By cgevans, on December 10th, 2008
Last night at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts I went to see the Calgary-based theatre collective One Yellow Rabbit perform one of their latest shows “Sylvia Plath Must Not Die”. I was drawn to the piece simply because my graduate performance thesis project was about Sylvia Plath. It was lovely to have a thorough understanding of the material that was unraveling onstage, but that is by no means a requirement for enjoying the richness of the words and the characters brought to life on stage. The piece, despite its title, was actually about both Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton. This was a very pleasant surprise! Both Onalea Gilbertson as Plath and Denise Clarke as Sexton gave very powerful performances, inhabiting the essence of the poets in both voice and body.
The majority of the text was Plath and Sexton’s poetry, but there were also some key biographical facts woven into the dialogue. Ted Hughes and Kayo Sexton (played by Michael Green and Andy Curtis) also added an interesting element to the two women’s lives unfolding (and unraveling) on stage. It allowed the audience to jump from the reality of these women’s lives to the truth [...]
By cgevans, on November 4th, 2008 This past Wednesday, I went to see the play Top Girls, showing at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts (55 Mill St, in the Distillery District). With a star-studded cast including Megan Follows and Ann-Marie MacDonald, I knew I was in for a treat. What I didn’t realize until I was plunked in my seat perusing the program, was that I had studied this play in a modern drama class in my 3rd (4th?) year, and what’s more, I had played the same role as Megan Follows in a segment we had performed in class. This all gave me a rather delightful little academic thrill. The play itself is one of Churchill’s best known and probably most popularly performed, and is set in a 1980s Margaret Thatcher-ed Britain, during a time of social tension and feminist change. I can’t really say enough about the quality of the performance – Megan Follows is absolutely superb, Ann-Marie MacDonald is hilarious, and Kelli Fox, who plays Isabella, Mrs. Kidd, and Marlene’s sister Joyce is a powerhouse of talent. The entire cast is just excellent. The play itself has 3 acts - a dinner party, the days after the dinner party, and exactly one year earlier – and 2 intermissions, and for ticket [...]
By cgevans, on September 10th, 2008
Last night I saw this fantastic production called “Norway. Today.” produced by Toronto-based company Theatre Smash. The basic premise of this ‘existential romantic comedy’ is that two characters, Julie and August, meet online in a chat room as Julie is searching for someone to commit suicide with her. August ends up being the ideal candidate. Julie flies August to Norway and the rest of the play takes place on the edge of an enormous fjord called Pulpit Rock. On the last night of their lives, what endues is an examination of life, with many trials and tribulations as the two characters try to get along. What results is a new-found trust and the potential for happiness “in the face of death.”
When I first heard the synopsis, I cringed a little (ok, a lot) at the topic of suicide + chat room = play. But I couldn’t have been more mistaken. The production was incredibly thought-provoking and moving. With the smart, poetic, yet blunt language of playwright Igor Bauersima, the strong and effective acting choices of Steven McCarthy and Ieva Lucs, and the polished direction by Sarah Baumann, this a production not to be missed.
The [...]
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