Sentimental is a term that is often used in a derogatory way in criticism. Strong emotions are juxtaposed with a more savvy and self-aware, or clear-headed and objective approach to human issues. ‘Sentimental’ is a label frequently applied to musicals, and this year’s Arts Undergraduate Theatre Society (AUTS) production, RENT[Read More…]
Tag: theatre
McGill English department’s “In the Next Room” flicks back to a complicated era
The McGill Department of English’s production of Sarah Ruhl’s In the Next Room (or the Vibrator Play) is all about electricity. The play takes the audience to early 20th century Saratoga Springs, New York, a time when on-off switches were a technological marvel, a Victorian-level of propriety was imposed on every[Read More…]
Horror and hilarity converge on TNC stage in Blue Heart
Strange and elusive energies crackle with abandon on the Tuesday Night Café (TNC) stage in Caryl Churchill’s unnerving Blue Heart, a production of two one-act plays performed as a set. Teasing apart cruel dimensions of language and longing in a theatrical experiment in form, the self-sabotaging construction of the play suggests[Read More…]
Shaking up Shakespeare: Players’ Theatre gives new spin on timeless classic in Fortinbras
Centuries after its composition, William Shakespeare’s Hamlet remains a powerful cultural force in the world. Its oft-quoted words, “to be or not to be” are particularly salient with the approach of final exams. The breadth of its impact on popular culture, ranging from James Joyce’s Ulysses to Paul Cernea’s Hamlet[Read More…]
Players’ Theatre makes a killing with Dial M for Murder
Dial M For Murder, written by Frederick Knott and directed by Ali Aasim, is a sensational start to the Players’ Theatre’s 2015-2016 season. Filled with moments of suspense and meaningful dialogue, the show keeps the audience guessing right until the final moment. Set in New York City during the 1950’s,[Read More…]
Beyond the lens: Grey Gardens places audience within 1975 documentary
Tuesday Night Café ’s (TNC) inaugural play of the season, Grey Gardens, concerns a little-known facet of American history. In the aftermath of the assassination of U.S. president John F. Kennedy in 1963, it is easy to forget the role that his wife—first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis—came to play for[Read More…]
Back to Bukowski’s future
In an age dominated by tweets and texts, it is quite easy to forget—or at least be distanced from—the chaos and warfare that ravages the world today. Kim Kardashian ‘breaks’ the Internet while Russia breaks international laws. Dresses change from white to blue on Facebook while the situation in Syria[Read More…]
Windy City for the win in AUTS’ Chicago
Part of the thrill that comes from live musical theatre is knowing that something could go wrong at any moment, but rarely does. The best theatre uses this to its advantage, radiating a sense of jubilant spontaneity that wriggles its way into the audience’s hearts and leaves them humming the[Read More…]
Uneven script limits Players’ production’s promising potential
The Creation of the World and Other Business is a deep cut of Arthur Miller’s work. The self-serious American playwright tried his hand at comedy, and what followed was nothing if not memorable and confusing. In fact, director Kirsten Kephalas admits that the play is “one of the worst[Read More…]
The Viewpoint: The Rocky Horror Picture Show
We got to Imperial Cinema a little before 11 p.m., looking forward to a night of cult-movie debauchery. Right off the bat, however, it became clear that this night would be quite the experience—something we should’ve expected with all the hype that surrounds the annual live-action performance of Richard O’[Read More…]
