Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Pomme Is French For Apple

Pomme pomme girls: Liza Paul and Bahia Watson breeze out at the Tranzac

Liza Paul and Bahia Watson in Pomme is French for Apple

Liza Paul and Bahia Watson. Photo by Zahra Siddi @ zahrasiddi.tumblr.com.

Pum (n): West Indian slang for a woman’s private parts (short for pum pum).

Liza Paul and Bahia Watson have uncovered a real gem with Pomme Is French For Apple: an honest, intelligent and wildly funny play about female sexuality. Performed as a series of fast-paced vignettes, the witty duo boldly explores modern womanhood—in its most intimate, embarrassing and empowering moments—from the perspective of the almighty pum.

With a flip of their pink scarves, the animated pair transform into their characters’ labia-trimmed alter-egos—comically depicting pum-world problems such as wedgies, loneliness and the need to “breeze out.” Other skits about sex, dating and relationships range from laugh-out-loud amusing to pee-your-pants hilarious. How refreshing!

Click here to read our Q&A with Liza Paula and Bahia Watson.

Pomme Is French For Apple is on stage now until February 18 at the Tranzac (292 Brunswick avenue). Visit pommeisfrenchforapple.com for more information and to buy tickets.

 

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Monday, February 13, 2012

In The Heights

Dancap Productions brings some Latin heat to chilly Toronto 

Presented by Dancap Productions
Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Book by Quiara Alegria Hudes
Directed by Thomas Kail

Cast of In The Heights

Cast of In The Heights. Photo by John Daughtry.

Stories about hardworking immigrant families living in North America–Ins Choi’s Kim’s Convenience, for example–are guaranteed crowd pleasers in a culturally diverse city like Toronto. So it makes sense that In The Heights, the Tony Award-winning, hip hop-infused Latin musical set in New York City’s Washington Heights, would make itself right at home here.

Now on stage at the Toronto Centre for the Arts, In The Heights follows a group of “barrio” residents (a mix of people from the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Puerto Rico) as they struggle with matters of poverty, identity, family, luck, love and loss. With music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who starred as Usnavi in the original production, the show paints a lively and authentic—especially for anyone who’s spent any time there in the summer—portrait of borough street life.

Usnavi (Jeffrey Nunez) runs a bodega, left to him by his deceased parents, and looks out for his younger cousin Sonny (Robert Ramirez). He was practically raised by the neighbourhood matriarch, Abuela Claudia (Christina Aranda), and dreams of going to the Dominican, his parents’ homeland. Usnavi is in love with Vanessa (Presilah Nunez), a beautiful, down-and-out employee of Daniela’s salon next door. The salon is run by the charismatic Daniela (Tauren Hagans) and her assistant Carla (Katherine Brady).

Across from Usnavi’s store is Rosario’s Car Service, run by Kevin (Benjamin Perez), his wife Camila (Celina Clarich Planco) and their employee Benny (Kyle Carter). The Rosarios are extremely proud of their smart, ambitious daughter, Nina (Virginia Cavaliere), who has been away at university. When Nina returns, we learn that she has been afraid to tell her parents the truth: that she left Stanford because she couldn’t make the grades while working part-time.

The action takes place over the course of three days in and around Independence Day: Nina and Benny fall hard for each other, but Kevin disapproves, and the family argues over whether to sell the car service to pay for Nina’s tuition; Usnavi finally gets a date with Vanessa; the neighbourhood experiences a major blackout, fourth of July fireworks and a heat wave; someone wins the lottery and there is a death on the block. Just when the area looks as though it’s about to change forever, the characters realize that the barrio is their home—and, as it turns out, it’s where their hearts live.

The realistic set depicts a bustling street corner, complete with storefronts, balconies, fire escapes, a roving street vendor selling shaved ice and the George Washington bridge on the horizon. Bursting with colourful costumes, sizzling dance numbers and catchy tunes, In The Heights is a genuinely fun and touching musical that offers something for everyone.

While some of the musical numbers could use polishing (occasionally the band overpowers the vocals), audiences are sure to be charmed by this committed cast—featuring stand out performances by Cavaliere and Carter in particular—and compelling story.

In The Heights runs until February 19 at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. Visit dancaptickets.com for more information and to buy tickets.

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Saturday, February 11, 2012

Pomme Is French For Apple Q&A: Liza Paul and Bahia Watson

Liza Paul and Bahia Watson. Photo by Zahra Siddi at zahrasiddi.tumblr.com.

