will make theatre students salivate and inspire many a Shakespeare on Stage term paper to come. While the unpredictable language changes may throw you off at first, just let the experience wash over you. You’ll be transported to a dream-like state that truly captures the magical, chaotic spirit of Shakespeare’s play.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream runs as part of Luminato at the Canon Theatre, 244 Victoria Street. Catch shows June 11-June 14 at 8:00pm, June 14-15 at 2:00pm and June 15 at 7:30pm. Tickets $50-$70 on Ticketmaster.

Presented by The Theatre Centre and The Independent Aunties

Review by Lizzie

In a Nutshell: Aside from leisurely chocolate pudding breakfasts, Marnie doesn’t have much going for her. Her frumpy turquoise moccasins have seen better days and the neighbours keep bombarding her with their explosive orgasmsic romps. But this morning's going to be different. With the eerily personal guidance of a self-help tape Marnie is ready for change. Beginning with a magical banana and ending with the sauciest of apple scenes, Marnie undergoes a hilarious and inspiring transformation.

You’ll Like This Performance If You: Like kickboxing around the house to the Kill Bill soundtrack or belting along to a drag queen’s campy rendition of Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive. If you loved Muriel of Muriel’s Wedding or Evelyn Couch of Fried Green Tomatoes, Marnie will be very much your taste.

Indicative Quote: “I need you you to fill the blender. I need you to put the lid on. I need you to (in a husky seductive voice) turn it on.”

Highlight: Evalyn Parry, the narrator of the self-help tape, had a goosebumpily alluring voice – a rich purr, the sort that would be on an ad for a creamy chocolate bar or a Cadillac – but her face was piercingly cold. The juxtaposition of voice and face was mesmerizing. I couldn’t stop watching her. Also, some hushed oohs and ahs were exhaled when running water came out of the tap on the stage. Apparently we who attend small theatre productions are easily impressed by “special” effects.

Lowlight: Towards the end some abrasive feedback was happening on the mikes. Did someone in the audience not turn their cellphone off as we were supposed to? Naughty, naughty.

What Was The Audience Like: Friends and famiy? Most stayed in their seats after the bows so I suspect they were waiting to congratulate the actors.

Who You Should Bring: Those with a soft spot for quirkiness.

Breakfast runs to June 1, Tue-Sat 8pm, Sun 2:30pm, tickets are $20, call 416-538-0988 or write to cathy@theatrecentre.org to reserve. The Theatre Centre is at 1087 Queen St. West (at Dovercourt), see http://www.theatrecentre.org/showdetails.php?id=5
Photo Credit: Jeremy Mimnagh

presented by Burning Passions Theatre & Some Strange Reason Theatreworks

Reviewed By: Tanya Scholes 

Where? The Berkeley Street Theatre Upstairs, 26 Berkeley Street  

When? Show runs now until June 7th, 2008 

How do I get tix? 416.368.3110 or online at www.canstage.ca 

Cast/Crew Fun Facts:  David Copelin, Playwright and Co-Producer, was the winner of the 2005 New Play Award at the Toronto Fringe Festival. 

He says in his ‘Notes from the Playwright’: “Bella Donna won the Toronto Fringe Festival’s Best Play Award in 2005. We sold out all our performances and had to turn many would-be audience members away. Now, thanks to the producing wisdom of Laurel Smith and the directorial vision of Sue Miner, Bella is back in town, feistier than ever, and ready for three audiences – those who didn’t get to see it the first time around, those who did and want to see it again, and those who come to it for the first time, curious about this half-historical, half-invented comedy of Lucrezia Borgia (1480 – 1519), the most notorious woman of the Italian Renaissance. 

For me, reinvestigating this script with this company has been a treat. We’ve laughed a lot in rehearsal, talked through some worthwhile challenges, and put a lot of effortless-seeming effort into bringing Lucrezia’s edgy, complex story back to fervent life.” 

In a Nutshell:  Welcome to Renaissance Italy, in the early 1500s, where sex and politics, sex and religion and, did I say sex, go hand and…hand (to be polite).  

