Tewder
Senior Member
'Talent' and the 'it' factor are not necessarily the same thing though, but when you've got them both look out!
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Live Theatre in Toronto
- Thread starter Benc7
- Start date
psychokandy
New Member
If you're a fan of the Second City team, 0% Down, 100% Screwed is supposed to be fantastic. I'm planning on taking my Mom to it for Mother's Day.
Benc7
Active Member
Thanks for the heads-up, psychocandy. With the way things are going, we could all use a good laugh. I hope you'll post your impressions of the show after you go.
Benc7
Active Member
House of Many Tongues-Tarragon Theatre
I saw "House of Many Tongues" ( by Jonathan Garfinkel, directed by Richard Rose), this afternoon: An Israeli General (played by Howard Jerome) has lived in his house in Jerusalem for forty years. One day, he's visited by a Palestinian writer (played by Hrant Alianak) who claims to have lived in the house decades previously, and whose family had lived in it for generations before that. The house must be shared. The house itself is personified (by Fiona Highet) who wants a family to live in her, to take care of her, to love her. There’s even a talking camel (Raoul Bhanjea). The general has a 15 year old son, Alex(Daniel Karasik) whose solution to the mid-east crisis is "The Cunnilingus Manifesto". LOL! They are joined by Suha (Erica Mackinnon), the teenage daughter of the writer, who brings her wise-cracking dead pigeon and a zip-lock bag containing the remains of her mother. Rivka (Niki Landau) is Alex's tutor and the first target of his manifesto. She knows the secret of his birth, something he realizes his father has been lying to him about. There are lot of people lying in this play and finding out the truth (whatever that is and to whom it belongs) is quite the exercise.
The metaphors here are pretty obvious, but the play, as a whole, isn't; there's a complexity in it that I'm still appreciating. How can I convey how good these actors are and how funny (yes, funny), and hard, and tragic this play is? I usually question the use of magic realism; often, it just detracts from an otherwise solid work or is used as a smoke screen for a bad one. In this case, the talking house, the talking camel, the bad joke pigeon are perfectly acceptable in the never-ending, no-solution-here, absurdist drama that is Israel and Palestine.
This is a play to see.
http://www.tarragontheatre.com/season/0809/houseofmanytongues/
I saw "House of Many Tongues" ( by Jonathan Garfinkel, directed by Richard Rose), this afternoon: An Israeli General (played by Howard Jerome) has lived in his house in Jerusalem for forty years. One day, he's visited by a Palestinian writer (played by Hrant Alianak) who claims to have lived in the house decades previously, and whose family had lived in it for generations before that. The house must be shared. The house itself is personified (by Fiona Highet) who wants a family to live in her, to take care of her, to love her. There’s even a talking camel (Raoul Bhanjea). The general has a 15 year old son, Alex(Daniel Karasik) whose solution to the mid-east crisis is "The Cunnilingus Manifesto". LOL! They are joined by Suha (Erica Mackinnon), the teenage daughter of the writer, who brings her wise-cracking dead pigeon and a zip-lock bag containing the remains of her mother. Rivka (Niki Landau) is Alex's tutor and the first target of his manifesto. She knows the secret of his birth, something he realizes his father has been lying to him about. There are lot of people lying in this play and finding out the truth (whatever that is and to whom it belongs) is quite the exercise.
The metaphors here are pretty obvious, but the play, as a whole, isn't; there's a complexity in it that I'm still appreciating. How can I convey how good these actors are and how funny (yes, funny), and hard, and tragic this play is? I usually question the use of magic realism; often, it just detracts from an otherwise solid work or is used as a smoke screen for a bad one. In this case, the talking house, the talking camel, the bad joke pigeon are perfectly acceptable in the never-ending, no-solution-here, absurdist drama that is Israel and Palestine.
This is a play to see.
http://www.tarragontheatre.com/season/0809/houseofmanytongues/
Benc7
Active Member
Aubrey Dan -Looking for a theatre
An interesting article in this morning's Toronto Star; Aubrey Dan is still looking for a theatre after having lost the battle for the Canon to the Mirvish Organization. I see "Anne of Green Gables" this week, the final presentation of his truncated and aborted sophomore year; only three productions were offered this season ,the last of which, "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas", was cancelled).I renewed my subscription this year more as a show of support rather than as a demonstration of satisfaction with his offerings. The possibility of his building a new theatre, or taking over the Sony Centre is intriguing.
http://www.thestar.com/article/631574
An interesting article in this morning's Toronto Star; Aubrey Dan is still looking for a theatre after having lost the battle for the Canon to the Mirvish Organization. I see "Anne of Green Gables" this week, the final presentation of his truncated and aborted sophomore year; only three productions were offered this season ,the last of which, "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas", was cancelled).I renewed my subscription this year more as a show of support rather than as a demonstration of satisfaction with his offerings. The possibility of his building a new theatre, or taking over the Sony Centre is intriguing.
http://www.thestar.com/article/631574
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Benc7
Active Member
"We Will Rock You" Closes June 28, 2009
From Mirvish:
"We come to you today with news that hasn't yet even hit the papers. Our beloved We Will Rock You is to close on June 28, to rock us no more. Let's celebrate; it's been a good, long life for WWRY... as of June 28, it will have racked up an astounding 788 performances, over an amazing two and a half years, before a cool million (give or take one or two) devoted fans."