When two fun-loving friends as accomplished as Liza Paul and Bahia Watson come together to create a show named after the West Indian word for a woman’s private parts (pum), you know it’s a performance worth seeing.

Toronto theatre scenesters will likely know Paul as the associate producer for Soulpepper Theatre Company and the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, and Watson from her roles in Soulpepper’s 2010 production of A Raisin In The Sun and Nightwood Theatre’s 2012 production of Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad. Both women completed artistic residencies with D’bi.young at antiafrika! dub theatre and have been recently awarded career development grants by the Ontario Arts Council to study with D’bi.young at the PAPAI (Pan African Performing Arts Institute) in Cape Town, South Africa.

Their new play, Pomme Is French For Apple, explores modern womanhood in all its glory: its most intimate, embarrassing and empowering moments. After a sold-out run in August 2011 at CineCycle (401 Richmond St. West), the show opens next week for limited time at the Tranzac (292 Brunswick Avenue). Audiences can expect a lot of laughs and a healthy dose of West Indian flavour, including a taste of uncle Bunny’s famous rum punch.

Here, Paul and Watson chat with us about the power of the pum.

Theatromania: Tell us about Pomme. What inspired the show?

LP & BW: Pomme was inspired by our lives, the situations in which we and our friends have found ourselves and then discussed over drinks—that’s where we find our material. We just wanted to put it out there for the world to see, in all its realness: the disappointments, the joys, the embarrassing moments, the jokes.

Theatromania: Pum is a much nicer word than vagina. Does that make it less embarrassing to talk about?

LP & BW: Yes, pum is a much nicer word than vagina, for a lot of reasons. Does it make it easier to talk about? Well, yes, in the sense that the censorship powers that be aren’t yet hip to the pum so we can say it in situations where words like vagina and pussy might raise a few red flags. But, honestly, it’s quite easy to talk about our pums, by any name. They’re right here with us all the time, and this process has made us love our pums even more. We don’t think there’s anything embarrassing about having a pum express itself for a change.

Theatromania: Would you call this a guy-friendly performance?

LP & BW: Absolutely. We have lots of guys come to the shows and they have an amazing time! We aren’t about bashing men. We love them! We also love to laugh at them as much as we love laughing at ourselves because we all behave ridiculously at times—especially when it comes to love and romance. They learn a lot too! They like it. “The secret world of pums.” Even our gay male friends get into it, because regardless of your gender or orientation, we all came from a pum.

Theatromania: What do you hope audiences take away from this piece?

LP & BW: We want them to have fun and feel good. To feel a little more relaxed and maybe even liberated about their sexuality. To laugh and drink uncle bunny’s famous rum punch and reevaluate what it means to spend a night at the theatre. Especially women. We want them to join us on this journey into empowerment. Pum pum powah! We think it’s time.

Theatromania: Best experience working on the show so far?

LP & BW: It’s been fascinating to see what a lot of hard work can accomplish. We put a lot of time into this show, since it’s just the two of us doing everything. Every day we learn something new. And we laugh a lot. It’s amazing to see things in our imagination come to life. But being so deep in it right now, it’s hard to say what’s been the best. It’s also been wonderful seeing how people really get behind Pomme—people love it and seeing the “pommunity” grow has been really rewarding, too. We think the best is yet to come. We love being a part of something that’s constantly growing and evolving. It’s the most exciting.

Theatromania: What’s next for you two?

LP & BW: Well, two days after the show closes we leave for South Africa to do the artistic residency with D’bi.young. From there we go to New York…and then, who knows? More Pomme, that’s for sure.

Pomme Is French for Apple runs from February 13 to 18, 2012 at the Tranzac (292 Brunswick Avenue). All shows start at 9pm (tickets $20). Visit pommeisfrenchforapple.com for more information and to buy tickets.

Posted by Lauren Gillett in Theatre | Tagged , , | 1 Comment
Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Alley Theatre Workshop Q&A: Michael Kash

Michael Kash in Hughie

Michael Kash as Erie Smith in Hughie. Photo by Alley Theatre Workshop

Eugene O’Neill’s Hughie has only been performed a handful of times, most notably by Al Pacino on Broadway in 1996. The two-character, one-act play is now on stage in Toronto, presented by Alley Theatre Workshop (ATW), and starring Dora Award-nominated actor and ATW artistic director Michael Kash in the role of small-time hustler Erie Smith. Laurence Dean Ifill will play Charlie Hughes, the hotel’s night clerk, who has recently replaced the titular Hughie. Dora Award-winning, David Ferry directs the piece, which is set in the lobby of a seedy 1920s New York City hotel.

