Those who self-destruct and those who try to help... Pretty Goblins at Workshop West...

I took in Pretty Goblins by Beth Graham presented by Workshop West Playwrights Theatre last night. It tells the tale of sisters, fraternal twins, Lizzie (Miranda Allen) and Laura (Nadien Chu), and their battle through life. One twin is wilder and self-destructive and an addict who cycles in and out of functional and dysfunctional existence. The other, calmer and more rational, but equally tortured as she is unable to 'save' her sister time and time again. It's told in flashback, and episodes, so we see how these two incredibly close children with the same parentage and opportunity can veer into vastly different adult lives. It's hard to leave the play without a discussion of nature vs. nurture as there are contributing factors from both. It's also hard not to leave the play with an incredible amount of empathy for those who have a self-destructive loved one in their lives. The struggle to support, and try to help after being pushed to the breaking point time and time again is heartbreaking.

This production has all the right components. It is skillfully and sensitively directed by Brian Dooley whose direction never confuses us as to where and when we are and which handles the gruesome parts honestly but with incredible respect for the script, actors and audience (there is one section that is particularly tough). The performances of Allen and Chu are layered and believable even as they zig-zag from past to past to present, and each has an evolution which feels inevitable but you wish wouldn't have to happen. Interestingly, I think that it's easy to imagine these actors in the other role, underscoring the nature vs. nurture discussion. The world that production designer Megan Koshka has created is both beautiful and ugly - depending on what it needs to be - a squalid room, a child's bedroom, a wedding reception...

Pretty Goblins runs to April 29 at the Backstage Theatre. Tickets can be purchased here.

More than tea and scones in Going to St. Ives...

Sometimes you completely have the wrong assumption about a play and you are wonderfully surprised when that is turned on its ear... That was me tonight at Going to St. Ives at the Varscona Theatre presented by Altas Theatre Company. I hadn't read too much going into the show so all I knew was that it was about two women meeting for tea. There was so much more.

The two women could not be more different. May N'Kame (Patricia Darbasie), the mother of a despotic African 'emperor', has come to England to receive eye surgery from Dr. Cora Gage (Belinda Cornish). Prior to the surgery Dr. Gage has something to ask of her patient - a favour. There are of course, complications and consequences to this request.

The script by Lee Blessing is wonderfully complex, and skillfully directed by Julien Arnold. Each of the women is brilliant and articulate and they each have a very good understanding of their world. They are however both somewhat prejudiced with how they see the other's world. Their cultural differences mean that each steps on the other's toes at times - sometimes deliberately and sometimes accidentally. Both Cornish and Darbasie give complex and layered performances. This is not their first time in these roles as the play was presented a few years ago with the same cast, and I think because of that they both really know these characters they are playing. There is a real investment from both of them and each has their moment of raw and exposed truth.

Beyond the performances, what I liked was that it challenged me and how I think about the world. I don't know if it gave real answers and solutions, but it certainly says that there aren't a lot of easy ones out there.

Going to St. Ives runs to April 14 at the Varscona Theatre. Click here for tickets.

Going Undercover with Spontaneous Theatre at the Citadel...

It's really fun watching a murder mystery when even the actors onstage don't know how it will be solved... solving it is almost entirely up to an audience member turned Rookie Detective (on our night - Jason, a trainer at a tech company), who is brought into the story and who literally guides the investigation.

The first act is primarily the set-up. The cast (six gifted improvisers playing multiple roles) meet for a private art auction (the rookie detective is sent in 'undercover' for police business) in a remote country home. There are obvious tensions between certain characters, conversations to be overheard, snooping to be done, and clues discovered, and then... there's a theft and a murder! The second act is where the rookie detective must lead the investigation - they choose who to question, which rooms to explore, what questions to ask and inevitably reveal 'who done it'.

For the rest of the audience, it's like watching a person solve an escape room, and even when they miss important clues it's hilariously fascinating. A smugness when you see or notice something they didn't and lots of laughs when they do something totally unexpected and you watch as the group of six gifted improvisers literally make it up on the spot to deal with what's thrown at them.

Now, our guy didn't get it right - he got part of it, but not all of it - but it was sure fun watching him and the cast. My husband was very happy, because apparently he did solve it (he saw a lot more than I did), and even though he 'knows what happened', he's heading back with our son this weekend to watch it again with a new rookie detective. He's hoping he'll get to see some of the scenes we missed out on the first time and he wants to see if our son can solve it.

Undercover runs to April 29 at the Citadel Theatre. Click here for tickets.

A couple of plays about women getting fed up with what other people want them to be...