Of all the "jukebox musicals" this was the silliest (even more than "Mama Mia"), BUT it was a lot of fun.
From Mirvish:
"We come to you today with news that hasn't yet even hit the papers. Our beloved We Will Rock You is to close on June 28, to rock us no more. Let's celebrate; it's been a good, long life for WWRY... as of June 28, it will have racked up an astounding 788 performances, over an amazing two and a half years, before a cool million (give or take one or two) devoted fans."
Of all the "jukebox musicals" this was the silliest (even more than "Mama Mia"), BUT it was a lot of fun.
Benc7
Active Member
Anne of Green Gables - The Elgin Theatre
For once (and it frost my socks to say so) I'm in agreement with this town's theatre critics: "Anne of Green Gables" is in dire need of revival and I mean that literally. What's on at the Elgin is more of a wax-work, put on stage, dust and all. But, I will disagree with them on one thing; there are some powerful voices coming out of those automaton characters. Janet MacEwen's "Marilla" has a lovely voice, as do most of the prinicpal characters. But, it's as if someone used very expensive oils to paint a "For Rent" sign; an utter waste.
I saw a production of this musical a couple of years ago at ESA (The Etobicoke School of the Arts). Theirs was a more satisfying, more sincere effort, with more life than anything this professional troupe could muster.
Two plays do not a season make; this was the last in DanCap's second year of operation. I wish him better luck next season.
http://www.dancaptickets.com/icecream
For once (and it frost my socks to say so) I'm in agreement with this town's theatre critics: "Anne of Green Gables" is in dire need of revival and I mean that literally. What's on at the Elgin is more of a wax-work, put on stage, dust and all. But, I will disagree with them on one thing; there are some powerful voices coming out of those automaton characters. Janet MacEwen's "Marilla" has a lovely voice, as do most of the prinicpal characters. But, it's as if someone used very expensive oils to paint a "For Rent" sign; an utter waste.
I saw a production of this musical a couple of years ago at ESA (The Etobicoke School of the Arts). Theirs was a more satisfying, more sincere effort, with more life than anything this professional troupe could muster.
Two plays do not a season make; this was the last in DanCap's second year of operation. I wish him better luck next season.
http://www.dancaptickets.com/icecream
Benc7
Active Member
Tuesdays With Morrie-The Winter Garden Theatre
Up front, I didn't like "Tuesdays with Morrie";I didn't like it when I first saw it several years ago, and I don't like it now. It's a one-act, 90 minute play, packed with clichés and platitudes, revolving around two characters based on real people. Rick Roberts plays Mitch Albom, student of said Morrie, co-writer of the play and writer of the book on which it is based. Hal Linden plays Morrie, who was a professor at Brandeis University until shortly before his death at age 79 from ALS. He became well-known to the general public through the three interviews he did with Ted Koppel on "Nightline" that centred on what he was learning about the meaning of life as he faced his certain death. Hal Linden is a pro, with three Emmy's and a Tony to his credit. He gave a relaxed and amiable performance but often veered into stereotype and caricature. Rick Roberts was excellent and he should have been, given he had the character that seemed to be most human and that he's a fine actor in his own right.
"Tuesdays With Morrie" is the second production of the second season of the "Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company" directed competently enough by the multi-talented and always employed, Ted Dykstra. It was good to read of their thanks to York University, Mirvish Theatre and Soulpepper for the loan of some of the scenic elements; cooperation and mutual support within our theatre community is necessary.(Take note, Aubrey Dan AND Mr. Mirvish!) I plan to see more of their second season if I can.
So, why did I go to see a play I didn't like? Because it was at the Winter Garden Theatre and I'll use any excuse to get inside. Such a beautiful and unlikely survivor. When one isn't enjoying what's on stage, one can always look at the moon.
http://www.hgjewishtheatre.com/
Up front, I didn't like "Tuesdays with Morrie";I didn't like it when I first saw it several years ago, and I don't like it now. It's a one-act, 90 minute play, packed with clichés and platitudes, revolving around two characters based on real people. Rick Roberts plays Mitch Albom, student of said Morrie, co-writer of the play and writer of the book on which it is based. Hal Linden plays Morrie, who was a professor at Brandeis University until shortly before his death at age 79 from ALS. He became well-known to the general public through the three interviews he did with Ted Koppel on "Nightline" that centred on what he was learning about the meaning of life as he faced his certain death. Hal Linden is a pro, with three Emmy's and a Tony to his credit. He gave a relaxed and amiable performance but often veered into stereotype and caricature. Rick Roberts was excellent and he should have been, given he had the character that seemed to be most human and that he's a fine actor in his own right.
