By Jesse Keith
Towering stilt walkers and thirteen foot beasts lumber through Bankers Hall behind a procession of dancing lanterns. Imps from the Czech Republic soar through the Epcor Centre, while John Cusak’s puppet from Being John Malkovich twists free of his bounds in his display case at the Stride Gallery. This gathering of unique and surreal forms… Continue reading Theatre Preview: The puppets have arrived
By Jason Paul
Remember that girl in high school with the jet black hair, the Black Flag T-shirt and the worn out Chuck Taylor’s? Maybe she quietly worked in the library and read Maximumrocknroll and Hunter S. Thompson? If your fantasy girl ever fit this description, chances are the Suicide Girls have recruited her. Once an ambivalent party… Continue reading Theatre Review: Suicide Girl ignite the High Performance Rodeo
One Yellow Rabbit’s High Performance Rodeo is well-known for its provocative offerings but on the surface level, Faithless appears to be somewhat subdued. Armed with only two chairs and a blanket, performers and co-writers Christopher Craddock and Steve Pirot are left to their own devices to create a sincere and engaging show. But the simplicity… Continue reading Theatre Preview: Faithless still get after life
Gay issues were a continuous source of controversy in the media, courts and over water coolers for the past several years. At the forefront of court battles across the country are gay marriages, while lobby groups nip at politicians to increase and expose inequality issues for the gay community. It seems everyone has something to… Continue reading Theatre Preview: Laugh and learn with the Stand Up Homo
From Catholics to Protestants, the Irish to the English, no one is safe. Forget the animosity between the groups, grudges embedded in their history like the stench of stale beer caked on to knickers after a bender. Belfast theatre troupe Ridiculusmus has arrived to bring their askew sense of humor to One Yellow Rabbit’s High… Continue reading Theatre Preview: That’s Riddiculusmus!
A sausage can be many things. Usually we think of this processed-beyond-the-point-of-recognition meat as food, but in extreme circumstances it can be used to escape rabid German Sheppards chasing you, or an impromptu fake microphone for some romantic crooning–you just need a little imagination. Apparently a sausage can also be a gun, or at least… Continue reading Theatre Preview: Suicide now funny
By Jeff Kubik
For six years, Ground Zero’s 10 Minute Play Festival has brought together Calgary’s up-and-coming theatre companies before the assembled audiences of the High Performance Rodeo. Given a playwright, a prop and a line of dialogue (this year’s theme: George Bush’s dyslexic aphorisms), each company has 24 hours to prepare a new production.This year, the Big… Continue reading Theatre Review: 10 minutes of delight
Imagine travelling from Calgary to Arizona. Non-stop for five days. With your grandfather. Doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, does it? But what about a play about just that, performed by two men sitting on lawn chairs for 80 minutes with an imaginary steering wheel. Don’t worry, while Mesa may be based on this… Continue reading Theatre Review: Mee’sa needs’a see Mesa, mista
She stands defiantly in beige nylon support stockings, a floral print dress and orthopedic shoes. Horn-rimmed glasses hide a determination apparent when she talks of doing Christmas the “Kan-a-dad-ian” way–roasting herself a turkey and eating it with cranberry sauce. This woman is Ivanka and she is back in Calgary for Christmas, bringing the gift of… Continue reading Theatre Preview: Ivanka laughs so hard she tinkles
By Jaime Burnet
Don’t think since you know the movie or the novelization, you don’t have to see the show. The enrapturing quality of The Old Trouts Pinocchio is such that, until you’ve seen it, you can’t begin to conceive of what you missed. Once this realization sets in, you will be glad you spent the night at… Continue reading Theatre Review: ATP’s Pinocchio a magical delight