You wouldn't think there would be much in common between SLUT at Northern Light Theatre and Blue Stockings at Walterdale Theatre, but at their core they really deal with the same thing - people telling women what they can and can't do and those women pushing back. 

SLUT tells the tale of Matilda whose sexual activity has gotten her into some undeserved hot water due to the judgement of her neighbours. Matilda, played by the facile Michelle Todd, is in a situation she's unprepared for. The situation itself is laugh-producing and Todd's retelling of the circumstances that have led up to it is wonderful. In addition to Matilda, she deftly conjures a handful of other characters who help tell the story. Layered under it all is a conversation we likely never have (but should) about differing expectations for women and men in sexual relationships, or rather about presumptions (incorrect ones) about those differing expectations. It's not gratuitous - it's funny, smart and human. I really liked Matilda and her honesty about where sex fits into her life, and I like the softness of her in contrast to her bold outfit. The lights (designed by Beth Dart) are like another character in the play, commenting and maybe even judging a little - It lights could wink or roll their eyes, this is what it would look like. 

SLUT runs to April 14th at the Studio Theatre at Fringe Theatre Adventures. Click here for tickets.

Blue Stockings at Walterdale (full disclosure: I worked on the show as Mentor Director) is about women seeking educational equality in England at the turn of the century. It too is layered with assumptions about what women want and need and articulates the complexity of what the reality is. It also has humorous moments, primarily when we are confronted with the rhetoric of the age in contrast to our modern day beliefs (the theory of the wandering uterus always makes me laugh - where is it now? in my throat? In my armpit?!). Sadly, there are still people in the world (even in our own country) who still adhere to some of this outdated thinking. It's well worth checking this show out to see how far we've come, and to reflect on how far might still need to go. 

Blue Stockings runs to April 14th at the Walterdale Theatre. Click here for tickets.

Betroffenheit - So. Good. So. Incredibly. Good.

There's something so wonderful about seeing a show that not only lives up to the hype but actually exceeds it. I see A LOT of theatre. I can't tell you the number of times a show has been described to me as "awesome" or "amazing" or "incredible"... I've likely overused those words myself...

When I went to Betroffenheit I was hopeful for a good solid show, what I saw was awesome, amazing, incredible and so much more than I expected. It's hard to describe as it's really a show about a state of being - the state of being after an incredible loss or trauma - and the cycle of trying to get through that and be normal and perhaps the realization that normal will never be normal again. Capturing that seems like an impossible task but somehow they have. The execution is so incredibly precise you feel like like what you are watching can't possibly be live - but. it. is. And while so precise, the performers are also at all times 100% present - nothing feels false - it's surreal in many ways, but always right there in a very honest and real way.

I could talk about the incredible physical ability of all of the 6 performers - it's mind-blowing. I could talk about the incredible choreography that communicates so much bot emotionally and physically. I could talk about the super-human way they move around the stage - are they coated in teflon? I could talk about how they flawlessly use a voice recording as a score and how the merest movement of a finger communicates so much. I could talk about the incredible lighting and use of set in a way that made both feel alive themselves.

Really, you just have to go see it. And then when you next see me, just say "Betroffenheit" and we will nod at each other and say, "yeah... "

Betroffenheit has only 2 more performances - Saturday, March 31st at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 1st at 2:00 p.m. Click here for tickets.

Getting back into life after a month of conferences...

I know it may not seem like it, but I actually have seen quite a bit of theatre this past month. However, between the shows and the fact that I have spent the past three weekends at conferences (Women's Directing Intensive with Carey Perloff (Banff), imedia (Edmonton), and Community Theatre Summit (Banff)) that I haven't had much time to blog about it all... 

So, this month I saw:

Children of God at the Citadel - A musical about the impacts of the residential school system focusing on one family: a daughter lost, a son damaged and a mother who had no choices at the time but who is trying to help them heal. The music was gorgeous and the production honest and heart-breaking and it ended with one of the most magical moments of hope and invitation that I have ever experienced. It's gone now to WCT in Kamloops. 

Blood of Our Soil by Pyretic Productions - Built from testimonials and personal investigation, this show told about the history of the Ukraine from the perspective of a young Canadian women reflecting on her relationship with her now deceased grandmother. In a way it was two plays in one as the first act was very different from the second in how it told it's story. It was a compelling piece that certainly exposed me to world history I was unaware of. 

Romeo Initiative at Skirts AFire - Did you know that in post war Germany the East Germans cultivated men to romance West German office workers to gather intelligence? I didn't, but now I do. The play was fascinating with it's twists and turns and it demonstrated the complexity involved when romance is combined with espionage. 

