Monday, February 28, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Saint Carmen of the Main - Canadian Stage
If you're thinking of committing suicide anytime soon, make sure you stop by a showing of this play on the way. It has that great "push you over the cliff" mentality suicidal audiences are sure to love.
In the program we read the many, many, many notes of the set designer, detailing his exhaustive research in to the play, the period. S/he (I have no idea if the name "Eo" is male or female) cites ten separate influences before sharing his hope of "distilling the set to a mythic simplicity". Which in this case means a wall with two doors and a Texas longhorn antler set. This is it for the entire 95 minutes, no set changes. He finishes saying "with this design I have tried, in my way, to be an artist". One wall and a set of antlers. Really??? I forgot to mention there's also a beautiful carpet but as the balcony was empty and everyone sat on the floor no one could see it. And again we're left staring at beige walls.
Much has been made of turning the lead Carmen in to Lady Gaga, part of the reason I wanted to go. It's Lady Gaga with a lobotomy. No emotions, no like-ability, nothing dynamic. And one outfit worn for the whole show, a white cat suit. I have no idea where these comparisons are coming from.
The show is narrated by a chorus of transvestites and prostitutes, which sounds good, but in reality means 12 people speaking the same line all at the same time, all dressed in red. I was asleep within five minutes.
The story revolves around a singer and the power of her songs. We never hear these songs, there's no music at all in fact until the last sixty seconds of the play which feature a song sung in some language that is neither English or French and sung by someone else. Considering the play is set in Montreal, I have no idea why they chose whatever language that was.
Finally the plot, the last 20 minutes of the play is two characters describing a murder. When I was talking to the friend I went with, he revealed to me that the murder never actually happened, the whole thing was them concocting a story. How I was supposed to get that I'll never know, although if I had been conscious that might have helped. Probably not.
This is the kind of theatre that makes you not want to go to the theatre. No new ideas presented, no great acting feats and an indiscernible plot just left me wondering why I had left the house.
In the program we read the many, many, many notes of the set designer, detailing his exhaustive research in to the play, the period. S/he (I have no idea if the name "Eo" is male or female) cites ten separate influences before sharing his hope of "distilling the set to a mythic simplicity". Which in this case means a wall with two doors and a Texas longhorn antler set. This is it for the entire 95 minutes, no set changes. He finishes saying "with this design I have tried, in my way, to be an artist". One wall and a set of antlers. Really??? I forgot to mention there's also a beautiful carpet but as the balcony was empty and everyone sat on the floor no one could see it. And again we're left staring at beige walls.
Much has been made of turning the lead Carmen in to Lady Gaga, part of the reason I wanted to go. It's Lady Gaga with a lobotomy. No emotions, no like-ability, nothing dynamic. And one outfit worn for the whole show, a white cat suit. I have no idea where these comparisons are coming from.
The show is narrated by a chorus of transvestites and prostitutes, which sounds good, but in reality means 12 people speaking the same line all at the same time, all dressed in red. I was asleep within five minutes.
The story revolves around a singer and the power of her songs. We never hear these songs, there's no music at all in fact until the last sixty seconds of the play which feature a song sung in some language that is neither English or French and sung by someone else. Considering the play is set in Montreal, I have no idea why they chose whatever language that was.
Finally the plot, the last 20 minutes of the play is two characters describing a murder. When I was talking to the friend I went with, he revealed to me that the murder never actually happened, the whole thing was them concocting a story. How I was supposed to get that I'll never know, although if I had been conscious that might have helped. Probably not.
This is the kind of theatre that makes you not want to go to the theatre. No new ideas presented, no great acting feats and an indiscernible plot just left me wondering why I had left the house.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Mysterious cat
For a month now I've been talking about the mysterious cat outside my house.
Here's proof! My kitty and I went to investigate...
Here's proof! My kitty and I went to investigate...
Monday, February 21, 2011
Vincent River - Tarragon Theatre Extra Space
One hour 'till show time. I rushed this play tonight. I don't think I've ever rushed a play before, usually I like getting my tickets far in advance. But I have missed a few plays lately as I felt over-booked and the money has gone to waste. I figured by rushing I could ensure I still felt like seeing the play on the day in question and save $15, so it was a win-win.
Not being familiar with the rushing concept I got here about 5:30 for the six pm sale and was easily the first one here. By 5:55 one other couple had shown up and I've seen no one else since. I suppose the 20 available rush seats will go unsold, barring a miracle.
The theatre is in a remote location near Castle Loma and with nothing to do for two hours, I walked to one of the nearby restaurants (both Indian) and got a chicken curry which was decent. That killed about 15 minutes or so and I've come back and been sitting in the theatre lobby ever since. I'm still feeing quite seasick so I don't trust myself to go home and come back. Plus it would have probably taken about 30 minutes each way, leaving me a cool 15 minutes at home anyway.
So I'll sit here and wait, review to follow after the show.
The play was perfection, it will haunt me for the rest of my days. It starts off with an interesting premise, a boy, 17, follows a middle aged woman home. She invites him in. They start to talk. It turns out he's been following her for weeks, she's noticed him. He's aware that her son was recently killed, murdered in a gay bashing. Does he know more?
