Guantanamo Hotels & Resorts: Pandemic Theatre

Guantanamo Hotels and Resortsby Ryan Oakley

Guantanamo Hotels & Resorts playing at Bread and Circus Theatre attempts to make a comedy out of a concentration camp.  It’s a difficult task.   Some are likely to shout: “Too Soon!”

In 1990, when Air America, a comedy about CIA drug smuggling in Laos, was released, people wondered if America was ready to laugh at Vietnam; a war that had ended fifteen years before.   Is anyone ready for a comedy about September 11?  And is anyone ready to laugh at Guantanamo Bay?  After all, the camp is still open.  It’s not just soon, it’s now.

If you might be offended by the subject matter, you will be.  Don’t attend the play.  This review is for those people who, like me, have a dark sense of humour.  I’m ready to laugh at Guantanamo Bay and at September 11, I love nothing better than a good Hitler joke and I think that cancer can be funny.

I live in “too soon” with weekend trips to “too much.”

Having said all that, this play just isn’t that funny.

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Toronto theatre contest – win a pair of tickets to "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

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This week the Hart House Theatre will be putting on a production of the sexy Shakespearian Comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Directed by Jeremy Hutton, this classic will surely be entertaining, whether you’re a fan of William Shakespeare or not.

To win a sweet pair of free tickets just be the lucky 13th person to contact us at contests@mooneyontheatre.com quoting the subject line “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.  You have until noon on Wednesday to enter.  Check back again on Wednesday afternoon when we will be announcing the winner.  And don’t worry, your email is safe with us, we won’t use it for anything other than this contest.

If you’d like to attend, the show will be playing at the Hart House on November 20th and 21st at 8:00 pm, then every Wednesday to Saturday at 8:00 pm until December 5th, with one Matinee at 2:00 pm on Sat. Dec. 5th . Tickets are $25 and $15 for students and seniors, with a $5 student discount Wednesday Nights!

Read more about the play from the press release below, and good luck!

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The Catering Queen – Catering Queen Co-op

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The Catering Queen, playing at Tarragon Extra Space, feels like it should be required viewing for anyone who works in the arts.

Playwright Alison Lawrence (who also plays the lead character Mel) freely admits the show’s subject matter is drawn from her own life. It revolves around a group of people who work as caterers while pursuing their artistic dreams, a job Lawrence herself held for several years.

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My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding – the CTV story

So, you’ve heard on this blog about how a show we loved (check out the review from when it was at Fringe) was picked up by Mirvish.  The theatre version of a fairy tale I suppose…

Well, if you want some more back story on it check out the feature piece on the Mirvish production of My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding on W5.  Then, when you’ve watched that, check out the second part, where they talk about opening night. 

Enjoy!