Review: (Toronto) Tristan und Isolde

Melanie Diener and Ben Heppner (photo credit: Michael Cooper)

A Brilliant Distraction
Once again the star is the orchestra
by Shannon Christy

Peter Sellars’ production of Tristan Und Isolde is a bold attempt at something new. It takes Wagner’s idea that in the future there would be other, better, devices for conveying his ideas and runs with it. 
But before delving into that, credit is needed where it is due. Toronto is a gifted city with an awesome house for opera. Conductor Johannes Debus was able to take on the Everest of Operas with very short notice to pull off a flawless performance. He kept the pace, managing to give the performers the necessary lead without allowing them to drag things down. The music was outstanding.

The voices are incredible. This is especially true for Franz-Josef Selig who plays Marke, the King of Cornwall. His laments, his pleas, his anger, are like a heavy cream for the soul. His is a voice that awakens your demons and tells them to be on guard. Both Ben Heppner (Tristan), and Melanie Diener (Isolde), are wonderful but their performances though bright are but mere shadows compared to Mr. Selig’s.

Review: (Vancouver) I, Malvolio (PuSh)

(Photo credit: Bruce Dalzell Atherton)

Shakespeare Supporting Character Speaks

Funny and Tragic

by David C. Jones

Tim Crouch has created a series of five plays based on lesser characters in Shakespeare’s plays – Peaseblossom from A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Calaban from The Tempest, Cinna The Poet from Julius Caesar, Banquo from Macbeth and his most popular exposé is from Twelfth Night – I, Malvolio

Review: (Montreal) Innocence Lost

Jenny Young, Pippa Leslie and Joan Wiecha (photo credit: lucetg.com)

Cause Célèbre
Canada's awful justice
by Caitlin Murphy

In the tradition of The Laramie Project, Beverly Cooper’s Innocence Lost reminds us that there are certain crimes that don’t so much happen in towns, as to them.  The story of Steven Truscott – a 14 year-old boy falsely convicted of the rape and murder of 12 year-old, Lynne Harper – was certainly such a case, not only for the town of Clinton, but ultimately for the entire country.   Though Innocence Lost compassionately and adeptly chronicles the Truscott tragedy, I think it could have unearthed a little more beyond the facts to move us along the way.

Review: (Vancouver) The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart (PuSh)

(photo credit: Drew Farrell)

A wild night out in Scotland
An experience not to be missed
by Chris Lane

The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart isn’t exactly a play. It’s an experience. It’s a ballad. It’s a night out in a Scottish town. It’s a dance with the devil. It’s quite something, really.

Only in town for a few days, the cast and crew hail from the National Theatre of Scotland. Their unforgettable performance takes place in a ballroom, where the audience is seated at tables where you can enjoy a beer or two while watching. There is no stage for this show, as the performers move all around the room.

You can’t just sit back and watch this passively – the whole audience is in it together. You even have to help the cast make snow out of your napkins.

Multi-Media, February 1, 2013

Scare Tactics

The Woman in Black makes the journey from novel (to stage) to screen

by Gaëtan L. Charlebois

While preparing to write this review I went on a Google spree - where one link-item is fascinating enough to lead to others and then others and until you are on a looooong journey. I found out so much stuff!

The source material for The Woman in Black (on DVD, Blu-ray and in rotation on movie channels) is not the Stephen Mallatratt play but the original novel by Susan Hill. However, one wonders, would the movie have been made had not the play been a massive world-wide theatrical hit? It is still playing in London's West End after 24 years, it has received over a dozen professional and amateur productions across Canada and hundreds around the world. 

A Fly On The Wall, February 1, 2013

It Should Taste Good
by Jim Murchison 
@JimMurchison

It is said that the filthiest phrase ever uttered on fifties TV was, "Ward, weren't you a little rough on the Beaver last night?"  This was back in a day where the "Code" required that married couples were not to be filmed in the same bed together unless one of them had at least one foot on the floor and the word pregnant in a script would have it returned to the producers to provide an appropriate euphemism.

CharPo's Real Theatre! February 1, 2013