Multi-Media, January 18, 2013

The Abyss

C'Est la Vie begins its new season of podcasts

by Christian Baines

Sam is a young, newly single man on the brink of suicide. Jerry is a much older, long-married Ukrainian ex-pat who first urges him not to jump, but is soon tempted to follow. From their opposite ends of the spectrum, both are locked in a struggle to survive. Men teetering on the edge… get it? And that tagline is pretty indicative of the play itself. Long on familiar, ham-fisted clichés and short on emotional gravitas - and mercifully, duration.

C’Est La Vie Theatre has set itself an interesting challenge in podcasting plays without the aid of visuals. Such a task demands scripts that are absolutely clear in their setting and intent, with nary a line wasted. Jump is not one such script. In fact, it takes some time for it to become clear in this format exactly what Sam intends to do. By the time this emerges, Jerry is threatening to join him, and in truth, it’s hard to take either of their threats seriously.  The commitment and weight just isn’t there in either actor’s voice.

Fly On The Wall, January 18, 2013

On Superstition

I love the number 13.

by Jim Murchison

@JimMurchison

[ED: Today we introduce a new weekly column by our Editor-in-Chief in Ottawa.]

It struck me that many triskaidekaphobics will be wringing their hands expecting a full year of bad luck. They were counting on the Mayans to release them from the only year in the calendar of their lifetime where nothing good can possibly happen. Now, if you check in the dictionary there is no listing for triskaidekaphobic; only triskaidekaphobia, but I am taking the artistic license to assume that one that suffers from a phobia must be phobic. Having said that I am ready to proclaim myself a devout  triskaidekaphile. I love the number 13. While nothing bad has ever occurred to me on Friday the thirteenth, three of the greatest times I have ever had, happened on Friday the thirteenth. 

CharPo's Real Theatre! January 18, 2013

Review: (Ottawa) Bat Boy the Musical

Poster art

Whistling in the Dark

by Valerie Cardinal

After seeing Bat Boy The Musical, I tried to explain its basic premise to my mother, who asked me, “Can they actually make a good show out of that?” Yes, a production based on a 1992 Weekly World News story about a half-man half-bat creature found in a cave can be compelling!

In Bat Boy The Musical, the creature is found in a small hick town in West Virginia. He’s taken in, cared for and educated by the family of the local veterinarian, but his odd appearance and occasional bloodthirsty tendencies lead to some difficulty in being accepted by the suspicious townsfolk. 

Review: (Toronto) Doubt

Anne Shepherd and Maja Rakocevic.
Photo by Danielle Son. (company website)

I Have My Certainty
Strong performances overcome a few directorial issues

by Stuart Munro

@StuartMunroTO

Opening in 2004 to critical acclaim, John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt: A Parable went on to win both the Tony Award and Pultizer Price before being adapted into a major motion picture in 2008. With clout like that, it’s no wonder Bygone Theatre has chosen Doubt as its inaugural production. The production, while a tad uneven, is nonetheless able to showcase the strength of Shanley’s writing, and is an admirable start for this new company.

Picture of the Week, January 17, 2013

There is a a colour version of the photo by Emmanuelle Rousseau for Love Outlaws' production of The Good Thief, but we prefer this black and white rendition. The media highlights several things which - from David C. Jones' report from the front - tell the story more clearly: the rings under the undeniably handsome Shaun McComb's eyes are darker. But, so too is his hair and beard, the shadows and the line of the wall - which all add up to the composition of blacks and whites (due to the skewed angle and the washed whites) being even more interesting. 

The Album, January 17, 2013