"Tuesdays With Morrie" is the second production of the second season of the "Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company" directed competently enough by the multi-talented and always employed, Ted Dykstra. It was good to read of their thanks to York University, Mirvish Theatre and Soulpepper for the loan of some of the scenic elements; cooperation and mutual support within our theatre community is necessary.(Take note, Aubrey Dan AND Mr. Mirvish!) I plan to see more of their second season if I can.
So, why did I go to see a play I didn't like? Because it was at the Winter Garden Theatre and I'll use any excuse to get inside. Such a beautiful and unlikely survivor. When one isn't enjoying what's on stage, one can always look at the moon.
http://www.hgjewishtheatre.com/
Benc7
Active Member
Sony Centre Opening Delayed Until Spring 2010
From this morning's Globe: poor Aubrey Dan is thwarted yet again, at least for a little while. A deal between him and the Sony Centre is likely, at least in some form, but the wait and delays isn't making him
(or me) very happy.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/serv...9.wdancap19art2248/BNStory/Entertainment/home
From this morning's Globe: poor Aubrey Dan is thwarted yet again, at least for a little while. A deal between him and the Sony Centre is likely, at least in some form, but the wait and delays isn't making him
(or me) very happy.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/serv...9.wdancap19art2248/BNStory/Entertainment/home
Benc7
Active Member
Mirvish and Dan-The Sparing Continues
From this morning's Toronto Star; the battle between the Mirvish Organization and the upstart Aubrey Dan continues, both here and in a courtroom in California. I found the amount of property taxes paid by Mirvish (and the formula used to calculate it) quite interesting; owning the bricks and mortar of a theatre is an on-going, expensive proposition. Knelman's opinion that Dan should be able to rent the Sony for 12 weeks a year in order to keep it open to other theatrical events is a possible compromise, a word neither of the principals seem to understand.
http://www.thestar.com/article/639074
From this morning's Toronto Star; the battle between the Mirvish Organization and the upstart Aubrey Dan continues, both here and in a courtroom in California. I found the amount of property taxes paid by Mirvish (and the formula used to calculate it) quite interesting; owning the bricks and mortar of a theatre is an on-going, expensive proposition. Knelman's opinion that Dan should be able to rent the Sony for 12 weeks a year in order to keep it open to other theatrical events is a possible compromise, a word neither of the principals seem to understand.
http://www.thestar.com/article/639074
Benc7
Active Member
Joseph "Out"-Boys in the Photograph "In"
Mirvish announced they're dropping "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat " from next season's roster in favour of Webber's newest work, "The Boys in the Photograph".Good and good again!
http://www.cbc.ca/arts/theatre/story/2009/05/26/mirvish-boys.html
Mirvish announced they're dropping "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat " from next season's roster in favour of Webber's newest work, "The Boys in the Photograph".Good and good again!
http://www.cbc.ca/arts/theatre/story/2009/05/26/mirvish-boys.html
Benc7
Active Member
Doubt-Canadian Stage
Doubt- A Parable by John Patrick Shanley-. The play, a “did-he-do itâ€, revolves around the suspicions of Sister Aloysius ( Seana McKenna) regarding Father Flynn (David Storch) and his relationship with a young boy. McKenna finally shows me why she's considered one of Canada's leading actresses; she's as cold and as dogmatic and as absolutely certain of the priest's guilt as Sister James (Daniela Vlaskalic)is doubtful. That dreadful CERTAINTY is as frightening as the alleged crime. The audience is left in doubt; did he or didn't he? Was this a power play on Sister Aloysius part to goad the church’s male hierarchy? McKenna and Raven Dauda (Mrs.Mueller, the boy’s mother) are the best of the four member cast. David Storch doesn't bring the intensity his role demands and Vlaskalic is just plain awful. I hate saying that about any actor, but there it is. I blame who ever cast her in a part that she is simply not yet able to perform. Sister James is meant to be the naive, innocent, emotional foil to Sister Aloysius acerbic take on humanity. Instead she plays her character as a slightly stupid country yokel, with that irritating habit I've heard in other young actors; they almost sing their lines rather than speak them, in a high, breathy register and far too loudly. And a word about accents that can apply to any member of the cast; why attempt them if you can't maintain them convincingly? There was no need for accents in this play; it could have been set anywhere in the US or Canada. McKenna's kept slipping, Storch's got lost, and Vlaskalic...well, enough said. The sets were quite good and the ninety minute, one act play raced along. The director, Marti Maraden, should have kept tighter reign on her actors and indeed, should have chosen someone else to have played the pivotal role of Sister James.
