I’ve Been Missing in Action – Blame the Internet

In December, I was upgraded by Bell to fibre optics because my modem speed was so slow, and so my troubles began.The braindead subcontractors who put in the fibre optics ended them in our mechanical rooms and not in the actual units themselves. As a result, I did not have a stable internet connection and had to keep rebooting my modem (which required my phoning my concierge to send the patrolman to open the door because we mortal owners/tenants don’t –Read More

A New Gig for Paula

June 17, 2018 – A New Gig for Paula

I am now a contributor to Ludwig van Toronto, an online magazine (mostly music) that is now branching out into dance and theatre. My first review for Ludwig van is The National  Ballet of Canada’s summer mixed program.

Ludwig van is a good-looking, informative magazine and I’m delighted to be a contributor for dance and theatre.

Here’s the link. Enjoy.

https://www.ludwig-van.com/toronto/

Musings – Ontario Election 2018

On the night Donald Trump was elected, comedienne Jenna Friedman on a late night talk show summed up the situation perfectly with – “We’re fucked.” Never did I think that I would be in the same boat with a meathead elected as premier in my own province. Now it’s my turn to say, “We’re fucked.”

The only smart Ontario voters live in Toronto. I’m talking about the old Toronto, the real Toronto without Etobicoke, North York and Scarborough, all of –Read More

TIFF Movies 2016 – Best and Worst

Saw 21 films, almost all of them enjoyable. Due to a broken neck, (I kid you not), caused by a very bad fall in early August, I had to construct a list of films where I didn’t have to switch theatres during the day. I also needed decent access because of my walker, so there are more big-budget English language movies than I would usually choose. My directors were largely women, although that was happenstance and not design. By coincidence, –Read More

Theatre Review – Soulpepper/Fool for Love by Sam Shepard

Soulpepper has given Sam Shepard’s Fool for Love an electrifying production. Continue reading →

Theatre Review – Blyth Festival 2019/Jumbo by Sean Dixon

Photo by Terry Manzo

The kindest thing
to say about the Blyth Festival’s world premiere of Jumbo is that the play is not ready for prime time. Yet it should
have worked, given the talent behind the project such as accomplished writer
Sean Dixon and talented director Gil Garratt. I suspect that a lot of time was
spent on design issues, such as how to present a giant elephant on stage, at
the expense of a cogent script.

There is a great Jumbo story somewhere, but Dixon –Read More

Theatre Review – Blyth Festival 2019/Cakewalk by Colleen Curran

Photo by Terry Manzo

Apparently, Cakewalk
by Colleen Curran, which premiered at the Blyth Festival in 1984, and was
remounted in 1986, has been one of the company’s most requested revivals. I
actually saw both those shows and remember them fondly, so Curran’s zany comedy
redux was welcome news. Happily, I can report that this 2019 production is right
up to the mark.

Curran’s plot revolves around a small town baking
competition, which is part of a wider Canada Day celebration. The grand prize
is a trip to Paris –Read More

Theatre Review – 4th Line Theatre/Bloom: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Fable by Beau Dixon

Photo by Wayne Eardley

4th Line Theatre’s latest production, Bloom: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Fable, is another
entertaining evening from this most enterprising of summer festivals. The piece
is filled with music and dance as it traces the journey of a small town rock
band from nothingness to near greatness to oblivion again. Perhaps the story is
a bit predictable, which always happens when a girl gets between two band guys
and wrecks a friendship, but Bloom lopes
along at a fast clip, thanks to director Kim –Read More