The crowd has decided, and your winner is…Jeremy Ullman!” Fresh-faced 21-year-old McGill student Jeremy Ullman is the victor of the Comedy Nest’s open mic night. It is an odd time and place for a comedy show—it is Wednesday night, Nov. 23, the bar is bizarrely located on the third floor[Read More…]
Theatre
Opera McGill’s “Alcina”: A dubious experiment in orientalism
From the cultural stereotypes in Madame Butterfly to the racism in Otello, the intersection of race and culture with opera has a dark and problematic history. Given this legacy, the East Asian setting and the specific Chinese cultural influences of Opera McGill’s production of Alcina is confusing, especially given the[Read More…]
Montreal Improv’s “Dreamtime” brings your wildest dreams to the stage
There is something dreamlike about improvisational theatre. Dreams and improv both instill a feeling of surreal unpredictability, an atmosphere of colourful chaos, and a sense of blurry boundlessness. They keep you on your toes and pull you into a distinctly unique experience while breaking down the walls between reality and[Read More…]
An Iliad: A story of war and grief
How can one make a modern-day audience hang on every word of a three-thousand-year-old story? An Iliad, a one-man show directed by the McGill Classics department’s Lynn Kozak and produced by Chocolate Moose Theatre, proves that remakes of classic texts can be executed in both a skillful and entertaining way.[Read More…]
TNC’s Ghost World brings the graphic novel to life
[URIS id=47252] Fans of indie classics, rejoice; Ghost World has been adapted for the stage, right on McGill soil. Following the fragile relationship between best friends Enid (Beky Seltzer) and Becky (Sarah Foulkes), Ghost World is a portrait of a bond that unravels under the strain of growing up. Told[Read More…]
Comedians stand up for feminism
Successful comedy comes from a place of heartbreak, and from the ability to make what seems devoid of humour funny. The stereotype is that feminists aren’t funny, but by that token, feminism should be a breeding ground for good comedy. Comedy greats like Louis C.K. and Chris Rock base their routines[Read More…]
Play Review: Never Swim Alone is much more than absurd
Daniel MacIvor’s Never Swim Alone is an ironic parody of gender as well as a mildly unsettling piece of theatre. Directed by Katey Wattam, Never Swim Alone is not the kind of play an outsider would come to expect from McGill’s Player’s Theatre. Everything about it is minimal in terms[Read More…]
From the Viewpoint: Diction: Readings by Gay Men
I entered Stock Bar, one of the premier male strip clubs in the Gay Village, just after 7 p.m. to see Diction: Readings by Gay Men Jazz music played throughout the bar, which was lit by soft red-and-pink lights. The centerpiece of the establishment was the stage about three feet[Read More…]
Peer Review: Franc-Jeu theatre company displays innovative spirit in Alter-Ego
McGill’s francophone theatre company, Franc-Jeu, has come into its own since its creation two-and-a-half years ago. Its latest production, Alter-Ego, was a testament to the progress that it has achieved over time. Dramatic, emotional, and humorous all at once, Alter-Ego reflected on themes relevant to students. The play explored subjects[Read More…]
TNC’s The Flood Thereafter feels entirely washed up
The Flood Thereafter was a risky choice for a student production. Tuesday Night Café Theatre (TNC) Directors Daphné Morin and Cleo da Fonseca chose a complex piece that weaves surrealism, small-town identity, and Greek myth together. Coming in closer to two hours than the promised hour and a half, The[Read More…]
