All's Well That Ends Well -- Bard on the Beach

The story in 2 sentences:
Helena saves the king's life and for a reward, gets to choose a husband: Bertram. Bertram isn't into the idea, but she tricks him into having sex with her.

People who should see this show:
Everyone. It's really good.


This was an almost-perfect show. When we saw Richard II earlier, we wondered why Lois Anderson, the best part of the show, didn't have a bigger part. Now we know -- this show revolved around her, and she deserved it. Her Helena was intelligent, vivacious, determined, interesting to watch and easy to get onside with.

All's Well That Ends Well is one of Shakespeare's problem plays, marked by dark overtones even thought the heroes get married and nobody dies. It's funny, but it's an uneasy funny.

The main story element that is difficult to for the audience to accept about this play as written is that Helena is so determined to be with Bertram, a lout who clearly doesn't deserve her. Director Rachel Ditor helps to resolve this contradiction by a cunningly introduced silent pre-scene wherein Bertram, winningly played by Craig Erikson, flirts with Helena and wins her affection through the same capriciousness and irresponsibility that he later uses to victimize her. There are two or three of these scenes, expanding on what Shakespeare wrote and taking a closer look at troublesome questions in the play. Parolles, a loathsome character that we want to like anyway, benefits from another silent moment on stage: having been entrapped by his comrades, we find out just how loathsome he is -- and it is difficult to find a satisfactory answer in our minds: does he deserve this humiliation? How is he any worse than Bertram, who ends up married to our heroine? It would be more convenient to step back from this moment, but Ditor forces us to examine it closely.

The direction is brilliant: the action never seems forced, and there are subtle finishing touches that surround each scene: scene changes by frolicking butlers, background business that perfectly walks the fine line so that everyone is interesting to watch but no one detracts from the scene at hand. The design is good -- set in the Victorian period, the costumes are beautiful and appropriate for a play involving such a physical and emotional segregation of gender.

And it turns out I was wrong. Unfortunately, Haig Sutherland in a dress isn't as funny as I would have predicted, and he mars a few scenes in this show as well. Thankfully, his role is much smaller. Otherwise, each performance is top-notch.

Bonus#1: Season sponsor Starbucks was giving away gift cards the day we went-- sweet!
Bonus#2: The guy sitting in the front row opposite us who was listening to every word with an expression of ecstasy, and gesticulating as though he were conducting an orchestra, beside his perplexed-looking wife. Two shows in one!

See the show. It's great. You may even get free coffee. Plays Until September 26.

Some Highlights:
Lois Anderson's Helena: the shining star of my Bard on the Beach experience this year
Craig Erikson's Bertram: a character written to be hated, Erikson makes him likeable enough to understand why Helena is attracted to him
Gaelan Beatty's scene changes: fun
Celine Stubel's Diana: funny, innocent and intelligent at the same time
Scott Bellis' Parolles: a thoughtful interpretation of what could easily be a two-dimensional character
Duncan Fraser's King of France: another solid job, Fraser works the text masterfully

Richard II -- Bard on the Beach

Story in 2 Sentences:
King Richard banishes his cousin Henry, who kinda deserves it. Henry comes back, revolts, and becomes king.

People who should see this show:
Haig Sutherland's grandmother
People who want to look like they like Shakespeare but don't actually


Haig Sutherland ruined this show. Every scene without him was great, but, unfortunately, he was playing the title role, so there weren't many. He spoke like William Shatner in drag. Except that would be kinda funny. He was so entranced with the words and his own voice that he forgot the words were meant to convey a story to the audience. He was horrible. After a scene or two of his droning, I thought "well, they won't make the mistake of hiring him again," but Hubby (who likes to flip through programs during shows) pointed out that this was his ninth season. I just don't get it.

Hubby liked him in Robson Arms. I never watched it.

