Anomie

Downside Up Productions—Platform Centre

Thoughtful and introspective, this existential romp examines the meaning of life and being. The play starts mysteriously but soon clues you in on what’s happening. There are spots in the middle that drag a bit but overall, it’s a good effort.

Some questions for thought include, is the grass always greener on the other side? What if there’s no grass? How much would you risk for the chance of gain? What if you lose it all? What if you win and winning is less than nothing? Throw in the horror of loneliness and nothingness and you have a lot of material for discussion.

Are there correct answers to any of these questions? Does anyone know? Nagilum?

Ray Yuen

Horrible Histories: Rotten Rulers

Hamdad Productions—Pantages Mainstage

Reminiscent of both Monty Python and your goofiest history teacher in high school, this whirlwind sketch comedy show brings you the entire monarchical history of England. It comes complete with PowerPoint and ridiculous impersonations. The show got rather silly and there were a few cheap laughs. One cast member spoke way too fast so I couldn’t understand any of what she was saying. It was also interesting that the background music for the songs in the show seemed to keep an echo of the original vocalist which became quite annoying. I did like the songs and found them funny. The cast had pretty decent comedic timing. I loved the final song as well as the impersonation of King Henry the 8th.

Kaitlyn Kriss

Hyena Subpoena

Cat Kidd—School of Contemporary Dancers

A few other people had mentioned this show to me and I am glad they did. This spoken word performance by Montreal’s Cat Kidd was a real treat. She tells six tales in rhyme which have a root in the animals of Africa, but as she moves through the stories she starts to relate the challenges of survival that the animals face to the challenges of youth for some young women. Each story is very well crafted and the turns of phrase are brilliant. The staging was wonderful using only a few simple items such as a tent and a cloth to serve as screens for the projected images of the animals and the titles of the tales/poems. The background soundscapes by Jacky Murda also set the mood perfectly.

Murray Hunter

The CANADA SHOW: The Complete History of Canada in One Hour

Monster Theatre—John Hirsch Mainstage

This show is selling out. The actors are competent, the guitarist capable, and the singing strong and on key. The two women and lone man have a great rapport on stage. They make use of the huge stage, covering every inch with leaps, bounds and senseless pratfalls with boundless energy.

My question is to what end? The show is pointless. It purports to be a history of Canada told in one hour. They refer endlessly to this and how many minutes are left; using many of them to do this. I didn’t need the reminders. I was already watching the time. This is more like a second year theatre performance.

I am well aware many people liked this. But with the quality of other historical plays such as the stellar, magnificent PadreX and Melanie Gall’s Vera Lynn, this is a waste of the serious patron’s time.

Lisa Campbell

The Doula

Randy Pirate Productions—Tom Hendry Warehouse

3 pregnant women and a training doula navigate clashing personalities and morals while they wait for a prenatal class. The play was very interesting as someone who was not the target audience. I knew lots of jokes were supposed to be funny but I just didn’t get them. Two jokes everyone got were pregnant ladies twerking and one of the characters water/soup breaking. It’s humor is targeted to a specific demographic.  A lot of the older women in the room killed themselves laughing. The characters were very well defined and wonderfully acted. The commitment to their characters made a lot of the jokes that I might not have found funny land within me. I did end up learning a lot, so if nothing else go to prep yourself for being pregnant. This play was joy for me but you may have to have given birth before you will love this show.

Kaitlyn Kriss

The Bunker

Empty Sea Company—Platform Centre

This is a small venue so get here early as it sold out fast. There’s also no air conditioning in a small room with lots of people, so water and personal fans are very beneficial. It almost feels like a bunker in here, being tight, cramped, and hot (although we find out that bunker temperature is a nice 21C).

If the world is about to end, what would you do?  Would you want to be one of a handful of people to survive?  Even if it means being locked in a room underground for two years?  Eating beans for every meal?  What would the world be like after you get out?  Would you care or would claustrophobia chase you out, even if you’re not sure if it’s safe?  What would it be like to spend the time in there?  How would your relationships evolve?  What would you miss the most?

