The Vid, December 5, 2012

It's the show everyone is talking about. It's been extended to December 16. Everyone suspects it will figure on a lot of top-ten lists for 2012. And we've reviewed it...twice.

It's Terminus.

(Read our SummerWorks review. Read our review for the latest remount.)

After Dark, December 4, 2012

The Terrible Twos

We celebrate and look to the future

by Gaëtan L. Charlebois

On November 30, The Charlebois Post celebrated its second anniversary. Since Estelle Rosen and I launched a little local blog in Montreal, we have grown to three active websites, two in test stage and probably a sixth and seventh to come. We have 30 regular contributors (reviewers, profile writers, interviewers), over 100 artists and theatre people who have contributed to the sites, and have published thousands of items. Each day our sites receive hundreds of visitors and over a thousand pages are viewed. 

And we at CharPo are all, to a person, volunteers. Some of us have contributed money to cover the expenses and all have worked hard to keep the sites hopping with activity. 

Now we are exploring options for expansion and as we do are trying to take into account the kindness of our contributors and to reward them. The reason for this is simple: most of our writers are or have become some of the finest commentators and theatre writers in the country and we'd like to hang on to them. I have already had several of them ask me to write references for them and although I am exuberant in my praise, I am heart-broken to see them move on.

The Show, December 3, 2012

(photo by Jason Strang)

In their blog, Old Trout Puppet Workshop asked the public to help them create their new work, but in a footnote was this: "We’ll take all the credit, and make all the profits, just so you know up front. And there’s no guarantee that your idea will make it into the show – even if everybody in the world can tell it’s a way better idea than we ended up using – we’ll make the final decisions. After all, we’ll be the poor bastards actually making the puppets and spending the money. You have to contribute for the love of it, or not at all." 

This is precisely the kind of surprising and gently mordant humour evident in the work that arose from the consult: Ignorance. Behind the ha-ha, though, there is depth and our reviewer, Stuart Munro, spotted it when he concluded, "There are more serious moments to be sure and even (dare I say it?) pathos. But make no mistake, the absurdity of Ignorance’s narration and the skill of its performers will leave you smiling and in awe of just how much can be done with so little. Anyone looking for a different but spectacular night out at the theatre would do well to head down to Berkeley St." (Read all of Stuart Munro's review)

Review: Les 3 exils de Christian E

(photo credit: Nicola-Frank Vachon)

Me, Myself and I
by Shannon Christy
@schristy79

In this play, one guy alone on the stage successfully draws you into his world and shows you your own.

Les 3 exils de Christian E. is a one man show actually based on the experiences of actor Christian Essiambre and his own exiles: from his family, his old job and professional environment, and his past. 

This is a travelogue of a recently arrived immigrant from McKendrick, New Brunswick to Montreal. It develops as an introspection about the choices made when leaving the stability of a small town to try to make it in the big city, Montreal, and failing… and it is also a mystery and a family drama.  With all this at hand, it would be easy to assume that it is way too much for one man to handle but Christian Essiambre’s energy makes for a remarkable show and with humour to boot.

The Story: Matt Gorman on Cart/Horse

Matthew Gorman in Rum and Vodka

Remember...Everything
Actor, Audience, Story is the tag line we’ve chosen to define our mandate.
by Matthew Gorman
(all photos by Scott Gorman)

We’re a very old fashioned theatre company made up of very old fashioned people. We have very simple tastes, and unfortunately, simple tastes are the hardest to satisfy. When you’ve had the best scotch in the world, it’s hard to get that flavour to leave your memory. As soon as you catch a hint of that smell your mouth waters as you remember not just the taste, but the experience of having that glass. You remember the people you were with, the coziness of the pub, the conversations. When I think of the best plays I’ve ever seen, I think of the whole night, I remember the atmosphere, the collective experience. I remember the story I was told, that feeling that comes from being invited into someone’s life for an evening.

This is what I wanted to create with Cart/Horse.

The plays we’ve chosen to produce have all been deceptively simple. A simple setting or premise. But there’s always much more going on once you enter the room. Like that cozy pub, once you’re inside you get to see the people around you for what they really are, with nothing hidden.

Actor, Audience, Story is the tag line we’ve chosen to define our mandate. Challenge the actor, trust them with difficult material and push them to invest in the work. Invite the audience in, talk to them, not at them. The audience is part of the company, not its customers. Tell a good story, don’t sugarcoat and don’t hide away from difficult truths.

First Person: Aria Umezawa on Opera Eats

Ready, Set, Taste!
Opera Five Serves Up a Tasty Opera

by Aria Umezawa

Three shows. Three courses. One evening you’ll never forget! 

Introducing Opera Eats, an evening of three one-act operas tantalizingly paired with a mouth-watering three-course meal. Presented by Opera Five, this is the first opera series of its kind to feature a unique Five Sense Experience to indulge your appetite. Opera Five’s sensory experience will thrill and charm you in unexpected and exciting ways. Get ready to taste some of the most beautiful performances you’ve ever seen or heard! 

Theatre For Thought, December 1, 2012

THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST END
joel fishbane

Stop me if you’ve heard this one. A Producer, a Marketer and a Quantitive Analyst walk into a bar. “I want to produce a hit show,” says the Producer. “No problem,” says the Marketer. “We just need to take a known product that appeals to children while touching the nostalgia lurking within all middle class adults.” The Quant promptly crunches some numbers. “You’ve got a choice,” she says. “You can produce a musical based on Alice in Wonderland or The Wizard of Oz.” The Producer thinks about it. “Musicals based on Alice in Wonderland have never worked,” he says. “And best of all, The Wizard of Oz is already written.”

