by Sarah Haley In Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night, the Duke Orsino once said, “If music be the food of love, play on.” Persephone Production’s Counting Aloud endeavors to understand that relationship between music and love. Written and performed by Gabrielle Soskin and directed by Christopher Moore, Counting Aloud is an autobiographical love story between a … Continue reading “Counting Aloud” Orchestrates Feelings of Acceptance and Belonging Through Music and Storytelling
Duncan MacMillan’s Lungs is a rather interesting examination of the inner workings of the relationship between two young individuals and poses the question: am I a good enough person to be bringing a child into this world? It’s a blistering text that’s arguably become even more relevant now than when it originally premiered in 2011 … Continue reading Cart Before the Horse Brings the Intensity with “Lungs”
Rachel and Zoe: Uncorked and Uncensored isn’t going to be for everyone. Written and performed by irl bffs Hannah Gibson-Fraser and Jodi Morden, this show is a fun piece of fluff that’s definitely better enjoyed alongside some good friends and even better wine. It tackles such classic topics of sex, love, and failed relationships and … Continue reading “Rachel and Zoe” is a Guilty Pleasure at the Ottawa Fringe
Every Fringe festival boasts a number of musical comedy shows, but Alli Harris’ High School High is not one to be missed. It’s an impressive tour de force of nonstop singing and guitar for the full hour, and on top of that the show is just plain funny – partly through the clever lyrics that … Continue reading “High School High” is a Musical Tour de Force
Drawn That Way is billed as being an open-mic style event with showcases from different guests each performance and centres around the musical stylings of performer and drag queen Bebe Queen and his accompanists, Kenny Hayes and Andrea MacWilliams. Taking inspiration from their real-life experiences with trying to come to terms with their identity as … Continue reading “Drawn That Way” is a Fun-Filled Hour of Musical Shenanigans
The Ottawa Fringe Festival just wouldn’t feel like itself without an annual offering from local troupe Dead Unicorn Ink(DUI). Going on 7 years now with their first showing at the 2011 Fringe Festival where Playing Dead, a zombie puppet show, to the stage and captured audiences’ hearts and, since then, have been regularly producing new … Continue reading “A Girl in the Fridge” is a Small Tasting of Dead Unicorn Ink’s Full Potential
From the same ladies who brought the charming Synsk Sisters to Ottawa back in 2016 with In Waking Life; The Brotherhood brings us a whole new dynamic duo who are here to titillate and seduce audiences with their mastery of the magical arts. Even in this premiere iteration of this work, with its few rough … Continue reading “The Brotherhood”: Magic with a Message
Ottawa is no stranger to murder-mystery dinner theatre, with companies like Eddie May Murder Mysteries and Murder Mystery Ottawa having entertained local crowds for over 20 years. The genre itself relies on the combination of the classic tropes of the mystery novel with moments of audience participation, and usually (though not always) ends with the … Continue reading “Who Done the Donald?” Is An Encouraging First Start For New Company
By Sarah Haley One doesn’t often consider Ottawa as the backdrop for a fairy tale, yet Skeleton Key’s Swan River attempts to do just that. With its enchanting set design and natural backdrop, Swan River sets the stage for a tale that is both familiar and unfamiliar. An intricately woven piece, Swan River grapples with … Continue reading “Swan River”: A Fairy Tale without Focus
It’s always encouraging to see young independent theatre creators come up in the community and make a name for themselves through bold creative choices. Second Step theatre looks to be one of those companies where we will be able to see exactly that. Though Light(less) only had the briefest of runs (April 17th & 18th), … Continue reading Second Step Offers Up a Tasting Flight of Theatrical Goodies with “Light(less)”
