Jess is an East coast transplant to Toronto who stumbled into her love of theatre via her social media gig at Ballyhoo Push Pin Media, and stumbled into review writing via an open call to cover the 2015 Fringe Festival for MoT. In addition to writing for MoT, she also blogs about dating, white supremacy, fat politics, theatre, graphic design, and sex at thejessgillis.blogspot.com. She’s a self-taught freelance graphic designer by trade, and a visual artist by passion. She sells and displays her wares at jessgillis.com. She’s passionate about laughter, anti-oppression, sex workers’ rights, body positivity, vegan food, cycling, good TV, and swimming. If you want to follow her foodie, nail art, and pet sitting posts, you can follow her on Instagram and Twitter @TheJessGillis
The classic Sondheim fairy tale musical takes to the Hart House stage in Toronto
Tonight we went out into the cold, and into the ornate and cavernous Hart House Theatre to see the fun, fairytale-filled musical Into The Woods. It’s a comical mish-mash of various fairytales – Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstock, amongst others – imagining what might happen if the characters in those stories actually had their wishes come true.
Hart House‘s mounting of my favourite high school show was well worth journeying out on a cold winter’s night.
The Student Prince, on stage at the St Lawrence Centre in Toronto, is enjoyable but lacklustre
The Toronto Operetta Company‘s production of the The Student Prince at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts was my first experience seeing an operetta — a genre I find quite enjoyable. It’s a story about a young Prince, Karl Franz (Ernesto Ramirez), who finds friends and adventure whilst away at university and must eventually choose between love and royal duty.
Written by Sigmund Romberg, The Student Prince was the longest-running Broadway productions of the roaring 1920’s. I’m wondering if the story was a tad bit less predictable back then?
Based on the Fancy Nancy books by Jane O’Connor, this show is a light-hearted story about Nancy, a fancy girl, and her fun, fancy friends. When her dramatic dreams are crushed and the coveted role in a school play goes to someone else, can Nancy use her fancy flair to bring her role to life, even though she’s disappointed?
I’m not going to tell you! But I will tell you why I loved this show.
Fat Pig, now on stage in Toronto, explores body stigma with humour and brutal honesty
Two fat women are walking away from The Red Sandcastle Theatre where they just saw Braveheart Productions’ Fat Pig, and one asks the other: “is that really what dating is like for other fat women?” The play is about a conventionally attractive guy who begins dating a plus-sized woman, and the torrent of abuse and mockery he endures from his “friends.”
I (the one being asked) looked at my friend and plus one Caryhn (the one asking) quite incredulously. “Well, yes. I mean, it’s like that for me, and most fat women I know who date cis men.” For this fat girl, this play was a big fat dose of tragic, sad (and hilarious) reality. Mostly.
Hart House takes on Shakespeare’s most famous drama with Hamlet in Toronto
Shakespeare’s classic play Hamlet is essentially a story of tragic irony, betrayal, murder, madness, and obsession–told by a man who thinks and speaks too much. I was amused to discover tonight at Hart House that it’s also the source of numerous modern-day expressions: “The lady doth protest too much”, “To thine own self be true”, and “Murder most foul” to name but a few.
You may be thinking “this is news to someone who reviews theatre?” Yes. It was. While I studied Shakespeare in high school, I was more into Romeo and Juliet. And nothing else. I’m now acutely aware that Shakespeare maybe isn’t my thing. However, that only detracted slightly from my enjoyment of this show.
The classic Sondheim fairy tale musical takes to the Hart House stage in Toronto
Break out the boa for the LOT’s Fancy Nancy The Musical, now on the Toronto stage!