This show gives you the answer to some of those questions, and many more. Even if you don’t care about any of the philosophical questions, just sit back and watch the play. The actors do a great job holding you spellbound for the next hour.

My only criticism lies with the audio: you cannot discern the vocals well, ranging from OK to unintelligible. The audio from the computer is critical from the outcome and the troupe needs to improve the system/speakers so the audience can follow the plot.

Ray Yuen

The (Un)Happy Medium

Kiss the Giraffe Productions—Planetarium

With her crisp and articulate script, Heather Madill has completely succeeded in taking the subject of depression/anxiety (mental illness) out of the sole jurisdiction of the medical community and planted it firmly in the realm of humanity.

One assumes from the programme notes that she has struggled with depression. By personifying aspects of those struggles, she has been able to present the symptoms of depression clearly and in a non-frightening way. If such a thing exists, she is has been able to “normalize” the situation. But what defines “normal” anyway? The section on the symptoms of depression/anxiety came very close to a lecture, but was alleviated by the onstage business that went with it. (I’m fairly certain that I could remember about seven of the symptoms, just by replaying the scene in my mind.)

Heather, Laura and Scott, your acting, across the board, was thoroughly enjoyable. Alan, you should never have been unsure that this script was not the right fit. You were sensitive and understanding of the material and have every right to be proud of the show.

I am hoping that this show goes further, infiltrating the community of mental health care provider, doctors, psychologists and mental healthcare workers. I hope that it makes its way into the school system. I say this because I believe that the a primary message of the play is that people with mental health issues just want to be able to function, to not be paralyzed by their disease, and to become an accepted part of a larger community.

Michelle Cook

Blink’s Garden

Fat Blue Productions—Kids Venue: MTYP – Mainstage

A lovely gem of a musical, this one hour play follows Blink in her quest to see over the wall while tending to her rejected and lonely seeds. Don’t worry, it’s not a Trump musical (although there are a few jokes thrown in about the reference). The music was fantastic and featured beautiful harmonies. If your worried that this play is only for kids, there were quite a few jokes that had only the adults howling. It is a very cute show that both you and your kids will enjoy. The play was also followed by a delightful talk moderated by John Janzen (the plays writer and creator) who stressed the importance of difference for a healthy garden/community. I did like the play but mic issues as well as generally quiet performers led to quiet a few volume issues. It was hard for me at times to understand what was going on because I couldn’t hear. Working on projecting volume as well as investing in a few more microphones for the younger performers might have helped. All in all a cute musical with a delightful cast and important message of acceptance. A great one for the whole family.

Kaitlyn Kriss

Figgy Pudding

Jimmy Hogg—School of Contemporary Dancers

If you had not already guessed from the title, this is a show about Christmas. When I walked in, the pre-show music was playing my favourite Christmas song, Slade’s “Merry Christmas, Everybody.” But that’s not important right now.

Jimmy Hogg onstage is a little like a cross between Keith Moon’s energy and Buster Keaton’s physicality. He really inhabits his material, and his material is both funny and heartwarming. As you might have guessed already, I loved this show. (And if you are not familial with Slade’s Christmas song, it’s on YouTube.)

Kevin Campbell

Filter This

It’s All Relative Productions—Cinematheque

This was a fun romantic comedy playing on the differences between a guy who doesn’t use social media or own a cell phone (Jesse Nobess) and a girl who is constantly Tweeting, Texting and posting her way through life (Reba Terlson). One of the really interesting parts of the play is the two main characters are joined by Sam McLean who acts as a live action version of Terlson’s smartphone. He makes sound effects and performs physical expressions for her swiping, texting, posting, commenting, picture and selfie taking. Between scenes he becomes physical manifestations of some popular internet memes.

The prospective couple tries to spend a date in each other’s world, and the two dates are jump-cut together with good effect. All in all a good story with a lot of humour and timely subject matter.

Murray Hunter