Many Canadian playwrights owe so, so much to the Blyth Festival. It is a rarity: showcasing Canadian theatre...in the summer. That's not supposed to work! But it does, year after year (38 of 'em, in fact!). The season revs up with a remount of a hit from last year, the musical Dear Johnny Deere by Ken Cameron and based on the music of Fred Eaglesmith. The new boss at GCTC, Eric Coates, directs the elegiac story of a farm doing battle with the banks. (Blyth, Ontario)
Speaking of Canadian institutions, there's outdoor Shakespeare (all over the friggin' place) and then there's Bard on the Beach, celebrating it's 24th season. Twelfth Night is a gorgeous work, perfect for summer: the heat of love, the gentle winds of grief, the bawdiness of an August midnight. Director Dennis Garnhum (who knows a thing or two about mounting big shows as he is artistic director of Theatre Calgary), has assembled a wondrous cast that includes Rachel Cairns, Bill Dow and Jennifer Lines, enveloped in a set by Pam Johnson and costumes by Nancy Bryant. (Vancouver)
Then, of course, there is the Montreal Fringe. We have written so much and will be writing so much (check our special National Fringe Index) but we would like to draw your attention to one very funny man, Dan Bingham, and what is likely to be a very funny show, Now That I Have Your Attention. We have high hopes for this as the last time Bingham walked onto a Fringe stage he spilled his guts, hilariously, about his life as an adoptee in Adopt This. This time out - look at the picture above - the very handsome man is going to discuss how useless he is around women. It's a story we expect you'll want to hear. (Montreal)
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