Review: (Ottawa) 8 Ways My Mother Was Conceived

Like A Virgin
by Valerie Cardinal

I heard a lot about Michaela Di Cesare’s 8 Ways My Mother Was Conceived on the Montreal Fringe circuit in 2011. I never got to see it, so I was excited to review it now, after it’s had a few years and a few more shows under its belt. 

8 Ways uses a quirky starting point to tell a unique and personal family story. According to family legend, Michaela’s mother was born of a virgin, much like Jesus. Throughout the play, Di Cesare explores the different possibilities surrounding her mother’s conception (spoiler alert: there are eight). Along the way, it becomes an exploration of four generations of women, and what womanhood means to each of them. 

Michaela Di Cesare definitely deserved a bigger opening night audience than she got at the Gladstone. She is a charming and charismatic performer as she quite literally puts herself in the shoes of multiple family members. However, she sometimes had trouble disappearing completely into the characters; conversations between family members occasionally became difficult to follow because there didn’t seem to be much of a switch.

Review: (Ottawa) Private Lives

                                                                                      (photo by Andrew Alexander)
Cowardy Custard
by Valerie Cardinal

Written in 1930, Noel Coward’s Private Lives is considered to be among the great drawing room plays along with Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Ernest. Despite being set between two world wars, its themes and text still resonate with a modern audience.

Divorced couple Elyot and Amanda find their respective honeymoons with new spouses ruined when they happen to be staying in neighbouring hotel rooms. This allows the pair to revisit the reasons they love each other – and the reasons they hate each other, of course.

Private Lives’ strength is in its cast, with everyone bringing their A-game. However, David Whiteley and Alix Sideris as divorced couple Elyot and Amanda really shine in their scenes together thanks to their obvious chemistry. Steve Martin wins the award for best facial expressions as Amanda’s bumbling and well-meaning new husband Victor. Martin has the ability to crack up an audience with only a single bewildered glance. Bronwyn Steinberg is a delight as Elyot’s new wife Sybil, who is the human incarnation of naïve femininity.

Review: (Ottawa) The Drawer Boy

Ending 100
by Valerie Cardinal

For the last show of its 100th season, The Ottawa Little Theatre picked Michael Healey’s The Drawer Boy, and it’s easy to see why from this production. The award-winning script is backed up by an impressive set, loving direction and solid acting. 

The Drawer Boy is set in 1972 and focuses on an actor, Miles, who ventures into the country to research farm life. He befriends Angus and Morgan, two farmers who appear to lead a simple life but are so much more beneath the surface. For starters, Angus has short-term memory loss after an accident during World War II left him with a brain injury. He’s good with numbers and can make a mean sandwich, but for everything else he depends on his friend Morgan – who may be hiding a thing or two about their past. 

Review: (Ottawa) The Merry Wives of Windsor

Left to right:  Geoff McBride, Simon Bradshaw, Katie Ryerson, Matthew John Lundvall, Melanie Karin, John Doucet (Photo credit:  Justin Van Leeuwen JVLPhoto)

Toonz From Inside the Buckbasket
by Valerie Cardinal

Grab your picnic blankets and lawn chairs; it’s Shakespeare in the park season! As far as family-friendly Shakespeare, A Company of Fools’ The Merry Wives of Windsor is sure to please all age groups with its Looney Tunes-style tone. 

Falstaff, a drunken fool, has fallen on hard times and attempts to seduce the wives of two rich men, Mistresses Page and Ford, in order to gain access to their money. However, when he sends them identical love letters, the women decide to have a little fun with him and get their revenge. 

Review Squared, June 4, 2013

Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens…

by Valerie Cardinal

@vscardinal

While doing research for my column this week, I ran into quite a few reviews that I loved. So, this week (as some of you might have guessed by the title) is all about my favorite things and what makes me love love love a review. Forget the editorial styles and restrictions of publications – this is about the writing, and only the writing. 