Hughie opens tonight at the Theatre Centre (8pm). Here, Kash gives us some details about the show.

Theatromania: What first attracted you Eugene O’Neill’s Hughie?

MK: I was first attracted to this play after seeing Al Pacino workshop it at the Longwarf Theatre and then on Broadway shortly thereafter in 1996.

Theatromania: You play the part of small-time hustler Erie Smith. Can you tell us a bit about your character?

MK: Erie Smith is a lonely, heavy drinking, small-time gambler/hustler who lives in a decaying hotel off Broadway during the 20s in New York City. His best friend Hughie has just passed away and he enters the play lamenting his friend.

Theatromania: How did Alley Theatre Workshop come to be?

MK: The Alley Theatre Workshop was formed in 2004 with a friend of mine from New York. Another friend, John Petcoff, invited me to take back space in his art gallery and turn it into a 40-seat black box theatre. So we did. It was a great five years.

Theatromania: The company has a history of supporting children’s charities, and you will be donating 100% of the proceeds from your February 20th performance to Anaphylaxis Canada. What inspired this act of kindness?

MK: The main part of our mandate is to give back. We don’t have deep pockets so we decided that we could generate funds through our work. Why? Because it is gratifying and I believe in community. I have been blessed with amazing friends and colleagues who have given me and us support. This is our way of giving back and hopefully the kids benefit from our efforts.

Theatromania: What’s next for Alley Theatre Workshop?

MK: We are looking at a couple of plays to follow and we are forming a board of directors to help us take the company forward.

Catch Michael Kash in Hughie from February 8 to March 3 at the Theatre Centre. For tickets call the box office at 416-538-0988 or email boxoffice@theatrecentre.org. Stay tuned for our review!

Hughie online promo – part 1 of 3 from laurence.dean.ifill on Vimeo.

Posted by Lauren Gillett in Theatre | Tagged , , | 1 Comment
Saturday, February 4, 2012

A Brimful Of Asha

The (un)marriage plot: Ravi Jain’s collaborated stage production proves that sometimes, mother doesn’t always know best

By Ava Baccari

Written and performed by Asha and Ravi Jain
Directed by Ravi Jain

Ravi Jain, Asha Jain. Photo by Erin Brubacher.

Canadian actor Ravi Jain has an impressive laundry list of accomplishments in the theatre world, both in Canada and abroad, including a master’s degree from the École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris and founder and artistic director of the Toronto-based theatre company, Why Not Theatre. But he still can’t please his mother. Well, not until that list includes the most important title (in her eyes) of his life: husband. Mothers.

But Asha Jain, self-appointed matchmaker to her happily unmarried son, is not your typical meddling mother. Her dire career of finding a mate for her 32-year old son— already past his matrimonial timeline—has turned into a production, literally. Co-written and performed by the real-life mother and son duo, A Brimful of Asha is now running at the Tarragon Theatre.

Oh what a lovely war ensues. A candid retelling of Ravi’s 2007 trip to India—and his parents’ hidden marriage plot that revealed itself there—by the mother and son who experienced it firsthand is presented as a closing argument submissions scene in court, where the audience assumes the role of jury and the opposing parties state their cases.
With little effort to preserve Canada’s enshrined legal practices of impartial truth-telling and innocent until proven otherwise, Asha warns the audience to “sit alert” because Ravi is a “smart Canadian” who “tends to twist the story and bend the facts.” Ravi, the perennial respectful son, good-heartedly laughs along at her staunch commitment to proving him guilty of breaking his mother’s heart by choosing to remain single.

The ultimate anti-renegade son, Ravi was born to traditional Indian immigrant parents, themselves a product of an arranged marriage. An aspiring actor, he developed the ghastly notion of falling in love and getting married on his own accord. Asha counters his misguided yearning by revealing the cultural pressure his parents face with having an unwed adult son—an actor!—at that. It’s clear that their need to get him hitched trumps his desire for uncontrived, organic love and drawing on her own one-hour meeting with her husband prior to their marriage, love, she persists, is secondary.

The banter is as fluid as most mother-disobedient offspring debates go, with Ravi as the main storyteller and Asha—a non-actor in her stage debut—interjecting with a mother’s endearing, snide criticisms along the way. Julie Fox’s kitchen set musters the communal and truth-bearing sanctity of the kitchen table, as Ravi confronts his mother and their generational disparities while they sip tea. (A plate of samosas, made by Dish Cooking Studio, rests nearby and is offered to patrons streaming in before the show begins.)

