Tag: Canadian Theatre

WORLD PREMIERE: Theatre Calgary’s Liberation Days Is a Sentimental Look at the Past

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The war is over. Celebrations erupt across Europe. This victory, though, has come at a great cost. And for the Netherlands, the fight is far from over.

David van Belle’s new play Liberation Days is more than a lesson in history, it is a meditation on perseverance in the face of extraordinary struggle. Although, despite its strong performances and stunning set design, Theatre Calgary’s latest production fails to leave a lasting impact.

The bulk of the play centers around the romantic relationship that develops between Canadian soldier Alex King (Byron Allen) and Emma de Bruijn (Lindsey Angell), a young Dutch woman. The language barrier is not the only thing that stands between them. Emma’s mother Aaltje (Valerie Planche) strongly disapproves of her daughter’s relationship with the Canadian. And if that were not enough, there is also the problem of Emma’s fiancee Jan van Egmond (Jonathan Seinen) – a Dutch soldier presumed to be dead by his community.

Meanwhile, the Canadian forces struggle to gain the trust of the locals they have been assigned to help with rebuilding. The clash between the two cultures plays out between Cpt. Miles Cavendish (Garett Ross) and the village’s religious leader Dominee Herman van Egmond (Duval Lang).

The play is narrated by Marijke Bos (Kelsey Gilker) – the village outcast who dared fall in love with a German soldier during occupation. Continue reading →

“If Only We Could Let It Be What It Is”: MacIvor’s A Beautiful View Asks What’s In A Name

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Would a rose be as sweet if it had no name at all? Presented at The Studio (Vertigo Theatre), Daniel MacIvor’s A Beautiful View criticizes our need to label relationships. Thanks to the chemistry of its two leads, Sage Theatre’s production of A Beautiful View, directed by Jason Mehmel, captures MacIvor’s signature wit.

The play begins with L (Stacie Harrison) and M (Monice Peter) who, rather cryptically, decide to revisit their past together, all the while being aware of the audience. Their story begins when they meet each other in a store while shopping for camping gear. From this meeting, an attraction develops between the two. The attraction, though, is neither totally friendly or romantic; it just simply is. But, as the years go on, the question of defining what they are soon makes its way to the forefront of their relationship and, as a result, breeds tension between the two.

MacIvor confronts his audience with a deceptively simple question: what is in a name? For the playwright, the act of naming something, especially something so personal as a relationship, is political. Continue reading →

Heavy, Challenging: Nicolas Billon’s Butcher Commands Our Attention

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A police station. Christmas Eve. An inspector, a lawyer, and a “John Doe” dressed in military uniform and a santa hat with a butcher’s hook hung around his neck. This is Nicolas Billon’s new play Butcher, presented by Alberta Theatre Projects at the Martha Cohen Theatre. Directed by Weyni Mengesha, Billon’s Butcher deals with heavy themes surrounding the nature of justice in an (un)civilized world.

Billon’s play begins simple enough: Inspector Lamb (Eric Nyland) has called in Hamilton Barnes (Andrew Musselman) in order to solve the identity of Josef Dzhbrilovo (John Koensgen), a old man mysteriously dropped off at the police station in the middle of the night. Lamb is unable to make any progress in the case because Josef speaks only in Lavinian (a fictional language co-created for the play by Dr. Christina Kramer and Dragana Obradovic). Meanwhile, Barnes has no idea who the man could be, despite the fact his business card was attached to the butcher’s hook found on Josef’s person. Elena (Michelle Monteith), a Lavinian translator, is called in by Lamb to help with the case, but her arrival does anything but. On this night, the Butcher will finally answer to his crimes. Continue reading →

“Never Tell Maritimers The Odds”: Fire Exit Theatre’s Halo Sparks Discussion About Faith and Family

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Fire Exit Theatre opens its 2014-15 season with Halo, a comedy by Josh MacDonald. Directed by Mark Lewandowski, Halo asks questions about faith, family, and miracles. While the script is weak in some areas, Fire Exit Theatre’s production of Halo proves to be an emotional piece that just misses the mark slightly.