The stories of the two unravel, spilling out, never too fast, never too slow. Watching, I lose all sense of time, of myself, of my surroundings. There is only them, there is only the story. The actors are the characters, they pull you in and pull until you can't get back. At the end a final reveal and my blood stops running, I cease breathing. This is why theatre was invented. This is why I go. This is the power of the stage.
My heart slowly starts beating again, moving slowly, unwilling to step out of the moment. The story, haunting, is a part of me. I walk but don't see, don't smell, don't taste, my senses high-jacked.
I just missed my subway stop.
The show was perfect. The acting by the two leads, Matthew Gorman and Kyra Harper, was perfect. The staging was perfect. The story was perfect.
Life-changing.
Not being familiar with the rushing concept I got here about 5:30 for the six pm sale and was easily the first one here. By 5:55 one other couple had shown up and I've seen no one else since. I suppose the 20 available rush seats will go unsold, barring a miracle.
The theatre is in a remote location near Castle Loma and with nothing to do for two hours, I walked to one of the nearby restaurants (both Indian) and got a chicken curry which was decent. That killed about 15 minutes or so and I've come back and been sitting in the theatre lobby ever since. I'm still feeing quite seasick so I don't trust myself to go home and come back. Plus it would have probably taken about 30 minutes each way, leaving me a cool 15 minutes at home anyway.
So I'll sit here and wait, review to follow after the show.
The play was perfection, it will haunt me for the rest of my days. It starts off with an interesting premise, a boy, 17, follows a middle aged woman home. She invites him in. They start to talk. It turns out he's been following her for weeks, she's noticed him. He's aware that her son was recently killed, murdered in a gay bashing. Does he know more?
The stories of the two unravel, spilling out, never too fast, never too slow. Watching, I lose all sense of time, of myself, of my surroundings. There is only them, there is only the story. The actors are the characters, they pull you in and pull until you can't get back. At the end a final reveal and my blood stops running, I cease breathing. This is why theatre was invented. This is why I go. This is the power of the stage.
My heart slowly starts beating again, moving slowly, unwilling to step out of the moment. The story, haunting, is a part of me. I walk but don't see, don't smell, don't taste, my senses high-jacked.
I just missed my subway stop.
The show was perfect. The acting by the two leads, Matthew Gorman and Kyra Harper, was perfect. The staging was perfect. The story was perfect.
Life-changing.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Published!
I had a letter published in this month's Attitude magazine, the UK's best selling gay magazine and my personal favourite.
Although I do question them adding the word "really" at the end there.
Here's the original article I wrote in about (click to enlarge):
Upon reading this, I thought they had changed a couple words as I don't remember ever using the word "rag" before in my life, but apparently I did as my original is very close:
"I loved the column "HIV and Me" in this month's issue. Who doesn't place road blocks in front of themselves? This is why I love your magazine; it has hot boys and helps me understand myself and the world in a relatable gay context. I was worried when I heard your format was changing, I thought you might become another toss away rag you spend 5 minutes with. Worry alleviated, issue 201 was three hours well spent."
Although I do question them adding the word "really" at the end there.
Here's the original article I wrote in about (click to enlarge):
Thursday, February 17, 2011
The Middle Place - Canadian Stage, Berkeley
This fast-paced 70 minute docu-play is comprised of excerpts of interviews with homeless youth at a shelter in Etobicoke. It is presented in the style of The Laramie Project with rapid fire dialogue from a variety of characters portrayed by four different actors.
No one is going to say this play is bad, but at the same time it does miss it's mark. The play starts with dialogue from shelter workers who relay the stories of some of the youth involved and how they lack very basic life skills, such as the ability to say the alphabet up to the letter G. They also relay their struggles with the youth's sense of entitlement. How they expect to get hired at every job interview, and it seems to me the frustration that what is so easy for everyone else is so hard for them.
I'm a bit of a Scrooge with this topic, as I've been there, I've lived on my own since I was 16, so the topics discussed aren't foreign, and I watched the play with a bit of wondering what I'd tell my former self.
I thought Kevin Walker's performance was the best, that he was best able to convey unique character's personalities. That being said I don't feel the script did the actor's any favors by having such jarring quick cuts ALL the time to the point of having the actors talk over each other.
The actors come out barefoot and perform on a white spotlight, giving more the idea of an acting class workshop than a youth hostel, and this goes back to the reason I said the play ultimately doesn't work. No one is walking out of that theatre with a better understanding of homeless youth. And without that, why are we even there?
No one is going to say this play is bad, but at the same time it does miss it's mark. The play starts with dialogue from shelter workers who relay the stories of some of the youth involved and how they lack very basic life skills, such as the ability to say the alphabet up to the letter G. They also relay their struggles with the youth's sense of entitlement. How they expect to get hired at every job interview, and it seems to me the frustration that what is so easy for everyone else is so hard for them.
I'm a bit of a Scrooge with this topic, as I've been there, I've lived on my own since I was 16, so the topics discussed aren't foreign, and I watched the play with a bit of wondering what I'd tell my former self.
I thought Kevin Walker's performance was the best, that he was best able to convey unique character's personalities. That being said I don't feel the script did the actor's any favors by having such jarring quick cuts ALL the time to the point of having the actors talk over each other.
The actors come out barefoot and perform on a white spotlight, giving more the idea of an acting class workshop than a youth hostel, and this goes back to the reason I said the play ultimately doesn't work. No one is walking out of that theatre with a better understanding of homeless youth. And without that, why are we even there?
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