Confessions of a Redheaded Coffeeshop Girl (B+) Rebecca Perry’s semi-musical solo show about an overqualified twentysomething slinging coffee to make ends meet is incredibly charming. Advertised as an anthropological study of coffeeshop culture, it’s really more of a modern fairytale, complete with a handsome patron serving as both prince charming and fairy godmother. The storytelling […]
The Centre of the Universe (B) The Centre of The Universe, staged between the taps and front windows of everybody’s favourite dive bar, “The Lab” is a gripping telling of the post-internet apocalypse. It builds steadily to its genuinely frightening and shocking climax on the shoulders of a couple of strong performances. Lea Russel and […]
Theatre 20 occupies a very specific and somewhat strange space in Toronto theatre. They produce work very rarely but, when they do, it’s event theatre- a big musical with a top-notch cast; something worth dressing up and hiring a babysitter for. Company is their biggest show yet. My favourite Sondheim piece, the contemporary musical’s complicated […]
Virtual Stage’s Broken Sex Doll, which opened this past Friday with Magnectic North in Halifax, was a little bit like a bad one-night stand: awkward, no heart, and way too long. Sure, the one-night stand sometimes looks good. They can sometimes even dance and sing real good. But when you get right down to the […]
Into the Woods may be one of my favorite Sondheim musicals, if not one of my favorite musicals. I have seen and participated in countless productions of this show, so I come to The Lyric’s production with a wealth of knowledge and experience. For any other production, this burden would be insurmountable; I would be […]
Scars. We’ve all got them and there is usually an interesting story to accompany each and every one. Society’s obsession with beauty has led many a woman to scramble for products and treatment to avoid the appearance of scars. Unfortunately, I am too active to avoid them and proudly bear several small scars on my […]
This month’s selections can only be described as tackling the smart and difficult topics left untouched by most of society. Too often, it is easier to ignore our problems and issues rather than facing them. These productions offer the touch discussions, from race to living life without regret to questioning the safety of our youth. […]
Legally Blonde: The Musical (music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, and book by Heather Hach) is an outstanding piece to feature young, strong female musical theatre performers. Following the novel by Amanda Brown and popular movie by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Motion Pictures, Legally Blonde tells the story of pretty SoCal “It” girl, Elle Woods […]