It’s easy to automatically sympathize with Ravi’s dilemma; the only thing standing between his humble rejection of parochial cultural traditions, like arranged marriage, and free will is the same force responsible for most of our unfavourable decision-making as humans: a mother’s guilt. (Asha insists her happiness is directly correlated to Ravi settling down with a mate.)

While you may grow frustrated with Asha for imposing her rigid beliefs on her son—and the three-too-many times she’s pulled a fast one on him with strategically planned dates— throughout the 90-minute production, take Ravi’s lead and laugh along. Not that you’ll be able to help doing so already.

A Brimful of Asha runs until February 26 at the Tarragon Theatre. Visit tarragontheatre.com for more information and to buy tickets.

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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Cruel and Tender

Atom Egoyan’s offbeat production provokes mixed feelings

Presented by Canadian Stage
Written by Martin Crimp
Directed by Atom Egoyan

Abena Malika and Arsinée Khanjian in Cruel and Tender. Photo by Bruce Zinger.

The Toronto debut of British playwright Martin Crimp’s Cruel and Tender left some audience members scratching their heads on Thursday night, despite a star-powered cast and a talented director in Atom Egoyan.

Crimp’s play, now on stage at the Bluma Appel Theatre, is a modern retelling of Sophocles’ Trachiniae (Women of Trachis), an ancient Greek tragedy about Deianeira, wife of Hercules. In the myth, Deianeira longs for her husband’s return from battle, but when survivors of his attacks are brought to their home, she discovers the horrible truth: that Hercules pillaged a foreign city to obtain the king’s daughter, whom he has taken as his lover. To win her husband back, Deianeira gives him a love potion, which turns out to be poison. In the end, Hercules becomes gravely ill and Deianeira commits suicide.

Crimp revisits this story in post-911 society, where Amelia (Arsinee Khanjian) eagerly awaits her husband, the General (Daniel Kash), who is fighting the “War on Terror”  abroad. In this version, the Greek chorus is made up of staff: a housekeeper (Brenda Robbins), a physiotherapist (Cara Ricketts) and a beautician (Sarah Wilson), who pamper Amelia and distract her with bad karaoke.

Desperate for news about her husband, Amelia sends her son James (Jeff Lillico) to find his father in Africa. Meanwhile, a smooth-talking government agent (the charming Nigel Shawn Williams) shows up with two unexpected gifts from the General—a beautiful young woman named Laela (Abena Malika) and a little boy (Malachi McDonald).

For the most part, Crimp’s drama remains faithful to Sophocles’ myth: Amelia becomes insanely jealous of her husband’s orphaned mistress—now living under her roof—and mistakenly poisons the General with a vile of deadly chemicals; a furious James blames his mother for killing his father, and ultimately Amelia takes her own life. But instead of being burned alive—as Hercules was—the General is arrested for his crimes.

Debra Hanson’s harsh white set works beautifully as a blank canvas for Michael Walton’s eerie lighting and projection design, however, the cavernous space occasionally threatens to swallow the performers whole. Likewise, Crimp’s indirect writing style keeps us at a distance, so we constantly have to work at caring about the characters.

There are some strong performances here: Khanjian’s hysterical Amelia is firmly in denial, right up until her last moments on stage; Lillico steals the show as an outraged James; and Kash’s war-addled General makes a frightening entrance in the play’s final scene. But ultimately, Cruel and Tender comes across as disingenuous—like an abstract piece of art devoid of tangible emotion. It sure does look cool, though.

Cruel and Tender runs until February 18 at the Bluma Appel Theatre. Visit canadianstage.com for more information and to buy tickets.

Click here to read our Q&A with Cruel and Tender actor Jeff Lillico.

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Friday, January 27, 2012

Penny Plain

Ronnie Burkett celebrates 25 years as the master of his own universe (strings attached)

Penny Plain

Ronnie Burkett is a skilled manipulator—of puppets that is! His company, the Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes, celebrates 25 years of theatre magic-making this year with a national and international tour of Penny Plain, a dark and thought provoking drawing room comedy about the end of civilization on stage now at the Factory Theatre. Featuring one man (the all-powerful creator himself) and a large cast of marionettes of various shapes, sizes, ages and persuasions, this wildly imaginative production examines the baser side of human nature in all its tragic glory.