Pope Alexander VI has just died and left his daughter, the notorious Lucrezia Borgia, excommunicated by her father’s Papal successor. Tempted by her husband’s own philanderings with his titillating teenage ward, Countess Angela di Ghillini, Lucrezia exercises the lust of her own female loins with a young, accidental lover, Giovanni, she meets while both are in disguise for the new Pope’s celebratory costume ball. Unbeknownst to them both, the young soldier, Giovanni, had arduously planned to seek revenge against the scandalous Borgia family under the new Pope, Julius II’s rule – especially against the very woman whom he now unknowingly was carnally ‘entwined’ with. What ensues is a string of accidental repercussions that unveil long-buried secrets. With intrigue, irreverence and a whole lot of sinful sexiness humourously sprinkled throughout, the limits of passion, politics, religion and relationships are provocatively pushed leaving only the audience to decide what really went down in history. 

You’ll Like This Performance If You: Went to Catholic school and had the reputation of being a ‘Catholic school girl’ (you know what I mean!), got off on history class (not ‘in’ history class), enjoyed Sophia Coppola’s ‘Marie Antoinette’, ‘The Other Boleyn Girl’ or ‘Dangerous Beauty’. 

Indicative Quote: “Blessed am I among women, for I have had my child inside me twice…” 

Highlight:  Let’s just say that Lucrezia Borgia leaves even the most controversial affairs of Barbara Walters in her dust… 

Lowlight:  The $4.50 spent for a glass (I wasn’t aware wine came in shots?) of wine at the bar – this however, is not a reflection on the play itself – left to their own devices, the cast and crew would have likely included an all you can drink wine bar with admission. 

What Was The Audience Like: A fine mix of people – from dressed up to dressed down, from the polished academics to the lowbrow laymen – anything goes with this dark and witty comedy. 

Who You Should Bring - or better yet – Who Should You Think Twice About Bringing:  Your grandparents, unless they are super liberal, because let’s face it, despite the fact that this was set way before their time, chances are they lived more puritanically then in the times of Renaissance Italy. For the same reason, don’t bring your prudish or pious friends – it could either go very well or horribly wrong (better to air on the safe side).  

For More Fun, Bring:  Your lover, your lover, your lover (or someone you want to be your lover) – it could be the start of a fabulously sexy tryst. 

For more information on this fabulous production: www.burningpassionstheatre.com

by Ashley McClare

Where? Factory Theatre, 125 Bathurst St (at Adelaide)

When? Show runs until May 18th (SO HURRY!)

How do I get tix? Through the Box Office (416) 504 9971 or online https://secure1.tixhub.com/factory/procurement/

Cast/Crew Fun Facts: The production is a compliation piece put together by four Japanese-Canadians: it is written by Maiko Bae Yamamoto, James Long, Manami Hara and Hiro Kanagawa and directed by Maiko Bae Yamamoto and James Long.

In a nutshell:  Stories involving characters such as a school girl getting groped by a buisness man on a crowded train, the dynamic between two sex and intimacy deprived workers of a sex toy company (one of whom is obsessed with Japan-born baseball star Ichiro Suzuki) and excessively giddy, short skirt-clad company representatives who grill audience members, are interwoven to amuse and raise questions about sex, culture, lonliness and gender.

This play definitely challenges your view of stereotypes; from sexual ones to the standard model of what “multicultural theatre” is.

You'll like this performance if: Thinking about another Ed Mirvish production makes you want to gag.

Highlight: The set design is sparse but perfect in the form of rows of headless business suits, which are also used as costumes throughout. The meticulous act of pefectly folding clothing into little piles recalls Japanese food presentation such as Bento Box, which the play addresses as a reflection of the culture.

Any performance which features a smarmy pair of girls wearing schoolgirl outfits that force male audience members to answer questions about their views on sex, baseball and politics is captivating.

Lowlight: The very ending of the play sticks out a bit like a sore thumb, particularly since the previous scenes achieve fluidity despite strong variations in tone, plot and character. To some the ending doesn’t work and the effect it aims to create is lost. I think it’s an incredible reversal of power that links together the physical and symbolic elements of the various stories in a holy shit-worthy ‘climax’.

What was the audience like: Theatre lovers, academics, culturally active 30-somethings. Dress nicely, but it’s not the opera.

Who you should bring: Your friend who loves subversive art and/or theories concerning sexuality, gender and power. Probably not your grandmother…unless you have a really awesome, progressive, feminist grandma.