He was so awful that he made his queen, played by Celine Stubel, look bad (she was great when he wasn't on stage). David Marr, another questionable Bard veteran, wasn't all that great either -- he spat through his lines so quickly it was hard to believe he even understood what he was saying, and painful to hear his gasp for air at the end -- but at least his performance didn't affect the people around him.

And it's a pity, because this is just the type of story I'm interested in: a humanizing look at a sweeping history, with interesting political overtones (Shakespeare could have gotten killed over this play, they tell me). We went on chatterbox Tuesday, so got a great introduction to the play. We also went when an understudy was going on with script in hand (Christopher Gaze, artistic director), which I always love. Could've been so beautiful. I really need to see a good version.

Don't go. Spend the money on a gift to yourself instead. Plays until September 26.

Some Highlights:
Duncan Fraser's John of Gaunt: Solid performance, with an incredible soliloquy
Lois Anderson's Duchess of York: Easily the best performance of the show
Gaelan Beatty's Duke of Aumerle: good performance, and acted well with Anderson

Rent -- Fighting Chance Productions

Story in 2 Sentences:
New York's gay/artistic community is devastated by AIDS and gentrification. They all find love anyway.

People who should see this show:
People who love Rent. You know you will anyway, no matter if it's good or bad.


And it's both. Ryan Mooney has directed a low-budget version that's fairly true to what we're all familiar with. It's interesting to see the show in a smaller venue, and the band isn't bad. Some effects (Maureen's entrance, for example) are compromised, but otherwise the direction is fine, although it tends to fall apart toward the end ("What You Own" was a badly carried-out pseudo-original version).

Most of the cast is terrific, and the ensemble vocal work is very good.

The problem is the leads. Craig Decarlo has a fine voice, but he seems to think he's on the movie soundtrack rather than in a small theatre. That is, he has memorized every nuance of the original Roger's performance without adding in anything of his own, and he's just not acting. At all. Christine Quintana as Mimi was worse. Much worse. When she first came out and I heard her croak out "Light my Candle", I thought "clearly she's not a singer" -- her one good note was so overpowering her mic couldn't pick it up -- "Well, she'll be a terrific actor, then." By the time it became clear that her acting was only slightly more inspired than DeCarlo's, I decided "her dancing must be phenomenal -- Mimi should be a good dancer. That's why they cast her." Wrong again. "Out Tonight," Mimi's big dance number, was embarrassing to watch. She clearly did not feel comfortable on stage, making the audience feel uncomfortable as well. By the second act, watching the two of them on stage was making me cringe.

Which is a pity, because the ensemble was generally great. Question: why not cast the "Seasons of Love" soloist as Mimi? She was excellent, both as a singer and an actor.

Don't see this if you've never seen Rent before or aren't a fan; you won't enjoy it. If you're hardcore, you've already got tickets. If you're undecided, you might as well go. Plays Until August 30.

Some Highlights:
Jaqueline Breakwall's Maureen: inspired. Well sung, well acted, a joy to watch. "Take me or Leave me" with Jenn Suratos was fantastic
Cesar Erba's Angel: beautiful voice and touching performance
Anton Lipovetsky's Mark: engaging and earnest, with excellent comic timing
Nick Fontaine's Tom Collins: wonderful voice
Cathy Wilmot's solo: Amazing, and her work in small ensemble parts showed she could act as well
Rielle Braid's Alexi Darling: funny, oddly realistic, and a great voice

Thoroughly Modern Millie -- Theatre Under the Stars

Story in 2 Sentences:
Millie moves to New York in order to marry rich. After stopping a white slavery ring being run by her Chinese landlady, she does.

People who should see this show:
People who like musicals

Ok, there's some light (heavy) racism, and some ridiculous plot elements. But it's all there for humour, and as it actually is funny, I don't mind it.