Anyone seeing this will quite naturally want to compare it to the recent movie staring Meryl Streep. The movie makes the same mistakes made by most stage-to-screen adaptations; it eschews the discipline dictated by the physical parameters of the stage in favour of the almost limitless possibilities afforded by film making. There are too many exterior shot, too many characters introduced that are merely mentioned on the stage and the movie suffers for it. The writing here is so good, the play so well constructed, the humour so double-edged that the work can survive just about anything( or anyone) thrown at it.
http://www.canstage.com/doubt
Doubt- A Parable by John Patrick Shanley-. The play, a “did-he-do itâ€, revolves around the suspicions of Sister Aloysius ( Seana McKenna) regarding Father Flynn (David Storch) and his relationship with a young boy. McKenna finally shows me why she's considered one of Canada's leading actresses; she's as cold and as dogmatic and as absolutely certain of the priest's guilt as Sister James (Daniela Vlaskalic)is doubtful. That dreadful CERTAINTY is as frightening as the alleged crime. The audience is left in doubt; did he or didn't he? Was this a power play on Sister Aloysius part to goad the church’s male hierarchy? McKenna and Raven Dauda (Mrs.Mueller, the boy’s mother) are the best of the four member cast. David Storch doesn't bring the intensity his role demands and Vlaskalic is just plain awful. I hate saying that about any actor, but there it is. I blame who ever cast her in a part that she is simply not yet able to perform. Sister James is meant to be the naive, innocent, emotional foil to Sister Aloysius acerbic take on humanity. Instead she plays her character as a slightly stupid country yokel, with that irritating habit I've heard in other young actors; they almost sing their lines rather than speak them, in a high, breathy register and far too loudly. And a word about accents that can apply to any member of the cast; why attempt them if you can't maintain them convincingly? There was no need for accents in this play; it could have been set anywhere in the US or Canada. McKenna's kept slipping, Storch's got lost, and Vlaskalic...well, enough said. The sets were quite good and the ninety minute, one act play raced along. The director, Marti Maraden, should have kept tighter reign on her actors and indeed, should have chosen someone else to have played the pivotal role of Sister James.
Anyone seeing this will quite naturally want to compare it to the recent movie staring Meryl Streep. The movie makes the same mistakes made by most stage-to-screen adaptations; it eschews the discipline dictated by the physical parameters of the stage in favour of the almost limitless possibilities afforded by film making. There are too many exterior shot, too many characters introduced that are merely mentioned on the stage and the movie suffers for it. The writing here is so good, the play so well constructed, the humour so double-edged that the work can survive just about anything( or anyone) thrown at it.
http://www.canstage.com/doubt
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Tewder
Senior Member
From this morning's Globe: poor Aubrey Dan is thwarted yet again, at least for a little while. A deal between him and the Sony Centre is likely, at least in some form, but the wait and delays isn't making him
(or me) very happy.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/serv...9.wdancap19art2248/BNStory/Entertainment/home
Seems that Dan could really use his own theatre if he truly wants to be a producer of note in this city, and Toronto could use a few 'Broadway' size houses rather than the ex-cinema retrofit/O'Keefe Centre behemoth-type houses that are typical here. You have to sell a lot of seats to make a return on those types of spaces! Nevertheless, without the Sony Centre and with the Elgin/Wintergarden booked half the time for other events how can Dan truly offer up, and guarantee, a playbill that season holders can rely on, and how will he be able to enjoy any further 'Jersey Boys'-type long term success for future productions while still offering new ones to come?
Benc7
Active Member
I agree with you: he needs "bricks and mortar" of his own. There are a number of "Broadway" size houses in this town but, as you point out, they are booked, sometimes just enough to preclude the long run of a play. When Aubrey Dan put his first season on offer he commented on the number of his subscribers that were from the north part of the city. Hence his confidence that a run of a play at The Toronto Centre for the Arts was viable. If he were content with JUST a subscription base for a relatively short run of a musical, he'd be right. But that theatre is just too far from the centre of town to attract the tourists and the day-trippers (not to mention the citizens) who make a long run possible. I think if he got a deal on the Sony AND built a theatre for himself, he'd be a happy man. But that's scads of money; I wonder if his dad would be interested in investing?
Tewder
Senior Member
True, and that may just be the key to going head to head with the Mirvishes in this town. The 'Jersey Boys' has been a big enough draw that clearly enough have been willing to drag their butts to the hinterland and I imagine that 'Wicked' would enjoy similar such pull, but these theatrical 'slam dunks' are rare and he needs to start with his own 500-1,000 seat house in the entertainment district of the city where he can park shows that are still selling after initial runs in bigger houses.