First of all, I love it when the tone of a review perfectly emulates the tone of the production. That way, readers get a hint as to what they’re in for if they decide to see the show. This week, I thought The Coast’s Kate Watson did just that in her review of Reefer Madness. The language and style Watson uses conveys the campy comedy aspects of the production. Also notable is Watson’s response to a comment that she highly recommends to many shows, which I thought was well put and something I agree with: “I have also determined that the word count in a capsule review (which is what my job entails) is too small to allow for an in-depth accounting of the pros and cons of a production, so I consciously choose to emphasize the positive.”

Review Squared, May 28, 2013

Vacation Week Round Up
by Valerie Cardinal
@vscardinal

There are many good theatre reviews out there this week. Well, there are good reviews out there any week, really – this is just the week I picked to do a short round up in this column. What makes me sad is that even though I'm in Montreal for the weekend, all the exciting summer theatre festivals don't start until the beginning of June. I am way too early for the Fringe Festival or the Festival TransAmérique. Reading this summer preview in the Montreal Gazette made me wish I could make a trip back in a few weeks. Alas, I cannot. Happily, this will be my first year at the Ottawa Fringe Festival, so there's that.

But back to this week's rundown, since I read quite a few reviews that made me wish I had the money and time to go city-hopping. 

Review Squared, May 21, 2013

My Mission Statement

Valerie Cardinal

@vscardinal

I’m taking a time out from my regular column this week to address comments I received on my last column. I feel the need to do this because these comments questioned the purpose of Review Squared. They also stated a discomfort with the tone of this column. I feel like I need to establish a mission statement of sorts, because it’s possible that Review Squared has gone off the rails a little.

Let me make it very clear that I am not trying to shame anyone. I respect all of my peers greatly, and many of the theatre critics I discuss were writing long before I was. Some of the Montreal-based writers especially are reviewers whose work I read before I started writing about theatre. 

Review Squared, May 7, 2013

The Goldilocks Conundrum

Valerie Cardinal

@vscardinal

Some time ago in this column, I discussed the issue of length of reviews. In the end, I concluded that reviews work in any length; it all depends on the production, the style of the review and the publication. However, there are times when reviews are just simply the wrong lengths. While I appreciate what each author was trying to do in the following reviews, I think they would benefit from switching review lengths, Freaky Friday-style. 

In the case of Anna Fuerstenberg’s review of Faust in The Rover, the issue is that it’s way too short to even give me a hint about the feel of the production. All I get from the review is that Faust is hysterical and I should go see it. However, not much is said about why it’s funny or why it’s not to be missed. 

Review Squared, April 30, 2013

Just Dance

Valerie Cardinal

@vscardinal

I wasn’t going to write about dance two weeks in a row, but I had to – these reviews were calling out to me from the arts pages of both national and B.C. publications. Plus, I’m a sucker for modernized adaptations of classics, especially those that switch up a central concept and make it feel plausible.

The classical ballet I’m talking about is Giselle, and the big switch involves the story’s central love triangle. In the original, Giselle finds out that her beau is actually a nobleman betrothed to another. In Ballet British Columbia’s version, Giselle’s lover, Albrecht, is actually in love with another man. 

The reviews are all mostly positive. Straight.com’s Janet Smith sets up the plot changes right away, opening with a descriptive paragraph that drops you right into the atmosphere of the production. “The curtain lifted to stark silence, an army of droidlike dancers in black suits lined up militarily….  Male dancers Connor Gnam and Gilbert Small crossed the stage to meet, took each other’s heads passionately in their grip, and locked lips.” Two other reviews I found, one in the Vancouver Sun and the other from the Globe and Mail, agree that this is the riskiest production Ballet British Columbia has put on this season. 

Review Squared, April 23, 2013

How to Review Dance

by Valerie Cardinal

@vscardinal

When I spend every weekend reading reviews, I can become jaded. However, there’s one type of review that I find endlessly fascinating. Those reviews of dance – and I’m fascinated because I don’t think I could ever write one. At least, not until I’ve seen a dozen more performances and internalized how to talk about it and interpret it. There’s a specific vocabulary and way of thinking that people seem to need to review dance. 

It can be a lot of fun to go to a dance show and then read a bunch of reviews of it after. Inevitably, someone will have a different interpretation of what you’ve seen, even more than in a straightforward theatrical performance. As a dance fan who doesn’t go to enough dance performances, I’d have a hard time knowing how to write about it. However, I like reading reviews written by other people. Often it seems like the writing is just as fluid as the dancing. 