Set in the fictional small town of Nately, Nova Scotia, Halo tells the story of Casey (Jamie Matchullis), a sarcastic, newcomer from the “big city” of Halifax. Casey works at the local Tim Hortons where she is visited regularly by her boyfriend Jansen (Jacob Lesiuk) who helps ease the pains of dealing with the town’s interesting residents. One day, the image of Jesus appears on the side of the building. The town comes to see the divine picture as a miracle. Meanwhile, Donald (Randall Wiebe) prays for his own miracle at the bedside of his youngest daughter who has been in a coma for the past three years. When his eldest daughter Lizzy (Kendra Hitchinson) comes to visit from Toronto, Donald’s faith and hope for his daughter’s recovery are put to the test. Continue reading →

“It’s A Scary Old World”: Lunchbox Theatre’s The Life History of The African Elephant Delights

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First performed in 1989, then again in 2001, Clem Martini’s The Life History of The African Elephant returns to Lunchbox Theatre to open the company’s 2014-15 season. Directed by Bartley Bard, the production sees the original cast returning for this third outing of Martini’s comedy.

The Life History of The African Elephant stages the unlikely friendship that develops between accident-prone, ceramic artist Florence Bond (Barbara Gates-Wilson) and Glen Beddoes (David LeReaney), a reserved elephant trainer. After crashing her car through Glen’s backyard and into his shed, Florence goes to the zoo enclosure where he works to apologize. Inside the enclosure, Florence discovers that Glen is trying to help an elephant overcome its depression. Florence tells Glen that she will return again, but next time with her older brother Phillip (Brian Jensen) who will be visiting on his day pass from prison. Over a late-night picnic at the zoo, Florence, Glen, and Philip try and sort out their childhoods and anxieties about the future.

Martini’s play has a great deal of heart. Continue reading →

“It’s basically S&M, right?”: Alberta Theatre Projects Takes the Stage with Venus In Fur

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Directed by Tracey Flye, Alberta Theatre Projects’ production of David Ives’ Venus in Fur at the Martha Cohen Theatre is a vulgar, oddly compelling experience.

The play opens with playwright/director Thomas Novachek (Tim Campbell) in a worn-down studio after a round of failed auditions for his latest project, an adaptation of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s Venus in Fur. Frustrated at the lack of female talent in the city, Thomas sets out to go home to his fiancee. Abruptly, actress Vanda Jordan (Amanda Lisman) bursts into the room and pleads for an audition. At first, the very crude and immature Vanda turns Thomas off. It is when the actress delivers an impressive cold read for the role of Wanda von Dunayev that the director takes great interest in her. Continue reading →

All Ears For Ghost River Theatre’s Production of Tomorrow’s Child

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The audience has put on their Sensory Deprivation Masks. Blindfolded, they are led one by one to a room booming with the sound of children at play. Overheard above the noise are murmurs of confusion and excitement from the audience.

Ghost River Theatre’s production of Ray Bradbury’s short story Tomorrow’s Child is the first installment in the company’s Six Senses Performance Series. As advertised by the company, the production is an “audio experience created for a blindfolded audience.” Continue reading →

“There are no black cowboys”: Ellipsis Tree Collective Impresses With World Premiere of John Ware Reimagined

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For playwright Cheryl Foggo, history is not just about dates and facts. Presented at Lunchbox Theatre, Ellipsis Tree Collective’s John Ware Reimagined is an intelligent drama that offers audiences more than a lesson in Canadian history.

Written by Foggo and directed by Kevin McKendrick, John Ware Reimagined tells the story of Joni (Kirsten Alter), a young African-Canadian girl growing up in 1960s Calgary. Continue reading →

Scared Stiff: Bare Bones Production’s Wilma-May and Her Tight White Socks Fails to Impress

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Presented at the Alexandra Centre Society as part of Calgary’s Fringe Festival, Bare Bones Production’s Wilma-May and Her Tight White Socks suffers from an uninspired script that lacks direction, resulting in an exhausting, disjointed performance.

Written and performed by Jennifer Roberts, Wilma-May and Her Tight White Socks is a one-woman show that tells the story of Wilma-May, a woman who is afraid of everything. At the request of her therapist, Wilma-May joins an online support group to help overcome her recent emotional trauma which has made her a shut-in. The situation is dire, however, for Wilma-May as her supply of light bulbs has run out (and as you guessed it, she is terrified of the dark). In the next 12 weeks, Wilma-May must either overcome her fears or live the rest of her life in total darkness. Continue reading →