Outside Mullingar at Shadow Theatre - A very Irish play about two misfits who live next door but who should definitely be together. Funny, charming and sweet. 

The Ladies Foursome at the Mayfield - Following the death of one of their friends, 4 women play their traditional weekly game of golf. There are many laughs and secrets revealed. Not Norm Foster's best script but a quartet of solid actors lifts it up. 

Do This in Memory of Me at Northern Light Theatre and L'Uni Theatre - Such a great show - great script, terrific trio of actors and excellent direction. Of course I might be biased because I hit a lot of the markers having been raised Catholic with hockey playing brothers. This was funny and sad, and tackled gender roles, and the power of prayer, with whimsy and magic. 

Poison by Wildside Productions at Theatre Network - An estranged couple reunites at the cemetery 9 years after the death of their son. This was a challenging piece - the first third a little uneventful but it picks up and then the last third was very compelling. The acting was strong, but the script itself challenging. Perhaps it's the nature of a translation. 

Anyhow, it looks like a lot to me! 

I am heading into the next month looking forward to seeing:

Betroffenheit (Citadel)

Cleave (Tiny Bear Claws)

Blue Stockings (Walterdale)

Undercover (Citadel)

Slut (NLT)

Going to St. Ives (Atlas - Varscona)

The Silver Arrow (Citadel)

All Shook Up (Mayfield)

There will be more... I just haven't gotten my list yet! 

You can always count on CITY OF ANGELS for a great night of musical theatre!

I had the chance to take in City of Angels at Grant MacEwan University (in the new Triffo Theatre) on Tuesday night. It was World Theatre Day so it seemed appropriate to see a show! City of Angels is one of my favourite shows which has several roles that I would personally love to play (I've aged out of a couple of them... but I could still play Donna/Oolie!!). Anyhow, I love the Cy Coleman score and the concept of the show which plays on film noir and Hollywood tropes. 

Set in Hollywood in the 1940’s the show follows Stine (Joshua Travnik), a young novelist attempting a screenplay of his bestselling novel for movie producer Buddy (Austin From). This is intercut with a film noir enactment of the film in progress which tells the story of detective Stone (Anthony Hurst) and his search for a missing girl. Travnik and Hurst are terrific vocalists and actors and they do an excellent job of capturing the style required for each of their worlds. They both hold their own onstage and the Act One closing duet, "Your're Nothing Without Me" is really outstanding  From plays Buddy with an appropriate bluster and roughness and doesn't shy away from the unlikable qualities of his character which makes for a lot of fun. 

The Director Leigh Rivenbark chose to not do the traditional doubling casting where actors play parallel characters in the 'real' world and the 'film'. I wasn't sure how this would work, but it did for the most part. It certainly allowed the production to showcase the talents of more of the class. It would have been nice to see a little more matching of the roles, however, if only for the audience to understand that Bobbi (Daniela Fernandez) & Gabby (Isabella King) and that Carla (Amalia Gonzalez Chovanec) & Alaura (Chariz Faulmino) are parallel characters. It's clearer with Donna (Kendra Humphrey) and Oolie (Jaclyn Kucey) because their song connects them. In this group of powerhouse women, there are no weak links. Faulmino plays her role with attack and sass and despite her small stature she has a huge voice. Fernandez has a appropriate level of brokenness and the duet of "With Every Breath I Take" between her and Hurst is the best I have ever heard. King brings intelligence to her role that makes you understand why Stone loves her and needs her. Humprey and Kucey play their 'Girl Friday' roles with a nice contrast and they each add their own tone to "You Can Always Count on Me" (however, I was hoping that with the role split there was a way to bring Oolie back for the end of the song... I know, I know... it's not written that way...).

I must also give kudos to the set design (Robyn Ayles) and how it's used. As the show flips back and forth from scene to scene much like a movie does, this production uses shadows, projection and a revolve in addition to hidden doors and a truck to make those switches as fast as they need to be. They do an excellent job at the film reel atmosphere really lends itself to creating the world. Costume designer Megan Koshka has also helped with the black and white aesthetic (right down to the black lipstick) in the movie vs. the Technicolor feel of 40's Hollywood. The ensemble also commits completely to whichever world they're in and you can tell they enjoy embracing the accents and attitudes. 

Anyhow, the show runs two more nights until March 31st. It's a fun show with wonderful music and if you like that Hollywood glamour and a hard-boiled detective story, I encourage you to check it out!

Click here for tickets.