Review: (Ottawa) Taming of the Shrew

Knights in White Satin

by Valerie Cardinal

@vscardinal

This is probably one of the more authentic stagings of Shakespeare I’ve seen. As in the 16th century, the cast is all male. Unlike that time, the director is a woman. Although I have certain qualms about Shakespeare’s script, Eleanor Crowder brings in a female perspective that is evident in how the material is dealt with. 

Taming of the Shrew centres on two sisters, the sweet and beautiful Bianca and the shrewish Kate. Their father decrees that Kate must be married before Bianca in order to fend off the younger daughter’s suitors. These suitors gather together to pay the visiting Petruchio to marry Kate – if he can tame her. Of course, since this is Shakespeare, mistaken identities and shenanigans ensue.

Review Squared, April 16, 2013

Review Roundup

by Valerie Cardinal

@vscardinal

Some people may tell you that theatre is a dying art, and that no one goes to see that stuff these days. I say they can be proved wrong by the sheer volume of theatre reviews across the web. Not only are print publications now putting their reviews online, but more and more theatre-related blogs like The Charlebois Post are popping up. Very often, the quality of writing is outstanding. Even though a lot of the reviews I read on a weekly basis are for productions taking place across the country, it’s still a pleasure to read a really well done review. I thought I’d round up the best reviews I’ve read this week, the ones that got me excited and made me wish that my teleportation device wasn’t still in the shop. Seriously, those sci-fi device repair shops sure do love to take their time. 

First up is Martin Morrow at the The Grid’s review of La Ronde and True West, Soulpepper’s current double bill. This short review gives an enticing, pithy summary of events that even fits the tone of both shows. Morrow describes La Ronde’s “aggressive staging” and one of the characters in True West as “deliciously sketchy”. As a former journalism student, I’m a big fan of economical and effective use of language, and this review has that in spades. 

Review Squared, April 2, 2013

Writing Yourself In
by Valerie Cardinal
@vscardinal

Last week, I touched a little bit on the issue of the writer including themselves in their reviews. This week, I’m going to dive right in. As I’ve stated in some of my previous columns, including some of your personal experience in reviews can be an effective technique to discuss a production. However, I get the feeling that some writers get caught up in that discussion and lose the plot – often, quite literally. 

Both of these examples come from one of my favourite Toronto-based theatre blogs, Mooney on Theatre. Both Wayne Leung’s review of Ching Chong Chinaman and George Perry’s critique of Gwen Powers heavily rely on their personal experiences. However, I feel that Leung succeeds where Perry falls flat. 

Review Squared, March 19, 2013

Theatrically Star-Struck 
by Valerie Cardinal
@vscardinal

Much like movies and television shows, theatre can be used as a vehicle for a particular personality. For example, the recent Broadway run of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof starring Scarlett Johansson. This can also apply on a local level, as shown by Ranee Lee’s starring role in The Mahalia Jackson Musical, now playing in Montreal. 

The Juno Award-winning Lee is a prominent jazz singer, and seems like the logical choice to play a soul queen at the turn of the civil rights movement. I was surprised to see how two different reviews handled this star vehicle. It’s understandable that much of their reviews focus on Ranee Lee, but when does a review cross into fangirling territory?

I found Pat Donnelly’s article in The Gazette to be well balanced. It gives equal weight to Lee’s singing, her two co-stars (both well-known in the Montreal scene in their own right) and the actual performance aspects. Meanwhile, I was disappointed by Byron Toben’s review for Rover Arts. I found his writing to be too referential and Lee-focused to give me an adequate read of the production. Both reviews do put the focus on Ranee Lee’s performance, but The Gazette does a better job of putting that performance in context. 

Review Squared, March 12, 2013

Delivering Good News and Bad News
by Valerie Cardinal
@vscardinal

When I set out to write my column this week, I already had an idea in mind. However, I’ll talk about that a little later. First, I need to talk about a gem I found while researching; this review of Ride the Cyclone, which just ended its run in Edmonton last weekend. 

