Eldritch Theatre/ Phantasmagoria 3D, performed and created by Kira Hall, Michelle Urbana and Eric Woolfe, written by Eric Woolfe, 3D created by Micha Dahan (and developed by Coal Mine Theatre), Red Sandcastle Theatre, closes Nov. 10.
If you are going to be a theatre company that works in one genre, you better be bloody good at it, and Eric Woolfe’s Eldritch Theatre is one of the best. Woolfe’s shows are anchored in the worlds of the macabre, grotesque and horror, and his creativity is endless in finding new ways to present these elements. Phantasmagoria 3D’s special shtick is, would you believe, 3D (including the red and blue glasses for viewing). His inspiration is the 18th century European horror theatre called Fantasmagorie with its special effects of scary things suddenly appearing out of who knows where.
The support story is a series of letters written to a magazine by a man (Woolfe) who believes that horrible underground creatures are taking over the world and kidnapping women and children, fattening them up so they will fart the methane gas needed to power their world. And that’s just one of the bizarre horror elements leaping out of Woolfe’s immense imagination. Behind the screen, Hall and Urbana are manipulating the whacky array of images. As always, Woolfe’s presentation is filled with the tongue-in-cheek humour which makes his shows so entertaining, plus the surprising visuals he and his team have come up with.
Lost Dreams Collective / Dead Broke, written by Will King, directed by Calvin Petersen, Theatre Centre BMO Incubator, closes Nov. 10.
This show was a runaway hit at the 2022 Toronto Fringe and has now come back for an independent run. Billed as a horror comedy, writer Will King has taken on a big task in Dead Broke. What is he going to bring to a genre that is already saturated with material? As it turns out, he has produced a script of promise with lots of surprising twists and turns. It’s a sweet homage to all that has come before. In his notes, director Peterson sets some lofty questions, such as, when do we take accountability for our actions, which may be asking too much of the play which lands on the lighter side, and can be enjoyed for what it is.
In the story, university student Oliver (writer King) has switched majors from engineering to music, so his parents have stopped supporting him. Now broke, he moves into the abandoned house next door to his drug dealing best friend Johnny (Gordon Harper), and needless to say, the house takes on a life of its own. Yes there are women – Oliver’s common sense girlfriend Charlotte (Kiera Publicover), Johnny’s (sort of) druggie girlfriend Irina (Claire Shenstone-Harris), and Charlotte’s bossy roommate Laura (Diana Del Rosario). There is some solid acting and clever scary effects, including King’s own terrific sound design.
Yasmina Ramzy Arts / Seven Gates Immersive Dance Film, produced, directed and written by Yasmina Ramzy, choreography by Yasmina Ramzy, Bengt Jorgen, Patrick Parson and Jeff Dimitriou, music by Rob Christian and Rich Greenspoon, projection design by Gabriel Cropley, Theatre Centre Franco Boni Theatre, closes Nov. 10.
Seven Gates is a 25-year-dream come true for Yasmina Ramzy, one of Canada’s best known Middle Eastern (Raqs Sharqi) dance performer and teacher. In 1996, she created the piece Descent of Ishtar, based on the story of the Middle Eastern goddess Enana (Ishtar), Mother of the Universe, who goes through seven gates to reach the Lord of Death in order to find out why her human children are suffering. At each gate, she sheds a veil of ignorance (the inspiration for Dance of the Seven Veils).
Fast forward to 2024. On three screens, featuring four choreographers, 42 dancers, and seven dance styles (Raqs Sharqi, street dance, African, ballet, Sufi, contemporary and interpretive), the mystical immersive film Seven Gates is far from the single style Descent of Ishtar. It is now a dance explosion filled with gorgeous images, with each gate having its own distinct look, as each choreographer interprets the meaning of the gate. There are eight daily screenings of the half hour film scheduled throughout the afternoon and evening.
Note: I caught the 6:45 pm screening of Seven Gates before the 8 pm curtain of Dead Broke.