Review: (Toronto) Spamalot

(photo by Seanna Kennedy)

A Frolicking Goodtime
by Max Gorokhovski
@MaxGorokhovski

Spamalot is the adaptation of Monty Python's The Holy Grail, if you have never seen it, you definitely should. The Lower Ossington Theatre's interpretation has you fully engulfed in carefree merriment, the next minute you will be back in your seat fully aware that you are watching a play as the folding chair cuts blood flow to your leg. This is because while the troupe is extremely comfortable with the song and dance numbers, they make the dialogue seem like more of a burden.

Review: (Toronto / Theatre) The Sound of Music

(photo by Seanna Kennedy)

How do You Solve a Problem Like This?
The LOT’s new Sound of Music feels like climbing uphill
by Stuart Munro
@StuartMunroTO

Staircases on mountains. Grapevining nuns. The Lower Ossington’s new production of  Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music certainly is an interesting take on a well-loved classic.

Let me start off by saying something controversial – The Sound of Music is not a very good show. When it opened on Broadway in 1959, its simple, perhaps overly-sweet story was met with mixed reviews. Even my mother found it too sentimental when she saw it in London in the 1960s. It’s because of the successful 1965 film version that The Sound of Music has entered our public consciousness as one of the Great Musicals of Our Time. Had the movie not been toned down the way it had, I’m not sure this would have been the case. As a result, any new production must contend with the less-than-perfect book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse and attempt to find the real heart of the story buried beneath all those layers of sentimentality.

Sadly, The Lower Ossington Theatre hasn’t accomplished this. It hasn’t even tried. Their newest production, currently running at the Randolph Theatre, is so confused and overworked that no sense of story comes through at all.

Review: (Toronto) Cabaret

(photo: Seanna Kennedy)

Kander and Ebb classic is a wilkommen addition to the LOT’s repertoire.
Occasionally misplaced excess won’t spoil your evening at this Cabaret.
by Christian Baines

Full disclosure before we begin. I really can’t overstate my personal affection for Cabaret, which has been my favourite musical for almost as long as I’ve loved the form. Kander and Ebb’s songs are timeless, Christopher Isherwood’s unforgettable characters engage us immediately, and the plot’s modular structure (based as it is on a collection of short stories) allows plenty of room for a unique take on it every time. 

Those qualities have secured Cabaret an enduring popularity with young audiences fascinated by Isherwood’s Berlin. If the energy of this production at Lower Ossington Theatre (LOT) is any indication, Cabaret has many more long and happy years ahead of it.

Review: (Toronto) Little Shop of Horrors

(photo by Seanna Kennedy)

For a Good Time Call: Little Shop of Horrors 
by Keely Kwok 
@kowkles

Little Shop of Horrors is a fun, quirky musical about a bumbling, lovesick fella named Seymour Krelborn who works in a ramshackle of a flower shop on Skid Row. One day Seymour (Mark Willett)  brings a mysterious plant to the shop and calls it Audrey II (after his not-so-secret crush on the shop’s assistant). Audrey II, or Twoey, is unlike anything anyone has ever seen and suddenly business is booming! The only problem is, Audrey II has a rather peculiar diet… human flesh and blood. 

The Lower Ossington Theatre definitely delivers an entertaining, upbeat performance with a talented cast whose vocals hit you all the way in the back row. And it was a tough crowd. A lot of laugh lines didn’t receive a single chuckle but the cast rolled with it. And finally the sleazy Orin (Ryan Jeffrey), worked the room during his song Dentist! and the audience came round. I mean, who can resist that rock and roll, slightly psychotic charm?

Review: (Toronto) The Woman in Black

(photo by Seanna Kennedy)

To my horror, what appeared?
Woman in Black receives strong presentation
by Jason Booker

The Woman in Black, an adaptation by Stephen Mallatratt of Susan Hill’s novel, remains one of the longest running plays in London to this day. With only three actors in the show and a minimum of set and costume, it must be a simple show to run. Especially if the audience doesn’t yet know the twist – which isn’t contained in the recent Daniel Radcliffe film, nor the original book.

The play opens with a frame for the story to come: an extended dialogue between Mr. Kipps, who has written down his ghost story and wishes to exorcise it from his psyche in front of an audience of friends and family, and the actor/director whom he has hired to advise him on how best to spin the yarn. Unfortunately, there are only so many times that an audience can tolerate being vaguely told that a play is horrifying before simply wanting to scream get on with it. But that is a quibble with Mallatratt’s overwritten script, which takes a while to get started, uses a few too many words – particularly ones that are too eloquent – and which may have benefited from compression into one 90 minute act.