The first line of Paul Blinov’s review grabbed my attention right away. “The rollercoaster, we're told, derailed at the peak of its loop, sending the six members of Uranium, Saskatchewan's teenage choir plummeting to their graves.” Now that’s how you open an article. I find that too few reviews pay enough attention to their openings. Since I have a soft spot for dark humour, I was immediately intrigued. Based on the rest of the review Blinov manages to capture the tone of the production perfectly with just one punchy sentence. 

With all kinds of madness apparently going down on stage, I like that Blinov still takes the time to compliment the show’s set design, costumes, writing and direction. 

Review: (Ottawa) Hroses

Nick Di Gaetano, Katie Swift ©Andrew Alexander

A HROSE by any other name
HROSES: An Affront to Reason is refreshingly different 

by Valerie Cardinal 

When HROSES: An Affront to Reason ended last night, I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to write. It’s shows like this that make my job more difficult because they’re so different from what I’m used to seeing. As I love challenging productions that leave me thinking and analyzing for hours after the lights go up, this is a good thing.

Review Squared, February 26, 2013

Let’s Agree to Disagree
by Valerie Cardinal
@vscardinal

A few weeks ago, I looked at how reviews can differ even if the authors have similar opinions. This week, how can two reviewers go to the same show and come out with completely opposing things to say about it?

The divisive production in question is Soulpepper Theatre’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead in Toronto. Tom Stoppard’s riff on Hamlet, featuring two of its bit-players, was first performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1966. It remains a classic, especially known by people my age due to its film adaptation in 1990. It’s so beloved within my circle of friends that I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve never actually seen it!

Staging a production of such a well-known play can be tricky, as shown by the following reviews. These critics saw the same show, presumably on the same night; Richard Ouzounian at The Star loved it, and Christopher Hoile at Stage Door wasn’t quite so keen.  

They do agree on a few elements, including the staging in the round, Dana Osborne’s Elizabethan costumes and Kevin Lamotte’s complimentary lighting. That is mostly where the similarities end. 

Review, Squared, February 19, 2013

Getting Lost in Translation

by Valerie Cardinal

@vscardinal

This week, I’m going back to my hometown: Montreal. One of the most remarkable things about the city is its bilingualism. Coincidentally enough, this is also one of the most remarkable things about me! 

The fact that Montreal has flourishing theatre scenes in French and English leads to all sorts of interesting crossovers. Many publications post reviews of French theatre in English and vice-versa, which I find fascinating. Even The Charlebois Post occasionally gets in on that action. It’s interesting to see how a production is interpreted outside of the language of its performance. Even though I’m sure these reviewers are perfectly bilingual like me, do things still get lost in translation?

Take the following reviews of Still Standing You, for example. One is from the English-language The Rover, while the other is from French-language MonThéâtre.qc.ca. What’s more Montreal than two-man experimental theatre that makes people laugh through making them uncomfortable?

Review Squared, February 12, 2013

When Commas Attack

Valerie Cardinal

@vscardinal

I’ll admit it; I’m a grammar freak. When I was in 7th grade, my English teacher would give us extra credit for finding grammatical errors in books and newspapers. These days, I still feel a little thrill whenever I find a mistake or misuse. This thrill is quickly followed by annoyance, which ends up taking me out of whatever I’m reading. 

This was my main problem when I read Meaghan Baxter’s review of Summer and Smoke on VueWeekly. The thing that struck me from the very first sentence was the overuse of commas. “How often do we hold back our true selves, allowing an incomplete version of our personas to be on display, while struggling against our doppelgänger, the other side itching to break free?” Whoa. Slow your roll, there. That’s a whole lot of sentence. 

Review: (Ottawa) Hip-Hop Shakespeare (undercurrents)

Gangsta Shakes

Bringing the Bard to life through modern music styles

Valerie Cardinal

@vscardinal

David Benedict Brown and Melanie Karin don’t look like your typical rappers. Brown is bald and wears a lime green headband, while Karin is a short white girl. But through Hip-Hop Shakespeare, both show that they can hold their own with the rhythmic musical style.