The story follows Penny Plain, a blind, elderly boarding house owner, who sits in her armchair waiting for doomsday. Joined by her seeing-eye dog and companion, Geoffrey, Penny listens to the television news broadcast—voiced by Canadian media and theatre personalities, such as Jeanne Beker, Peter Hinton and Anusree Roy—while chaos wreaks havoc on the world outside. When Geoffrey leaves home to experience life as an independent (did I mention Geoffrey is a talking dog with dreams of becoming a gentleman?), Penny longs for a new friend to take his place.

Ronnie Burkett's Penny Plain

Over the course of the play, she encounters many interesting characters: a horny Mexican Chihuahua and street-walking poodle; a crazed editor/serial killer; a vulgar old lady; a cross-dressing banker; a sad puppeteer (Geppetto) and his estranged son (a grown-up Pinocchio); a lonely woman desperate for a baby; Jesus-loving Americans; a little girl who pretends to be a dog and the little boy who wants to protect her.

Burkett moves swiftly between scenes, switching marionettes with seemingly effortless precision. His set is divided into two levels: Burkett controls the strings from the top tier and the action unfolds on the stage below. By the end of the show, the set—complimented by Kevin Humphrey’s striking lighting design—takes on a life of its own, sprouting flowers and vines as Mother Nature forces her way into Penny’s living room.

To quote the great Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki—who’s wise words apparently inspired the show: “We’re in a giant car heading towards a brick wall and everyone’s arguing over where they’re going to sit.” Penny Plain is a stark reminder that the human race is on a collision course with disaster. Don’t miss this comically ominous and touching puppet performance.

Penny Plain runs until March 5 at the Factory Theatre. Visit factorytheatre.ca for more information and to buy tickets.

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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

The Golden Dragon

Tarragon Theatre serves a whimsical, heart-wrenching slice of life with The Golden Dragon

By Ava Baccari

Written by Roland Schimmelpfennig
Translated by David Tushingham
Directed by Ross Manson

The Golden Dragon

Lili Francks, Tony Nappo, Anusree Roy, David Yee and David Fox. Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann.

There’s no worse time to see Roland Schimmelpfennig’s The Golden Dragon, now running in Tarragon Theatre’s main space, than on an empty stomach; especially as kitchen staff at the “Chinese/Vietnamese/Thai restaurant” the Golden Dragon repeatedly howl orders of Bangkok-styled duck, pad Thai noodles, red curry and one ill-fated bowl of order Number 6: Thai soup with chicken, coconut milk, Thai ginger, tomatoes, button mushrooms, lemon grass and lemon leaves (hot).

But this bustling eatery offers more than mouthwatering pan-Asian cuisine: it’s the central hub for the international tenants who live in the floors above and Schimmelpfennig is nearly perfect at drawing out the innate similarities connecting them beyond a shared mailing address. Strung together with seemingly disparate vignettes—such as one parallel storyline involving a bullying ant and helpless cricket—Schimmelpfennig exposes the various scales of vulnerability and abuse experienced when navigating unknown terrain, like a rocky relationship or foreign country.

Although playfully evoking elements of magical realism, director Ross Manson consistently achieves harrowing believability throughout the 90-minute run with a cast of Canadian greats. Through self-reflexive dialogue that includes stage directions, the actors boldly hop between characters ultimately unlike themselves.

On the bottom floor nearest to the restaurant lives an old man (played with much conviction by the youngest cast member, David Yee) who’s visited by his young granddaughter (one of Lili Francks searing, emotional displays) and can’t quite work up to sharing her life-changing news. She lives on the top floor with her svelte young boyfriend (a delightful David Fox) whose love for her wanes as her belly swells with the child they can’t afford.

The storylines are woven through the chaos unfolding at the restaurant, where the newest staff member cries out in pain from a rotted tooth. Since healthcare isn’t an option for the boy (Anusree Roy)—an illegal Chinese immigrant who arrived in search of his missing sister—the staff swoops in with vodka and pliers instead, one of the show’s many darkly comical moments.

Teresa Przybylski’s clean set consists of a large table for cooking and serving and where actors nimbly circle around and perform over top. Simple costume changes signal the character’s transition into a different tenant—with a wig, Fox becomes a brunette flight attendant—keeping a fluid momentum as their tangled lives rapidly unveil themselves.
The most poignant storyline to emerge is of the young married couple occupying another floor, where the wife (Tony Nappo in a red dress) tells her husband (Roy) she’s leaving him for another man; the fallout of which has devastating effects on the women he encounters later on.