The singing and dancing are quite well done, and the acting is as realistic as you want farce to be. Shell Piercey knows how to direct a musical. Nothing is over- or under-done, and the cast is up to the challenge of allowing the audience to buy in to the ridiculous nature of the show. The night I went to see it, there were a few mic glitches, and a bonus scene: Diana Kaarina, playing Millie, forgot to change into her tap shoes before a scene they were necessary for. She ran away (with her mic still on), leaving an amused Laura Koberstein and a befuddled Seth Drabinski to cover for her for what must have seemed to them like an eternity. Drakinski's next line happened to be a compliment on Millie's quick pace in walking down the hall, which he noticed only halfway through saying it. After another eternity they got back on track. I love it when stuff like that happens.

The musical itself is well-written: the pace is quick, taking only as much time as necessary for the story to be told; the songs are catchy and evoke the spirit of the times (did they ever really exist?) of flappers, moderns and speakeasies. I was surprised to discover how recently the stage show was written -- it opened on Broadway in 2002. Both the score and the light racism helped to create the effect of a musical written much earlier.

Speaking of which, is it easier or harder to forgive racism when you know the play is less than 10 years old? I can't decide. The plot does hinge on it, but one can just as easily imagine it hinging on a criminal conspiracy involving shipping young women to Italy. . . of course that brings the sexual slave aspect further into the light. Maybe it's best not to look too deeply into this.

See it. It's fun. Bring an asian friend. Plays until August 22.

Some Highlights:
Diana Kaarina's Millie: an engaging performer with an amazing voice, Kaarina has appeared on Broadway and it shows -- she must enjoy being a big fish in a small pond
Meghan Anderssen's Miss Dorothy Brown: scene-stealing, hilarious, with a lovely voice. Her love scene with Drabinski is heaven to watch
Laura Koberstein's Miss Flannery: funny
Aaron Lau's Ching Ho: great voice, great comic love lead, and half of a fun duo
The Subtitles: I love a gimmick like that
Sarah Rodgers' Mrs Meers: Hilarious and quite likeable, given that she's the villain and the centre of the racist plot elements
Nancy Herb's Muzzy Van Hossmere: killer voice and good comic timing
Seth Drabinski's Trevor Grayden: an excellent classical voice, and very funny

Annie -- Theatre Under the Stars

Story in 2 Sentences:
Annie is an orphan. She gets adopted and ends the Great Depression.

People who should see this show:
Little girls who want to be Annie
Little boys who want to be girls so they can be Annie
Stagemoms
My hubby, who likes to compare his choreography to others'

What can you say about Annie? I remember being a little boy who wanted to be a little girl so I could play Annie, standing in line for blocks to see the movie on opening night, only to be told it was sold out. We went to see The Muppets Take Manhattan instead -- or am I mixing memories?

In order to be fair, I need to separate my review into sections.

The musical itself
Is just not very good. I know, it won a Tony, but -- face it -- the competition was not very stiff that year. I love "It's a Hard-Knock Life" and I don't mind "Tomorrow," but the other songs are boring and repetitive. The story is all very pie-in-the-sky, and I don't think it's fun to be fed elitist propaganda with a thin veneer of quasi-socialism for 2 hours, even when the mouthpiece is a little kid with a great voice. Also, it's a boring retelling of a familiar story, the only thing freshening it up being a sassy orphan. Punky Brewster was way better.

I also wanted to be Punky Brewster.

Glynis Leyshon's production
As good as Annie can get. The set was good, the costumes were good, the staging and choreography were fine, the performances were fine. The band was a bit rough.

Plays until August 21

Some Highlights:
Michelle Creber's Annie: oh so saccharin, but the kid can definitely sing
Michelle Creber's dog Max's Sandy: dogs are cute
The first 10 minutes or so: "Hard-Knock Life" is fun
The wine at intermission

The Comedy of Errors -- Bard on the Beach

Story in 2 Sentences:
Two sets of twins separated at birth are unknowingly reunited. They get mistaken for each other before it's all sorted out.

