I'm always very happy to see an excellent show - isn't everyone? - but it's a particularly great feeling to kick of a season with two excellent shows back to back!
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| Marc J. Chalifoux Photography |
Most recently, and still onstage, I saw
Yaga by Kat Sandler and directed by new Artistic Director Lana Michelle Hughes at
Shadow Theatre. I went in kind of blind as I didn't really know the Yaga reference (
my son asked if it was about the woman who had a cabin in the woods on chicken legs - and it sort of is, but I had no idea going in what that meant; my husband referenced John Wick movies - and the play does too briefly). Anyhow, the mythology of Yaga, or Baba Yaga, is all explained creatively throughout the play so I was good. The show itself melds police thriller with fairy tale and cautionary tale and seems quite fitted for our current world.
It's scary and funny and the ride is wild! I was invested from start to finish and was never quite sure what was coming next, but I sure wanted to know!
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| Marc J. Chalifoux Photography |
There's a few reasons why this show worked so well. First, the script is really well written. Three actors play all the characters and this helps with the unknowns and the unwrapping of what's going on. You can see why the play is being adapted for a TV series (which I definitely will be watching) - smart, sharp modern dialogue that drives the action. Second, the direction is so tight. Transitions that clip and never slow things down and often add to the dramatic tension. Third, the cast of three (N Girgis, Emily Howard and Maxwell Vesely) are so connected and all three are able to flip from character to character fluidly. They work so well with each other and with the text and they are also able to be both smart and funny. Finally, the world created is perfect - such a gorgeous and unexpectedly dynamic set (cm zuby), highlighted with dramatic lighting and smoke effects (Even Gilchrist), a chilling and creepy soundscape (Chris Scott), and costumes that perfectly define who those characters are (Kat Evans). I say you should definitely check this out! Shadow Theatre has set the bar high for this season and all the shows that will follow!
Yaga runs to November 1st with tickets running from $25-40. There are also PWYC and Two for One Nights. You can purchase tickets here.
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| Nanc Price |
Earlier in the fall, I caught
Murder on the Orient Express at the
Citadel Theatre. It's run is finished and I am sorry you won't be able to catch it. I believe they had a sold out final week of their run, so it might have been hard to grad tickets anyhow. It's was also excellent. The show was a co-production and because they had a run in Winnipeg, they were a tight, well-oiled machine. The production was also very well done. The script scaled down the number of potential murderers on the train, but on a stage and a very cool set, it still felt like there were a lot of people with motives and secrets and large personalities. Alex Pochin-Goldin was the perfect Hercule Poirot, and
the cast and production as a whole captured the required atmosphere for the Agatha Christie classic. I really loved Brian Perchaliuk's set since the Orient Express must have it's own personality in the story, and this world was certainly well thought out and magical. Director Kelly Thornton kept the pace brisk and the secrets well hidden until just the right time! A thoroughly enjoyable theatre experience!
Tonight I am headed to Walterdale Theatre for the first show in their season. It's a sequel to Shakespeare's
Taming of the Shrew called
The Tamer Tamed. Written in the age of Shakespeare by John Fletcher, the script has been adapted by Anne Marie Szucs and Joyanne Rudiak for the company. I'm looking forward to seeing how Petruchio's new wife, Maria, manages to tame him!
The Tamer Tamed runs to October 24th with tickets $25-30 and they also have a PWYC night coming up. You can get your tickets here.
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