Even with Schimmelpfennig’s skillfully fleshed-out characters, the progression of the show is often weighted down by the numerous storylines it moves between and some feel slighted by the end. But rarely has such a powerful example of the kitchen as a unifying pillar in daily life—and what happens when there are just too many cooks in it— emerged in Canadian theatre.

The Golden Dragon runs until February 19 at the Tarragon Theatre. Visit tarragontheatre.com for more information and to find tickets.

 

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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Q&A: Cruel and Tender Actor Jeff Lillico

Cruel and Tender rehearsal

Atom Egoyan, Jeff Lillico, Arsinée Khanjian. Photo by Bruce Zinger.

Jeff Lillico has established himself as one of the most versatile young actors in Canada. With an impressive list of credits from the Shaw Festival and Soulpepper (to name a few), and a Dora Award for outstanding male performance in a principal role for Acting Up Stage Theatre Company’s 2010 production of The Light in the Piazza, the talented thesp is well on his way to becoming a household name.

This month, Lillico will tackle the part of Arsinee Khanjian and Daniel Kash’s son in the Canadian Stage production of Martin Crimp’s Cruel and Tender. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Atom Egoyan, the contemporary drama, based on an ancient Greek tragedy, opens this Thursday, January 26 at the Bluma Appel Theatre (previews have already started).

Here, we chat with Lillico about working on the show, his upcoming role in Canadian Stage/Studio 180’s production of Clybourne Park, and more.

Theatromania: Tell us about your character James in Cruel and Tender. What attracted you to the role?

JL: James goes on an incredible journey through the course of Cruel and Tender. At the beginning of the play he’s at home, living his life, not too unlike any other young man might do at present. He’s wondering what to do with his future, frustrated with his mother and the superficial concerns of her daily life (in his opinion at any rate), and spending his days trying to connect with friends and some sort of truth or even just entertainment over the world-wide-web. He’s reduced to staying in touch with his friends through the internet as he and his mother have been sent to a remote location near an international airport. His father, a high-ranking general, has been shipped across the world for a mission they know little to nothing about.

Without getting into too much more of what’s to come, James is sent on a journey to find his father. The experience will put him through horrors worse than he could imagine. He’s left trying to put all the pieces together before our eyes and I was certainly drawn to exploring the brutal road he must walk.

Theatromania: What is it like working with Atom Egoyan? Have you learned anything new from this experience?

JL: It’s been fantastic working with Atom. He has a thrilling vision and extreme intelligence. The thing I’m most struck by, however, is his sense of humour. I’ve been delighted to discover that he’s a very funny individual, which makes every day working with him a real pleasure.

Some of Atom’s ideas for this production have been pretty wild, which is very much in keeping with the nature of the play. I’ve learned a lot by putting my trust in him. I’ve really tried to commit to ideas that I may not have understood immediately. In the end, I’ve always been very glad I’ve stuck with it and have felt something very interesting has come about. It’s also great how collaborative the process has been. He has an idea and then is very open to our expanding on it to make it into something none of us could have predicted. I think this is the best way to work.

Theatromania: Why should people see this play?

JL: People should see this play because it’s exciting. It’s startling. It’s devastating. It’s sexy. It’s, at times, very funny. It’s entirely unique. It’s an opportunity to watch one of our country’s greatest artistic minds, in Atom Egoyan, take his vision from film and from opera to the theatre with a visceral, powerful piece, never before seen in North America. We’re also blessed with an amazing cast that I’m thrilled to get to work with.

Theatromania: Do you have any pre-show traditions or rituals?

JL: I don’t really have any pre-show traditions or rituals, at least not before a nightly performance. I do in the larger sense, I suppose, in that I love to travel and if I can tie it into my work I will make every effort to do so. I recently returned from a trip to East Africa that was very much centred around preparations for Cruel and Tender.

James goes to Sub-Saharan Africa in search of his father. His experiences lead him to many revelations – some are specific to his relationship with his parents but others are about the lives of the people there, and how they contrast to the life that he has known. I find travelling incredibly rewarding and I love that in so many ways, large or small, it will invariably have an impact on what I’m able to bring to my work.

Theatromania: You are also performing in Studio 180/Canadian Stage’s upcoming production of Bruce Norris’ Pulitzer Prize-winning Clybourne Park. Have you started preparing for that part yet?