Verdict: Drop your plans tonight- you need to see this play. It’s interactive, satirical, sexy, intelligent and beautifully designed. Even if you don’t like it (which would be surprising) it brings up different discussion topics to pick apart with your friends during post-theatre drinks.

by Olga Barsky

Where? Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge Street.

When? Show runs until May 31, 2008 (evening and matinee performances).

How do I get tix? Through Ticketmaster (416.872.1111) or online at www.dancaptickets.com.

Cast/Crew Fun Facts: Director of play, Trevor Nunn, has won four Tony’s for previous work, including Les Miserables.

Actor Christopher Cazenove, who portrays Henry Higgins is one of England’s most respected actors, best known to North American audiences as Ben Carrington on DYNASTY.

In a nutshell:  Adapted from George Bernard Shaws PYGMALION, this Cinderella tale unfolds when Henry Higgins, professor of Phonetics, takes uneducated flower girl Eliza Doolittle under his wing.  Determined to win a bet, Higgins sets out to transform young Eliza into a duchess.  After months of grueling studies and smart ass back-and-forth banter with the Professor, Eliza’s transformation is complete and she wows at the Embassy Ball.  Sadly, her spirits are quickly broken as soon as they return home and Higgins celebrates HIS achievement while ignoring ELiza entirely.  Unable to stomach his indifference towards her, Eliza takes off in the middle of the night…

You'll like this performance if you liked: Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, and most musicals in fact.

Indicative quote:

Professor Henry Higgins: All right, Eliza, say it again.

Eliza Doolittle: The rine in spine sties minely in the pline.

Professor Henry Higgins: (sighs) The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.

Eliza Doolittle: Didn’t ah sy that? 

Highlight: A scene featuring entire cast in musical performance on the street.  Cast was divided into three groups: those who strapped garbage can lids onto legs and did a form of trash-tap, those who banged the lids together like drums, and those who were able to successfully sing overtop the noise to create a truly memorable experience for the play goers.

Lowlight: Due to limitations of time, the blossoming relationship between Higgins and Eliza wasn’t realized to its fullest. What can you do?

What was the audience like: Children wearing their Sunday best, families with coordinated patent dress shoes, and ladies who like red wine during intermission.

Who you should bring: Mom.  Even if you’ve already splurged on a Mother’s day gift, she’ll love the show, and you for taking her.  Isn’t that all we really need in life – a mother’s love? (That’s enough of that now.)

Verdict: My Fair Lady tells the story as beautifully as it shows it though intricate sets and wow-factor costumes.  It’s a truly stunning production and a wonderful excuse to get dressed up and reacquaint yourself with Mr. Shaw for an evening of culture and fun! 

by El Nino
Where: Premiere Dance Theatre, Harbourfront till May 10th.

What's the deal? 'The Space Between' is an intensely physical acrobatic expression of intimacy, control and desire performed to the music of Jacques Brel, DJ Shadow, Neil Young and Boards of Canada (to name a few). Never has somersaulting contortionism on the floor and being propelled across the stage looked so effortlessly easy.

You'll like this performance if you like: Cirque de Soleil...? Cheerleading competitions? 

Indicative quote: Ummm...there's not talking, but the 'Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps' routine where performer Chelsea McGuffin gets thrown around like a cheerleader on crack was outta sight!

Highlight: The love routine between three of the performers to the best love song in the world, 'Ne Me Quitte Pas.' This got a well-deserved standing ovation.

Lowlight: Some of the intended high-energy portions (as illustrated by the Aphex Twin-like, crazy drum and bass background) lacked explosion. Felt more like the hurry up and wait build up you have when watching floor gymnastic routines.  

What was the audience like: A mix of arty farty patchouli peeps and regular peeps looking for an interesting night out. Some boyfriends obviously placating girlfriends that probably ended up liking the show by the end of it.

Who you should bring: Your mother??? (Mother's Day, hello!) Your significant other (if they are artistically tolerant). Yourself!

Verdict: Overall, an excitingly beautiful show. A well-executed and innovative illustration of the body as an acrobatic apparatus. Some of the slower parts were a bit unnecessary and overdone, but I would definitely recommend giving this show a look if you have the time over the next few days. Just don't be fooled into thinking the acrobatics are as easy as they look, they hurt in places I didn't know I had.