Theatre & Dance Reviews

MEET THE COOL CHICKS – BIRDTOWN & SWANVILLE

Jen — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:11:09 -0700

by Jen McNeely
Yes, Birdtown and Swanville is a theatre troupe made mostly of twenty something chicks. But no, the name is not a play on the fact that young women are often referred to as birds. The name encompasses their roots of Stratford, where swans dwell freely, and the area spanning Trinity Bellwoods to Brock Ave, where there is an unusually high density of birds that swish past your head with alarming fury.

As You Like It

Lizzie McNeely — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:57:23 -0700

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.

One, two – cha cha cha.

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 13:05:06 -0700

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.

The Super Real Life

El Nino — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:10:42 -0700

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?

Titantric: The Shameless Dames Go Down

Lizzie McNeely — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 09:33:51 -0700

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.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Lizzie McNeely — Mon, 9 Jun 2008 11:51:23 -0700

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.

Breakfast

Lizzie McNeely — Tue, 27 May 2008 14:16:09 -0700

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.

Bella Donna: A sexy new comedy by David Copelin

Tanya_S — Thu, 22 May 2008 13:32:47 -0700

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

Sexual Practices of the Japanese

Tue, 20 May 2008 09:18:58 -0700

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.

Lerner & Loewe’s MY FAIR LADY

Olga Barsky — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:21:36 -0700

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…