Finster Finds

Last week I got to take in the Preview performance of Grant MacEwan's production of 9 to 5 . It's the musical adaptation of the 1980 film of the same name. I loved the movie and I loved the musical. Outside the title song, I was unfamiliar with the music, but it was fun and smart and well-sung by the cast. It was filled with great singing, and the three lead women (Kristen Schaeffer, Darian Yurkoski, and Lindsay Downs) were awesome. Opposite the feisty trio was the hilarious Stefan Theriault as Mr. Hart. His commitment to playing up the worst in the misogynistic CEO was hysterical. There's great choreography and the show is fast paced and will keep you laughing! 9 to 5 runs at the Triffo Theatre until December 8. Click here for tickets. Another show that had me laughing out loud was Fallen Angels presented by Bright Young Things at the Varscona Theatre. A stellar cast led by Belinda Cornish and Vanessa Sabourin, there were so many laugh out loud moments. The phy...

This weekend, I had the pleasure of seeing Matara , a new work by Conni Massing, at Workshop West Playwrights Theatre. A zoo elephant Matara, or Nellie, is at the centre of the story. Cared for by Karen (Elinor Holt), Matara is not in the best of health and a group of protesters camp outside the gates, demanding she be sent to an elephant reserve far away. The protesters are held at bay by night security guard Marcel (Minister Faust), and newly hired communications expert Romney (Patricia Zentilli) recognizes the value of an elephant in selling the zoo. The three characters are complicated and connect differently to the zoo and to Matara. The play really highlights the complexity of the issue, that what is the best decision is not necessarily black and white, and the limitations on the three characters to communicate and be heard further obstruct finding the right course of action. No one seems to hear what the others are saying because the narrative they need to hear is not being ...