Teatro Live! Closes their Season with a very funny production of The Odd Couple!

Marc J Chalifoux Photography 

Summer is really such a great time for theatre for me! I love it when you leave the theatre and it's still a little light out. Even better when the show is a comedy, like Teatro Live's production of The Odd Couple, which I took in on Friday night. If you are around my age (and even younger since there was a reboot in recent history) you are no doubt familiar with Oscar Madison and Felix Unger (played in this production by Alexander Ariate and Andrew MacDonald-Smith), the mismatched roommates from Neil Simon's play. The two are physical foils, which ups the ante on their character's personality conflicts, and this production puts their physicality to good use, particularly with MacDonald-Smith's height and long legs making seemingly inhuman movements around the furniture and Ariate's flopping on couches. The physical humour alone makes this show tremendously entertaining!

Marc J Chalifoux Photography 

But it's the scenes with the accidental roommate's poker buddies and the Pigeon Sisters that had me the most entertained. Not surprising when you consider the group of assembles artists - all of whom could (and most have) anchor a Teatro show themselves! The poker buddies (Garrett Ross, Matt Busby, Bernardo Pacheco, and Oscar Derkx) give more depth to the recognition of the disparity of personalities between Oscar and Felix, and their banter is very fun to watch and listen to - particularly the contrast between the old (Oscar's toxic waste level of cleanliness) and the new (Felix's immaculate and antiseptic environment). From their reactions, you understand that neither extreme is particularly healthy. 

Marc J Chalifoux Photography 

The Pigeon Sisters, Cecily (Kristin Johnston) and Gwendolyn (Jenny McKillop), add for another level of tension between Oscar and Felix. Oscar is looking for a wingman, but Felix's impending divorce is too new to make him a suitable one. Johnston and McKillop are hysterical as the British girls from upstairs with backcombed hair and synced responses. I was very glad to see them return in the third act! 

There's a lot to laugh about and for those who were fans of the movie and the TV shows, I think it's well worth the nostalgic trip to the theatre. It's a nice reflection on friendship and compromise, but above all makes for a laughter-filled night of theatre on a summer evening! 

The Odd Couple runs until July 27, 2025 at the Varscona Theatre. Tickets range from $25-42 and there are also special event nights, like Pay-What-You-Can on Tuesdays. Tickets can be purchased here. 

Shakespeare In Love at Walterdale Theatre - A fun ride behind the scenes of Romeo and Juliet!

Last night was Opening Night of Shakespeare in Love at Walterdale Theatre. I haven't been to an Opening Night at Walterdale for a while because I found it hard to manage when I had to teach the next morning, but summer holidays and an abundance of sunshine allowed me to make the weekday theatre trip to Verona! I also got to attend this one as proud Mama, as my youngest son, Gibson, was Music Director for the incidental music in the show (it's not a musical, but there are several times when the ensemble sing giving depth to the the soundscape of the show). 

Photo Credit: Scott Henderson, Henderson Images

It was a terrifically fun night of theatre! I am a big fan of the movie, and have seen the stage play previously, but it was really cool to see the show translated to the intimacy of Walterdale's stage. There are a lot of moving parts to the show and I remarked after to Director Anne Marie Szucs that it must have been like directing a musical as the scenes flit from location to location and the ensemble switches characters as they walk off and on the stage again. The flow of the show was well maintained and was aided brilliantly by the elegant and flexible set design (Brooke Emberley). I particularly loved the clever revolve that switched from balcony to bed to upper floor of the backstage rehearsal area. There was also some very funny choreography (Barbara Mah) that made the ball scene more than just a simple meet-cute for Will (Matt Boisvert) and Viola (Ren Elliot). The world is completed by the beautiful costumes (Cathy Dragon) - some of my favourite outfits were Marlowe's and Queen Elizabeth's; but the panorama and variety of costumes helped to indicate who had the power and who did not in Shakespeare's world!

Photo Credit: Scott Henderson, Henderson Images 

The cast is enthusiastic and committed as a whole in telling this story. Standouts for me were Boisvert as Will Shakespeare and Elliot as Viola de Lesseps. The two have a delightful chemistry. Boisvert has most of the heavy lifting in the show, but he attacks it with a true sense of purpose and recklessness that makes you wonder about the 'real' Shakespeare! I also really enjoyed Ethan Handford as Ned Alleyn and Josh Young as Richard Burbage. The energy picked up considerably when the two (playing the best actors of their generation) came into contact with each other. Each had their own brand of swagger that mixed in a 'what will happen next?' kind of way. First timers on Walterdale's stage, John Gaunce as Fennyman and Ian Hicks as Henslowe, were also great to watch and they played off each other well. I hope we see more of them on the Walterdale stage in the future! There are lots of great moments from the rest of the ensemble cast, including the dog (Rain, the night I went).

This is a fun one to watch, particularly for the Shakespeare fan, as there are many references and Easter eggs in the script alluding to famous quotes and almost quotes and situations. And while there are bits of Shakespeare's language in the play, it's all accessible as it's more about the behind the scenes story!

Shakespeare in Love runs to July 19th, with shows at 7:30 pm and a 2 pm Sunday matinee. They have already had one Sold Out performance so I recommend buying your ticket sooner rather than later. The run also features a 2for1 night (Thurs, July 10) and a Pay-What-You-Can Night (Wed, July 16). Tickets are $25-27 and can be purchased here.