Jo Ledingham Theatre Reviews

The Odd Couple

At Little Mountain Gallery until December 8, 2013
The opening scene of this Main Street Theatre production found all of us on opening night tightly packed into a space that makes ‘intimate’ seem barn-like by comparison. How intimate? When you enter the theatre, you step right out onto the stage so don’t, for heaven’s sake, come late. (Curtain is at 7:30. Doors open at 7). Cheek by jowl with everyone else, we laughed our heads off.

Ryan Beil as Felix Ungar in The Odd Couple. Credit: BeattieOei

The Daisy Theatre

At The Cultch Historic Theatre until December 15, 2013
Proudly sporting a Movember ‘stache, Burkett warns those of us who love his bittersweet existential shows that The Daisy Theatre is just going to be silly fun. And not necessarily good clean fun: “I hope I offend all of you.” Off to a good start, he refers to Heather Redfern, The Cultch’s executive director, as “Heather Rugburn”. Naughty boy.

Jolie Jolie in The Daisy Theatre

Becky Shaw

At Studio 16 until December 7, 2013
In Gina Gionfriddo’s play, Max Garrett (Aaron Craven) and Suzanna Slater (Meghan Gardiner) are already bitching at each other when we first meet them. Her biological father – his adoptive father – has been dead, according to Suzanna, three months. She’s still moping around.

Meghan Gardiner and Aaron Craven in Becky Shaw. Credit: Shimon Karmel

Cool Beans

At PerformanceWorks until December 1, 2013
In The Romeo Initiative, recently presented at The Cultch, the Communist party trains Markus Richter to be the perfect lover for Karin Maynard based on ‘profiling’ her. In Cool Beans, the predator/prey tables are turned.

Jay Clift, Josh Epstein, Gili Roskies and Katey Hoffman in Cool Beans. Credit: Emily Cooper

Except in the Unlikely Event of War

At the Roundhouse Performance Centre until November 30, 2013
“What we need is a war.” We hear it said but no one ever really means it. However, in Except in the Unlikely Event of War, a group of think-tank scientists attending a 1965 summit meeting in Resolute Bay, NWT, agree that, contrary to public opinion, “the organizing principle of society is war, not peace.”

Robert Moloney as Tommy Bane in Except in the Unlikely Event of War. Credit: Tim Matheson

Cocktails At Pam’s

At Studio 1398 until November 30, 2013
We’ve all been to parties where nothing seems to gel. Maybe, god help us, we’ve even given a few. In Stewart Lemoine’s play, Pam has been giving them for years. Why does she do it?

Maryanne Renzetti and Sebastien Archibald in Cocktails At Pam’s

The Romeo Initiative

At The Vancity Culture Lab at The Cultch until November 24, 2013
So intrigued was I by the end of Act 1 of The Romeo Initiative, I was almost vibrating.

Lindsey Angell as Karin in The Romeo Initiative. Credit: Tim Matheson

Pride and Prejudice

At Frederic Wood Theatre until November 30, 2013
Adapted by Jon Jory from Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice opens with the famous line, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife”.

Matt Kennedy and Kat McLaughlin in Pride and Prejudice. Credit: Nancii Bernard

Mary Poppins: The Broadway Musical

At The Stanley until January 5, 2014
If this Arts Club production of Mary Poppins: The Broadway Musical, directed by Bill Millerd, doesn’t awaken your inner child, chances are you lost yours somewhere along the way.

Sara-Jeanne Hosie as Mary Poppins. Credit: David Cooper

Closure

At Jericho Arts Centre until December 1, 2013
Closure. We hear the word everyday on the news following a disaster or a crime. Everyone wants closure.

John Burnside as Gordon Devereaux and Jonah Heyl as Gordie in Closure. Credit: Nancy Caldwell

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