People who should see this show:
Everyone. People who grumble when directors "do things to Shakespeare" (i.e. my hubby) will grumble a lot, then grudgingly admit they enjoyed it anyway. People who don't usually like Shakespeare will find it accessible.


David Mackay's Comedy of Errors is fun. The story is fun, the production is fun, the acting is fun. The thing is, it's a comedy, with an unbelievable storyline and generally broad characters who do unbelievable things. But the audience buys into it anyway. Because it's fun.

It is filled with self-referential gags: In the middle of the second half, a vendor sells "rats on a stick" calling to mind how different an experience Shakespeare was in Shakespearean times (the audience had the option of buying tomatoes from vendors to throw at performers); an actor mimes talking on a cell phone, which is, I suppose, the contemporary interruption analogous to the bustle and chatter my English teachers told me was going on in the Globe. But these gags are intelligent, and, I found, useful. There was never a chance for my mind to wander during lulls of sing-song acting -- I was constantly snapped to attention, and therefore never missed an important plot element in a somewhat confusing play -- and, grumble though he may, neither did hubby.

The design is also self-referential: a puppet theatre, Queen Elizabeth as Solinus, sound effects ranging from trumpets to demonic laughter. This is a production for people who are interested in the history of English theatre, but does not exclude those who aren't in the know. Consider the levels in one sight gag:

Solinus, duke of Ephesus is played by Christopher Gaze in Queen Elizabeth I's iconic dress.

Funny to people who aren't in the know: an old guy in a dress.
Nod to historical accuracy: Female parts were played by men in dresses in Elizabethan England
Contemporary commentary on this gender role: It's a male part being played by a man in a dress
A reminder of the political context of the time of writing: Elizabeth was ruler of England, and did not hesitate to order death when it suited her politically, as Solinus will do if Egeon can't pay his fine.
Further nod to historical accuracy: Elizabeth, reigning queen of England, referred to herself as "prince"
In-joke: Solinus, the duke who dispenses justice, is played by the artistic director of Bard on the Beach

There are more layers -- I thought of another but forgot it, and I'm sure there are more in-jokes that I'm not privy to, more contemporary or historical commentary that I'm not up on. Do I feel smart for having understood all of these layers at once? Absolutely. Would I have enjoyed it if I hadn't? Absolutely. And this is one sight gag that occurs at the very beginning and end of the play -- there are more, each one as thoughtful -- if I didn't think I'd bore you all to tears I would write about them all.

See the show. You'll like it even if you don't want to. Plays until September 26


Some highlights:
Colleen Wheeler's Adriana: perfect
Shawn Macdonald's Dromio of Ephesus: very well done
Kevin MacDonald's Antipholus of Syracuse: well acted, and part of a brilliant comic duo
Christopher Gaze's Solinus: an enjoyable camio
Bob Frazer's Antipholus of Ephesus: the only truly repugnant character in the show, Frazer actually made him sort of likeable
Ryan Beil's Dromio of Syracuse: the other half of a brilliant comic duo, and just as funny as a solo act
Jennifer Lines' Luciana: funny sidekickery at its best
Amber Lewis' Courtesan: brings life to a small role -- outstanding

Othello -- Bard on the Beach

Story in 2 Sentences:
Iago hates Othello, so he fools him into believing his wife, Desdemona, is cheating on him. It works, and Othello kills her.

People who should see this show:
Anyone who loves Shakespeare
Anyone who loves great acting



Dean Paul Gibson's production of Othello is simple and classical. Nothing to write home about, except that such simplicity demands perfection in performance. Gibson trusts the cast to deliver, and they do. Every part is played beautifully, and the story, running through themes of passion, obsession, class, and race, shines.

Well worth seeing. Plays until September 26

Some highlights:
Michael Blake's Othello: brilliant
Bob Frazer's Iago: excellent
Jennifer Lines' Emilia: subtle, with a build up to a stunning performance in act 5
Naomi Wright's Desdemona: beautiful, layered and believable