A poetic love story in time for Valentine’s Day takes the Berkeley Street Theatre in Toronto

How Do I Love Thee? by Canadian Rep Theatre unfolds on the vast stage of the Berkeley Street Theatre. Irene Poole, playing the role of Elizabeth Browning, lies on a swing and recites poetry to the sky. Poole is bursting with passion. She cries out promises of greatness, but her excitement is brought down by her maid. The maid Wilson, played by Nora McLellan, presses a rag of ether to Poole’s face. How Do I Love Thee? begins with beauty and shows a hint of the ugliness that lies beneath it.

How Do I Love Thee? is about the love and marriage of poets Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. I think we imagine love stories to be about a certain type of “love” — romantic and sweet making the audience long for something just as special. Robert and Elizabeth have that type of love in the beginning. They’re poets, after all: sweeping promises of affection spill from their mouths. Their love is grandiose and musical.

Continue reading Review: How Do I Love Thee? (Canadian Rep Theatre) →

Shawn Hitchins’ one man show was “funny yet moving” at Toronto’s Buddies in Bad Times Theatre

I sat down in my seat for Ginger Nation by Shawn Hitchins and looked around the room. I was not used to seeing Buddies in Bad Times Theatre looking so calm. On Saturday nights the theatre opens its doors as a bar and dance club. I was so accustomed to the speakers blasting 90’s hits and glorious drag queens strutting down the main staircase. This version of “Buddies” was toned down, but it had just as much spirit as the Saturday night crowd. I left the theatre just as elated as I do when I dance the night away.

The show opened with who I thought was an overly-enthusiastic Emcee. Soon I found out that it was Diana Love, the opening comedian. Love can only be described as a delightful weirdo. She introduced herself to the room as “your best friend for the next twenty minutes.” She did feel like a close friend who really lets loose over pitchers of sangria. She flipped from silly jokes about her hometown in P.E.I to lewd jokes about her sex life. Every punch line was followed by a laugh like she was shocked that she confessed that to a room full of people. By the end of her set, I was trying to wipe the tears from under my glasses.
Continue reading Review: Ginger Nation (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre) →

The cast from Beggar’s Canyon did fine work pairing Star Wars with Christmas, on stage at Toronto’s Comedy Bar

I was anxious to see Beggar’s Canyon’s sketch comedy performance of Star Wars on Christmas. I was anxious because this was not the first time I have encountered the strange combination of Star Wars and Christmas. I have had the misfortune of seeing The Star Wars Holiday Special, which is widely regarded as an unspeakable taint on the entire franchise. I decided to ignore my past mistakes and give the show a try, since it is Christmas-time and everyone is still losing their minds over the teaser trailer for the newest Star Wars installment.

The show at Comedy Bar was surprisingly light on the Star Wars content, even with a group named Beggar’s Canyon. There were only two sketches about the movies. The group The Rocket Scientists did a quick sketch mocking the fickle mob-mentality of Star Wars fans. The second sketch by Beggar’s Canyon was a clever way to twist the franchise into a religious prayer. I thought this sketch hit home. I have met far too many people who would praise the Jedi with the same reverence as Jesus.

Continue reading Review: Star Wars on Christmas (Beggar’s Canyon) →

Paulo & Daphne Sets Mythology In Toronto

There is no curtain at Theatreworks Productions’ Paulo & Daphne. We choose our seats and whisper quietly before the play begins. Our eyes return to the stage, because the allure of the set is too strong to keep in our peripheral vision. The set is a mess of an apartment. The couch is pulled out into a bed, covered in a tangle of sheets, hiding the body of a man. A hand and a leg protrudes from beneath the sheets, but they do not flinch. I find myself hoping that the man is in a deep sleep, instead of being taken by the “big sleep”.

The only light is the small spotlight on a cellist on the side of the stage. The cellist plays a tune full of longing and emotion. The music brings up the feelings that have yet to be voiced. For those who know little of mythology, the cellist’s song forewarns of sadness.

Paulo & Daphne by Ned Dickens is a twist on the ancient Greek myth about Apollo and Daphne. For those of you who have not memorized every myth or deciphered every ancient pot, the story goes like this: Apollo angers Cupid by insulting his bowmanship, so Cupid shoots Apollo with a golden arrow to make him fall in love with Daphne. Cupid also shoots Daphne with an arrow made of lead, which makes her repulsed by Apollo’s love. Apollo chases Daphne through a forest. She runs from him and turns into a tree. Apollo uses his powers to make the tree ever-living and beautiful.
Continue reading Review: Paulo & Daphne (Theatreworks Productions) →

You Have to Earn It will have you “shaking in your seats” with laughter, at Toronto’s Alumnae Theatre

There are times when a comedy is too cheesy. The characters can be too loud, the plot too predictable, and the jokes too forced. That kind of play makes your stomach twist with embarrassment after every pause for a laugh. Lucky for me, Alumnae Theatre’s You Have To Earn It is the right kind of cheesy. The show is light-hearted and silly, but my cynical heart wasn’t overwhelmed by the positivity.

You Have To Earn It is a throwback to the screwball comedies of the 1930s and 40s. The homage to the old comedy style means there are hijinks, wacky misunderstandings, and some old fashioned sexism. The show stars Betty Parker who is the best costumer service receptionist her company has ever had, but even with all her hard work she can never seem to get promoted. Betty, played by Amy Swift, is tired of seeing coworkers like Joan, played by Jill Kooymans, get the job she deserves. Betty and her sassy friend Dorothy, Kathleen Jackson Allamby, gang up to see if their boss Mr. Brown, Paul Stafford, is cherry-picking employees because of their looks or if the women have really earned it.

Continue reading Review: You Have To Earn It (Alumnae Theatre) →