Yaga / Kat Sandler / Tarragon Theatre OctoberComic and dark,.Three generations of independent women become the objects of men's passion and fear. There IS a house in the woods, with a mortar and pestle to grind their victims bones.
The theatre convention of having actors adapt multiple roles is used in the play to provide a fitting twist at the story's end. Three actors play 10+ characters.
Baba Yaga (Seana McKenna) immediately leaps to her own defense at the start of the play. Depending on how you see it, Yaga is either a wizened, evil old crone who devours children and crushes men’s bones, or a benevolent trickster with little patience for those who offer her insufficient thanks for her boons. In Sandler’s play, she’s a stand-in for the aging, invisible woman, whose presence goes unrecorded unless she does something for – or to – men. (Money on Theatre)
Destiny U.S.A. /Laura Anne Harris (Convection Productions)/Fringe (Crow's Nest) July
This was a one-woman show performed by the playwright. She is living in the States just after Trump is elected, trying to make her marriage work, coming to terms with her mother's terminal illness. She is also working as a Relay operator (someone who acts as a voice for the deaf person by relaying what they say verbatim), so there were also insights into the lives of random callers.
That's a lot to pull off in an hour, but Laura Anne Harris made it work. The play incorporated a simple powerpoint for captioning with pre-recorded performances using ASL.
Reenacting moments and stirring compassion.
The audience and the theatre were small, which made the personal stories feel all the more like a revelation.
Forget Me Not /Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes/Luminato June
Very unique. A puppet master unpacks his trunk of many characters and calls on the audience throughout to take the role of Chorus; Mob; Lover; Maestro; and above all, Witness to the story. Single chairs, love seats, couches, benches and stools are cast around the floor to loosely face the stage, which is defined by a rug and vinyl record player.
Early in the performance, everyone in the audience is called to line up solemnly, take a hand puppet, and give the Other a name. Burkett moves around the theatre, challenging members of the audience: some are quite uncomfortable and others are completely entranced. At one point my puppet is given a good whack by the King for insurrection. I don’t quite always follow the plot, but the story details seem to be embellishments on the theme of underground love letters, unrequited love, and loss. At the end of the performance, Burkett pleads with us to not steal his puppets, changes into a Grim Reaper clown costume, and then throws the door open into the street to hail a taxi.
887 / Can Stage May
Wow! Lepage is a master storyteller and such a magician with multimedia. I absolutely loved how accessible this one man play was, and how perspective was moved from the very personal to the historical to the political. Constantly shifting and meandering, very dreamlike and yet so real.
I absolutely loved the spinning cube and how it was able to transform from an apartment building to a kitchen to a screen or a monitor. What a conjurer! At the end when Lepage was taking his final bows, the backstage crew came out to join him front of stage, and there were at least eight people. Must take a huge amount of choreography to make the magic happen, and all the effort going into the production design. Incredible! My favourite production of the season.
Evan Hanson / Mirvish April
My favourite moment in the whole production was the transition to the last scene, with saplings in an apple orchard springing from the stage floor and magically growing five feet. That alone was worth the price of admission. The set production was outstanding throughout, with text and blinking monitors and beeps and blips adding extra flavour to the storyline.
The score was my least favourite component, a bit problematic for a musical. One number was so grating to me I wanted to retreat to the lobby until it finished. As this was a Tony Award winner, my expectations were sky high. Overall I was so disenchanted with the score I likely won't return to musical theatre for quite awhile.
The Last Ship / Mirvish March
Sting was the composer and some of the musical phrases from his top hits could be heard emerging throughout the score.
The famous musician also acted in the Toronto production.
The play was definitely worthwhile seeing, but there was lots going on and I found it overly long.
The staging was incredible. Lights and projection transformed the settings from factory to home to seascape, elegantly and seamlessly.
The story about how a seaside town is affected when a key industry closes down is very timely here in Toronto, with GM shuttering its Oshawa factory. Sting gave a free acoustic performance for GM workers in a show of solidarity, wishing them well in their fight.
Hamlet / Can Stage February
Watching the deaf performer sign throughout her role as Heratio was unforgettable, and it really did add another level to the interpretation of events. For me, I kept thinking about the lack of voice - was it the frustration of not really being able to influence events? the hopelessness of fighting against fate?
Non traditional casting in all roles was a bit of a novelty but I think overall such approaches help bring new and diverse audiences to theatre.
Reinterpreting Shakespeare has helped keep the plays alive throughout the centuries.
Tartuffe / Can Stage January
This was a very funny staging of Moliere's comedy.
Setting it in the modern era, adding in tweaks for a digital age and using non traditional casting were useful reminders for how relevant the story remains.
During intermission I read in the programme notes that Moliere's play was banned by the church in the seventeenth century because of its depiction of a corrupt religious leader who takes advantage of his followers' blind faith.
Moliere had to rewrite parts, including the ending, and have a benevolent king step in to the rescue. In 1669, King Louis XIV authorized performances of the third and final version of the play, and it was a great success.
Wow! Lepage is a master storyteller and such a magician with multimedia. I absolutely loved how accessible this one man play was, and how perspective was moved from the very personal to the historical to the political. Constantly shifting and meandering, very dreamlike and yet so real.
I absolutely loved the spinning cube and how it was able to transform from an apartment building to a kitchen to a screen or a monitor. What a conjurer! At the end when Lepage was taking his final bows, the backstage crew came out to join him front of stage, and there were at least eight people. Must take a huge amount of choreography to make the magic happen, and all the effort going into the production design. Incredible! My favourite production of the season.
Evan Hanson / Mirvish April
My favourite moment in the whole production was the transition to the last scene, with saplings in an apple orchard springing from the stage floor and magically growing five feet. That alone was worth the price of admission. The set production was outstanding throughout, with text and blinking monitors and beeps and blips adding extra flavour to the storyline.The score was my least favourite component, a bit problematic for a musical. One number was so grating to me I wanted to retreat to the lobby until it finished. As this was a Tony Award winner, my expectations were sky high. Overall I was so disenchanted with the score I likely won't return to musical theatre for quite awhile.
The Last Ship / Mirvish March
 |
| stormy seas and a starry night |
The famous musician also acted in the Toronto production.
The play was definitely worthwhile seeing, but there was lots going on and I found it overly long.
The staging was incredible. Lights and projection transformed the settings from factory to home to seascape, elegantly and seamlessly.
The story about how a seaside town is affected when a key industry closes down is very timely here in Toronto, with GM shuttering its Oshawa factory. Sting gave a free acoustic performance for GM workers in a show of solidarity, wishing them well in their fight.
Hamlet / Can Stage February
Watching the deaf performer sign throughout her role as Heratio was unforgettable, and it really did add another level to the interpretation of events. For me, I kept thinking about the lack of voice - was it the frustration of not really being able to influence events? the hopelessness of fighting against fate?
Non traditional casting in all roles was a bit of a novelty but I think overall such approaches help bring new and diverse audiences to theatre.
Reinterpreting Shakespeare has helped keep the plays alive throughout the centuries.
Tartuffe / Can Stage January
Setting it in the modern era, adding in tweaks for a digital age and using non traditional casting were useful reminders for how relevant the story remains.
During intermission I read in the programme notes that Moliere's play was banned by the church in the seventeenth century because of its depiction of a corrupt religious leader who takes advantage of his followers' blind faith.
Moliere had to rewrite parts, including the ending, and have a benevolent king step in to the rescue. In 1669, King Louis XIV authorized performances of the third and final version of the play, and it was a great success.
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