Review: (Toronto) Shrek

Passable Shrek Misses the Point
Visually splendid show pitches firmly to kids, selling its assets woefully short
by Christian Baines
@XtianBaines

Shrek is one of those movie-turned-musical concepts that really makes sense. A big, brash, funny and self-aware take on traditional fairy tales, balanced by just the right sense of lyrical whimsy. But does a musical treatment do anything to enhance the story of Shrek?

Review: (Toronto) Next to Normal

(photo by Seanna Kennedy)

Music in Your Head
by Winna Tse

Have you ever wondered what it’d be like to live a normal life? That begs the question, what is normal? Next to Normal is a musical drama brought to us by The Lower Ossington Theatre that tells a story of a mother, Diana Goodman, who struggles with bipolar disorder and the effect her disorder has on her family. I was skeptical of how effective it would be to convey such a subject through a lively musical but in the end, I can only heap praise. Initially, the volume and lighting production is overwhelming as I find it difficult to concentrate when so many things are happening at once. However, I gradually realize that this is the point.

Review: (Toronto) Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story

Oh, Boy!
The Lower Ossington Theatre’s Buddy hits all the right notes
by Stuart Munro
@StuartMunroTO
[This article has been corrected]

About a third of the way into the first act of Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, Buddy and the Crickets enter Norman Petty’s recording studio for a whirlwind recording session. At this point, what had started out as a slightly underpowered and oddly-paced production really finds its steam, and Buddy rocks on through the rest of the evening, giving the audience a night to remember.

Buddy tells the story of the rise to fame and sudden, tragic death of Buddy Holly. Using a catalogue of his music (including “Oh, Boy!,” “Peggy Sue,” “That’ll Be the Day,” and others), along with other late-50’s rock, the show whisks us through Buddy Holly’s all-too brief, two-year career. The plot is a bit thin – the focus is clearly on the music – but that’s really OK because, I’m happy to say, the LOT has finally started using live music in its productions! I suspect it’s just for this show, but it was very welcome.

Sunday Feature: Cassie Muise Inside Avenue Q

Sucks to be us, but not when we’re together…
Behind the scenes with a monster and a slut
by Cassie Muise 
(photos via Facebook)

Editor's Note: Due to an unintentionally misleading price point, it should be noted that the average price of the ticket is actually significantly lower than what was listed in this article ($60). While intended to highlight the difficult position of artists in the city, its inaccuracy should be noted so as to not compromise the reader's opinion of the Lower Ossington Theatre.

When CharPo offered me the opportunity to write about life on Avenue Q, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to. I came late to this production, opening this re-mount with the cast on December 13, 2012. The show, however, has been running for over a year (although not throughout), and to this date has had over 120 shows, to full houses. Even with snowmaggedon  (which, let’s be honest, wasn’t that bad), the house was still about half full. It is currently the longest running production in Toronto. 

So what’s it like, living with puppets? The simple answer is, it’s a joy. In Avenue Q, I play Kate Monster – the sweet, hardworking, feisty muppet-esque character – and Lucy the Slut. Her name says it all, really. Rarely in a show do you get to play the good girl and the bad girl. Switching back and forth between the characters, occasionally in the same scene, has been as rewarding as it is challenging. Avenue Q has offered me the opportunity to work with an amazing cast and creative team (all of whom are young, emerging artists), to dabble in puppetry (an incredible medium whose complexity is undervalued), and be in front of wonderful, welcoming audiences (getting recognized around Toronto is nice, even when it’s at hot yoga and my shins are sweating).

Review: (Toronto) The Marvelous Wonderettes

Poster art

Mr. Sandman, Bring Me a Dream
These Wonderettes truly are Marvelous!
by Stuart Munro
@StuartMunroTO

It’s 1958, and you’re in for a treat – The Marvelous Wonderettes are here to sing for your Senior Prom! Four lovely ladies grace the stage of the Lower Ossington Theatre’s cabaret space and transport the audience back in time to celebrate the girl groups of the 50s and 60s. The plot is thin, but that’s not really the point. The evening is light, entertaining, and filled with wonderful music.