Flash forward a few months and we have Andrew Lloyd Webber’s adaptation of the famous 1939 MGM musical of what happens when a girl from Kansas realizes she’s definitely not in Kansas anymore. The show hits Toronto in a few weeks and while I’m usually pretty open-minded when it comes to theatre, I’m having trouble finding anything redeeming to say about this production. At the risk of hyperbole, it strikes me as the greatest evil to appear on stage since Mephistopheles first graced us in the inaugural production of Faust. 

Review: Snow White

Deliciously Dopey and Delightfully Good
Ross Petty’s Snow White has a little bit of something for everyone
by Stuart Munro

Now in their 17th year, the Ross Petty Pantos have become something of a holiday tradition here in Toronto, and it's no wonder – these high-energy productions have managed to thrill and delight audiences of all ages for close to two decades, and last night’s opening of Snow White: The Deliciously Dopey Family Musical was no exception. That rare blend of just right for the kids but oh-so-vulgar for the adults make this an evening everyone can enjoy.

The Panto tradition is an import from England where it is a holiday staple. A classic, well known story is mixed with contemporary music and jokes, and headlined by a few well known names to create an unforgettable night out for the family. The plot of the original story tends to be little more than a jumping off point, as is evident here. Seven Dwarves? Who needs ‘em?! This year we have Snow White and 007! 

CharPo's Real Theatre! November 30, 2012

Review: Binti's Journey

L-R: Ijeoma Emesowum, Sodienye Waboso, Allison Edwards-Crew, 

Thomas Olajide (Photo: Greg Edwards)

The Untainted Heart
by Gregory W. Bunker

Binti’s Journey is a journey worth taking, young or old. The story is set in present-day Malawi and is centred on the changes 13-year-old Binti endures after losing her father, her only surviving parent, to AIDS. Based on the young adult book The Heaven Shop by internationally acclaimed Canadian author Deborah Ellis, and produced by Theatre Direct at the Young People’s Theatre, you might be forgiven if you’d think such a play was only for youth. And in the beginning, the slight overdramatization suggests this. Certainly, young people have the most to gain from seeing the play—it is, after all, about the multi-faceted and far-reaching consequences of HIV/AIDS on the individual, family, community, and our generation at large. But this play is so well-crafted, and its message of HIV/AIDS awareness so well-delivered, that anyone who sees it will find it to be an entertaining, thought-provoking piece that educates in the best kind of way.

The Still, November 29, 2012

What's not to like in this portrait by Jason Strang of one of the puppets from Old Trout's Ignorance at Canadian Stage.

(Read our review)

Review: Ignorance

(photo credit: Jason Strang Photography)

Ignorance is Bliss
The Old Trout Puppet Workshop amazes with its new production

by Stuart Munro

What is happiness? Is it really just a simple matter of winning or losing? These questions, and some slightly more complex ones related to them, are purportedly the subject matter of Ignorance, the new piece by the Old Trout Puppet Workshop, now playing at Canadian Stage’s Berkeley Street Theatre. Created by the Workshop, Ignorance also received input from anonymous contributors via the company’s website during its development, resulting in a uniquely collaborative piece.

In a Word...Erin Brandenberg on BOBLO

Audiences seem to respond to our work, but it seems to be more of a personal connection.

by Christopher Douglas

Erin Brandenburg, creator of festival hits like Reesor, Pelee and Petrichor, ventures into a new direction with her latest piece, BOBLO. Co-created with her partner, Andrew Penner of The Sunparlor Players, BOBLO plays for the next two weeks at The Great Hall Black Box Theatre. Inspired by personal memories and collected stories about the Bob-Lo Island Amusement Park, their collective, Kitchenband, has created a unique way to take an audience back in time while staying in the present, to pay tribute to a place that is gone but not forgotten through songs and remembrances, photos and field recordings. When asked about how this ghost story came to life, Erin had a few things to say.

CHARPO: Shows seem to require an awfully long workshop period these days. How do you feel about the years it can sometimes take to have a fully realized performance before a paying audience?

BRANDENBURG: This is the first show we've developed in this way – with a two year period dedicated to development before presenting it as a co-production with The Theatre Centre. Having the time to experiment and try out ideas, or even having the time to really delve into an idea and throw it out if it doesn't work, has been really important for this project. But it’s also a challenge to sustain the creative drive over such a long time period. With this show, I don't think we could have done it in a shorter time period - we were really fortunate to have a residency at The Theatre Centre to allow for that time.

The Vid, November 28, 2012

Teaser for Ordinary Days. The production, now playing Winnipeg, is on its way to the city. 

(Read Joel Fishbane's preview of the production)

After Dark, November 27, 2012

Lemons, Lemonade and The Sour Taste That Stays

Dutchman hangs around for a bit

by Gaëtan L. Charlebois

I have invited the contributors at CharPo to, when the mood strikes them, write what we are going to call "Reconsidered". The idea is that, after thinking about it, many people will revise opinions about a work of art. We come out of a play with friends, we go to a café, and over the carrot cake we parse what we have just seen. The others put ideas into our head, we into theirs and then - hours, days, weeks later - we are hit by a new idea about the show. Those ideas remain largely unexpressed. However, I feel they form the foundations of future considerations not just of the piece seen but of the art itself.

The "Reconsidered" pieces will not be, "I thought it was shit, but now I think it's great!" - though that's okay too. It will be along the lines of a comment a colleague made last year when he was considering his top ten for the end of the year. He said that the plays that he was remembering for his list were, more often than not, the ones he had not raved about.