Theatre

The stage almost crackles with energy in the opening scenes of Educating Rita. When the titular character (Andrea Lee Norwood) bursts into the sanctuary of the brilliant but boozy professor Frank (Todd Duckworth), it’s as if a fresh wind has blown in. She prances and questions, provokes and teases. It’s a star-making role played by […]

Lysistrata is unlike any other piece of theatre I’ve seen: It takes the powerful outdoor setting and palpable actor chemistry that Two Planks and a Passion has become known for and adds some unexpectedly adolescent humour. Aristophanes’ tale of a war-ending sex strike where the women use both what’s between their ears and legs to […]

What do you get when you take a strange and brilliant piece of writing and put it in the creative hands of a strange and brilliant group of theatre artists? Shakespeare by the Sea’s Alice in Wonderland, of course! This production will leave you grinning like the Cheshire Cat (played by Sébastian Labelle, whose manic […]

I’m always amazed when I meet someone who’s never been to Shakespeare By the Sea. It seems crazy to miss out such a delightful part of a Halifax summer. And for those unfortunate people, Merry Wives of Windsor is the perfect starting point. It’s SBTS at its finest: funny, clever, accessible and joyful. The plot […]

Someone accused me of liking every play I see (not true!), so I’m afraid you won’t believe when I say the TAG production of the Canadian-born, Tony Award-winning The Drowsy Chaperone is really, really great. Well, your loss if you don’t believe me. The greatness begins with Sherri Bezanson in the role of the musical […]

Wit’s End Theatre’s production, Science Inaction: A Love Story, doesn’t shy away from laughs or scientific theories. by Veronica Simmonds “Funny theatre gets short shrift sometimes,” Griffin McInnes says as he sits in the depths of the King’s College Pit. Beside him, a wall of televisions looms large as the centrepiece of McInnes’ latest creation, […]

You know you’ve got a hit on your hands when the laughter is as long, loud and frequent as it was the other night at the Dartmouth Players’ production of A Flea in Her Ear. This “French romp” was written in 1907, but proves great farce is funny in any era. First-time director Mike Tobin […]

What do you get when you combine a dysfunctional family, a bad family dinner, daytime TV and a cooking show in one? No, it’s not the Kardashians—it’s Domestic Train Wreck. This original piece written by and starring Melanie Bennet celebrates and critiques the role of the housewife by examining three generations of women through excerpts […]

Uniformly chaotic and elegantly deconstructed—these oxymorons piece together the concepts inspiring Rebecca Lazier’s out-of-the-box choreography style. Originally from Halifax, Lazier is the choreographer and artistic director for Terrain Dance Company in New York City, and they’re performing two of their pieces at the Scotia Festival of Music. “Artistically, the chance to collaborate with Scotia Fest […]

Tax return jokes? You can count on it. Two things are certain in life: laughter and taxes. Yup, we’re pretty sure we got that expression right. We just finished our tax returns, and boy, was it a nostalgic trip. After all, Wit’s End has been around for about two years now, give or take. We’ve […]

On the cusp of its 19th birthday, Eastern Front Theatre is facing an identity crisis. Once known as “Dartmouth’s theatre company,” EF has moved its offices and theatre space across the harbour to new digs in the Neptune Theatre space. EF’s new artistic producer Charlie Rhindress thinks he’s found a solution. He’d like Eastern Front […]