Music

Review of Nicole Brooks’ Obeah Opera (b current/Theatre Archipelago)

Obeah Opera is an astonishing piece of music theatre. Imagine 15 women with powerful voices, many well-known soloists in their own right, singing a cappella in almost every style of black music. Then layer in majestic solos and ensemble pieces rich in harmony. This just scratches the surface of the impact of Obeah Opera. Produced […]

Review of Everything Under the Moon (Harbourfront Centre World Stage)

Just in time for Family Day, World Stage kicked off with, Everything Under the Moon, a collaboration between Toronto visual artist Shary Boyle and Winnipeg composer Christine Fellows. You know a show has hit the mark with children when they are absolutely quiet, and both the younger and older members of the sold-out audience sat […]

A Gay Wedding Celebration – A Trimuph for the Arts

On Valentine’s Day, Helmut Reichenbächer and John Stanley got married. This wedding was an affirmation of 20 years together. There was a private ceremony, lunch and dinner for close family and friends. It’s the middle part of the day I want to talk about. Both men are patrons of the arts in a very big […]

Roy Thomson Hall and Attila Glatz Concert Productions – “Bravissimo! Opera’s Greatest Hits”

The opera gala Bravissimo! at Roy Thomson Hall is a great way to spend New Year’s Eve, particularly when the concert satisfies on every level. The best sing was by Slovenian soprano Sabina Cvilak, a spectacular interpreter of the French repertoire with her crystalline sound and floating high notes. Italian soprano Chiara Taigi is an […]

Toronto Operetta Theatre – “Kalman’s The Gypsy Princess”

Toronto Operetta Theatre’s Guillermo Silva-Marin is a one-man band who functions as director, choreography, and set and lighting designer with help from Malabar and Marty Millionaire. There is, therefore, a routine sameness to a TOT production, but the shows are also fun and tuneful. Imre Kalman’s 1915 hit, The Gypsy Princess, is not as fast-paced […]