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Mr Turner: painter, paintings, movie
There is a scene in the first half hour of Mike Leigh’s recent film Mr Turner, juxtaposing the creative ambitions of amateurs and professionals. We see Timothy Spall as Turner, greeting a noble on his...
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I Am Not An Answer at Cooper Cole Gallery
I suppose it depends on the question… If you were asking “what is art” you could find at least a couple of ways to answer that question at Cooper Cole Gallery. Art is a calling. It’s a business. It...
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TSO’s happy midweek memorials
The second of the New Creations concerts by the Toronto Symphony Wednesday at Roy Thomson Hall was a wildly diversified program as Festival curator Brett Dean put a collaborative work by two Canadians...
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Paint Me a Song: three cycles for three painters.
CASP, the Canadian Art Song Project, regularly undertake ambitious programs to push the possibilities of their medium. To begin tonight’s concert, “Paint Me a Song”, Co-artistic Director Steven...
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Opera: Passion, Power, and Politics
There it all is, everything a boy or girl could want in one headline. Now in fact that’s the title of a big beautiful book that I’ve been reading. And what good is a book if it doesn’t push your...
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Parsifal Bayerische Staatsoper 2018
As a Canadian I regularly see pleasant but undistinguished productions that are enjoyable for some aspects, while leaving me unsatisfied overall. The performance of Parsifal that I watched tonight...
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Kent Monkman—Miss Chief’s Praying Hands
Kent Monkman is back. The show at Project Gallery is only on until September 1st, so see it while you can. In 2017 “Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience” was one of the highlights of the year....
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Han-Na Chang, Javier Perianes: photos from Nick Wons
I have these three great pictures from Nick Wons to add to yesterday’s review of the Toronto Symphony conducted by Han-Na Chang, I figured I’d simply post them this way, which gives them–and him– a bit...
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Attila Keszei in 2018
I’ve written about Attila Keszei a few times including an interview back in 2015. I met him at the University of Toronto, a kindred spirit because We’re both Hungarian We both worked for Facilities...
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Space Opera Zero
When I write about the shows I see I’m sometimes overwhelmed by envy, wishing it were me who’s up there singing or playing. We’re never more alive than when we’re dying onstage. And so I’ll often toss...
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BOUND v. 2: power struggles
Against the Grain Theatre premiered version two of BOUND at The Great Hall on Queen St W or as Joel Ivany called it “an ongoing process”. I didn’t see version 1, and perhaps this summer or next year...
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Pollyanna and the lessons of 2018
In past years my annual review was out in December, but this time it’s later than usual: because I’ve had a real holiday this year, more sleep and more silence than usual, dodging the viruses &...
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The Harlequin Salon
In a week juxtaposing new (21C festival) and old (the Toronto Symphony playing Mozart with Pinchas Zukerman), I came finally to see The Harlequin Salon by Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, including a...
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Old-fashioned Boheme
Tonight was the opening performance of the Canadian Opera Company’s revival of John Caird’s production of La Boheme directed by Katherine M. Carter. As with their earlier return to Atom Egoyan’s Cosi...
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Robert Lepage’s 887 this time
Have you seen Robert Lepage’s 887? This show’s been all over the world. I missed the first Toronto incarnation in 2015 but saw it & raved about it last time, brought to Toronto via Canadian Stage...
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Questions for Dahlia Katz
Dahlia Katz is the Artistic Director of Solar Stage, a director/dramaturg with a lifetime interest in puppets, and a photographer. If I exclude those who get written up in reviews (the...
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Robert Wilson and Turandot
I’ve been reading a bit about Robert Wilson in anticipation of the new Canadian Opera Company Turandot that is to launch the 2019-2020 season at the Four Seasons Centre, a co-production with Teatro...
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Eight Singers Drinking: and Singing
While eight singers may have been drinking eight drinks at 8:00 pm on November 8th no one ate much of anything. (see what I did there?) At first I just thought it was a fun exercise, an excuse for a...
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Nukeface or “what are you looking at”?
I’m in New York to see Nukeface, at the Bodega Gallery in New York. More accurately I’m in New York because it’s a chance to see Zoe Barcza, my daughter. It’s exciting to get to see her and to see her...
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Kent Monkman: Miss Chief Eagle Testickle’s big New York Adventure
Early in the musical documentary film The Last Waltz we see Ronnie Hawkins coming out onto the stage of the Winterland Ballroom. The music begins to play. Hawkins may be a musical legend but he is...
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