The only reason that I can come up with for why there were only a handful of people at Adult Entertainment last night was that Monday is traditionally a dark day in the theatre. However, there’s no excuse for why this show shouldn’t be playing to packed houses for the rest of its run. The […]
Theatre
Posted inArts + Music
Kate Watson’s top fringe picks
Choosing what to see at the Atlantic Fringe Festival is no easy task. Previous years have offered polished gems, diamonds in the rough and stones that should never have been unearthed. But since they’re all offered at practically dollar-store prices, you can’t go wrong. Here are a few of my top picks: Chug The Economy […]
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Fringe review: Beyond the Road Less Gravelled
Ah, the staple of fringe festivals: the one-man show. A solo show gives audiences the chance to spend an hour or so with one character, learning the deep, dark secrets of a life. If done well, this can be entertaining and enlightening. But in the wrong hands, a one-man show is as much fun as […]
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Fringe review: The unexpected pleasure of CHUG
The pleasure of watching the dancers of SINS (Sometime in Nova Scotia) perform their contemporary dance piece CHUG amongst the patrons at the Economy Shoe Shop is doubled by watching the reactions of the audience. As the gracefully athletic trio sprawl across the bar or chase each other playfully around tables and up steps, people […]
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Fringe review: J-Tel Presents…a fun family show
I am a sucker for talented young people, and I have a thing for folk music, so the awkwardly titled J-Tel Presents…Canadian Folk Songs Super-Hits Sound Explosion seemed like it would be right up my alley. I was not disappointed! This show is a clever satire of both infomercials and the “raise a perfect child” […]
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Fringers get so lucky in Love
To the casual observer, Garry Williams and Amy Reitsma appear breezy and calm as they sit down at a Barrington Street cafe on a sunny afternoon. Reitsma smiles and sips coffee, while Williams orders carrot cake. This all seems fairly innocuous until the pair reveal that they are in the midst of writing, preparing and […]
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Boo’s journey from Facebook to stage
Ask actor-writer Charlie Rhindress about the meaning of the title of Boo, his solo show at the Atlantic Fringe Festival, and he’ll give you multiple answers. “Actually Boo was my nickname growing up, as in ‘Boo-boo,’” he says, explaining with good-natured candour that he was an unexpected pregnancy for his young mother. “And it’s also […]
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Hali Slam’s hard words
After every haircut at Phat’s barbershop, I’m assured that this haircut will get me laid. I feel that’s much more likely if I go to the Halifax Slam Poetry fundraiser, Oral Tradition, hosted by Picnicface members Brian MacQuarrie and Bill Wood. “Tired of sitting at home touching yourself?” asks Stephanie Lent, sex poet and Hali […]
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Fringe Festival Preview
Nothing says early September like costumed actors on Argyle Street trying to lure you into darkened theatres, equipped only with charm and lovingly designed flyers. It’s no cult: it’s the Atlantic Fringe Festival, which runs from September 3 to 13 at five venues around town. There are over 25 productions this year—you’ve got your comedies […]
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The Bard’s CSI
Good news. If you’re tired of those SVU and CSI summer reruns but really need a fix of blood, sex and madness, Shakespeare by the Sea’s Macbeth is the perfect answer. The production literally drips with blood and crackles with energetic sword fights. Genevieve Steele as Lady Macbeth wields sex as handily as the men […]
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Opera Excerpts a crowd pleaser
If you’re not sure that opera’s really your thing, I can’t think of a better way to whet your appetite than Halifax Summer Opera Workshop’s Opera Excerpts. The program, which takes pieces from different types of opera from baroque to modern, has something to please almost everyone. Some things, such as the Green-Acres-esque marital misunderstanding […]
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Stop Kiss goes slow
While the process of falling in love is infinitely exciting and engrossing to the people involved, the Open Concept production of Stop Kiss proves that is much less so to outside observers. The play is actually two intercut storylines: one about a pair of seemingly straight women, Callie (Annie Valentina) and Sara (Kristin Langille), and […]