JL: I’m very excited for Clybourne Park. I haven’t begun preparing for it in too many ways yet. I’ve read it several times. In the first act I play Jim, a minister. I’ve talked to a friend of mine about meeting up with his fiancee, who’s a minister, to get a sense of things I might want to think about. My girlfriend, Kimwun Perehinec, co-founder of Studio 180 Theatre, is also going to be in it, which is very exciting to me—it will be our first time working together. Just tonight she shared an article with me called “How to Misunderstand Satire” by Lyndon Hood. Clybourne Park is one of the clearest instances of satire I can think of and so, in small ways, the preparations have already begun, yes.

Theatromania: Who are some of your greatest influences?

JL: I feel very blessed to have many great influences. I’m fortunate to say that the list is added to all the time. Between starting out at the Shaw Festival where I spent five seasons, 20 productions at Soulpepper, one year at the Stratford festival and, now, my first production with Canadian Stage, I’m more grateful than anything to have worked with and been inspired by such continually exciting and motivating individuals.

Theatromania: What’s your dream role?

JL: My dream role…hmm. The next one. And the one after that…and so on!

Theatromania: Are you working on any other projects?

JL: Nope… I have the show with Canadian Stage/Studio 180 on the horizon, and then the world is a terrifying place. I’m not too worried though :)

Catch Jeff Lillico on stage in Cruel and Tender until February 18, 2012. Visit canadianstage.com for more information and to buy tickets.

Posted by Lauren Gillett in Theatre | Tagged , , | 1 Comment
Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Other People

Other People offers another look at the scandalous lives of struggling New York artists

By Ava Baccari

Directed by Aaron Willis
Written by Christopher Shinn

Other People

The cast of Other People. Photo by Mercedes Grundy.

The kids in Christopher Shinn’s play Other People, about a gaggle of broke, twentysomethings holed up in New York’s East Village, are—as you would imagine—not all right.

Here we go again: a saga told many times before (Friends, for one) Shinn’s thinly contrived plot indulges these self-involved young adults whose woeful pasts have not only stifled them creatively (and verbally, it seems) but makes for awkward, irrelevant stage material that consistently scrapes along at surface level.

Longtime friends Petra and Stephen are recently reunited at a New York diner and awaiting the return of Mark, Stephen’s ex-lover, who will complete their trifecta of naval-gazing struggling artists all living under one Manhattan roof over the holidays. It’s clear from the onset that this much baggage won’t fit in their shoebox apartment.

Written by New York playwright Shinn, whose 2008 play, Dying City, was shortlisted for the Pulitzer prize, the show first opened in London’s Royal Court Theatre in 2000; its Canadian premiere, on now at the Tank House Theatre at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, a collaboration with Mutual Friends Co-Op and Mercedes Grundy, already feels dated.

From the opening scene, Ben Lewis’ Stephen is unbearably grating—a fast-talking nervous-wreck whose gag of speaking in stunted, barely English phrases tires quickly. The rapid-fire, pseudo-intellectual dialogue Shinn longs for—which worked wonderfully in 90s’ teen soap Dawson’s Creek—translates into hyper-self-conscious psycho-speak in his lost youth: “I always kept my life very compartmentalized,” Stephen admits in one of his many rehashings of what went wrong with Mark, (Indrit Kasapi).

After a short bout as a Hollywood director, Mark returns to New York as a devout Christian. In his period of reform, he brings home a bible and a stray youth, Tan (Brendan McMurtry-Howlett) and Stephen grows suspicious of Mark’s intentions.

Tatiana Maslany’s Petra, an aspiring poet from Queens who moonlights as a stripper, is likely the most believable character, though even she is prone to chronic, convoluted philosophizing of her writerly impulses. She attempts to explain to a particularly inquisitive client (Mike McPhaden) that she took up the gig in Japan to pay for grad school, and continues to dance even after returning to New York for more artistic reasons than simply paying the bills.

It’s hard to tell if the show’s lack of engaging substance is inherent to Shinn’s script or a shortcoming in Aaron Willis’ production (though the techno music consistently humming along during many intimate discussions is particularly distracting). The functional minimalist set transforms from apartment, to restaurant, to nightclub with ease but is awkward and uninspiring.

Like all starving-artist twentysomethings, what these kids, and the show, need most is some sagely, guiding direction.

Other People runs until January 28 at the Tank House Theatre at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Visit youngcentre.ca for more information and to buy tickets.

