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. 

The Matchmaker of Montreal, straight.com – What I like about this article is that writer Colin Thomas gets to the point: “The play is empty. But a talented interpretive crew does its best.” It has a really good balance where Thomas explains what worked and what didn't. 

My Pregnant Brother, The Times Colonist – This review mostly made me jealous, since I've been wanting to see Johanna Nutter's one-woman show for years, but I did enjoy Michael D. Reid's review. Also, I can't help but be charmed by a review that mentions the two terrible movies where Arnold Schwarzenneger and Billy Crystal played pregnant men. 

Of a Monstrous Child: A Gaga Musical, The Grid – This could have been a tough production to review for someone who wasn't quite pop culture savvy, since many of the characters are Lady Gaga's influences. However, it sounds like Martin Morrow did his homework, leading to a short and succinct review packed full of information. 

An Accident, VueWeekly – Paul Blinov dumps you right in the middle of the action in this review, and manages to lay out the intriguing premise of An Accident in a way that truly grabs a reader. 

Of course, I haven't read all the reviews in Canada this week and I'm sure there are tons more that are wonderful. Feel free to share your favourite reads of the week in the comments below!