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Posted by Ava Baccari in Theatre | Tagged , | Leave a comment
Sunday, January 22, 2012

Kim’s Convenience

Ins Choi has something great in store for Soulpepper audiences this season

Written by Ins Choi
Directed by Weyni Mengesha

Kim's Convenience

Ins Choi in Kim’s Convenience. Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann.

After a hit run at the 2011 Toronto Fringe Festival, Ins Choi’s Kim’s Convenience opened Soulpepper’s 15th anniversary season Thursday night to triumphant acclaim from audiences and critics alike.

The Soulpepper Academy alumnus’ debut play tells the story of a Regent Park convenience store run by the larger-than-life Mr. Kim, or Appa (father). Ken MacKenzie’s authentic set design recreates the look and feel of your typical neighbourhood corner store, right down to the lottery tickets, cigarettes and ginseng.

Mr. Kim (played by the hilarious and powerful Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) argues with customers in broken English, nags his 30-year-old daughter, Janet (the clever and comical Esther Jun), and proudly defends his Korean heritage against comparisons to the Japanese. He is king of his own little empire.

But when Mr. Kim is offered a large sum of money for the property, the store’s future comes into question and he must choose between a comfortable retirement and the legacy of Kim’s Convenience. The business is his “dynasty,” and he dreams that one of his children will take over. Although, Janet, a photographer, has no interest in running the store, and his estranged son, Jung (Choi), left home after a fight and hasn’t spoken to him for 15 years.

In 85 minutes, a highly entertaining and moving family drama unfolds: Janet fights for independence and acknowledgement from her father, who meddles with every aspect of her life, including a budding romance with her childhood friend Alex (a wonderfully versatile Cle Bennett, who also plays three other characters in the show); Mrs. Kim or Umma (Jean Yoo), meets with her son at church and reminisces about the good old days; and eventually, an unhappy Jung, now a father himself, returns to the family store to make amends.

Under director Weyni Mengesha, the five cast members give deeply committed performances, bringing this poignant immigrant story to life with real emotion and respect for the generations of people who sacrificed their lives to give their children a better future.

Don’t miss your chance to see this outstanding Toronto play. Tickets are selling out fast!

Kim’s Convenience runs until February 11, 2012. Visit soulpepper.ca for more information and to buy tickets.

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Posted by Lauren Gillett in Theatre | Tagged , , | Leave a comment
Thursday, January 19, 2012

The Blue Dragon

Familiar skeletons of the past collide with fiery new characters in Robert Lepage’s complex, trilingual spectacle

By Ava Baccari

Written by Marie Michaud and Robert Lepage

The Blue Dragon

Photo by Erick Labbe.

The Blue Dragon, currently running at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, is in every sense a powerful, cinematic experience: from the way it effortlessly transcends spatial and linguistic boundaries as it dips in and out of time and time zones, right up to the subtitles crawling along a screen and transformative set holding it all in place.

Picking up where co-writer and director Robert Lepage’s character previously left off in The Dragons’ Trilogy, The Blue Dragon revisits Québécois-expat Pierre Lamontagne (Henri Chassé), now a living as a gallery owner in Shanghai. Michel Gauthier’s practical, beautifully rendered set functions both as Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport and a converted arts centre where Pierre now resides.

Divided into tiny shoebox-sized rooms, Pierre’s apartment and studio, is as compartmentalized as his life: Claire, (Marie Michaud) an old friend from la belle province, who turns out to be his wife, stops by in the midst of her plans to adopt a Chinese baby, while Xiao Ling (Tai Wei Foo) an artist exhibiting at his gallery and current flame, drops in to spend the night.

If this is sounding over-the-top soap opera-dramatic, it plays out this way on stage. But rapid set changes, Chassé’s monologues about ancient Chinese art and the perplexing screening of a Chinese KFC commercial, keep the hour-and-50-minute running time (no intermission) moving along gracefully.

As the lives of each of these three strong characters represent, things don’t always work out as planned and the ghosts of what should have been remain with us like tattoos. Claire’s resurfacing reminds Pierre of the Quebec he’s glad to have left behind—full of “nationalism that gets you nowhere”—but forces him to confront the place he may soon need to return to, as he and the other tenants face a looming eviction in favour of more profitable, capitalist Chinese enterprises.

This uncertainty not only fuels artistic expression—there’s plenty of it to go around—but makes for an entertaining theatrical spectacle of cinematic proportions.

The Blue Dragon runs until February 19, 2012. Visit mirvish.ca for more information and to buy tickets.

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Posted by Ava Baccari in Theatre | Tagged , | Leave a comment