The odd thing about the songs in this opening night production is that not one of them has a catchy hook to it that will have you humming the song as you leave the theatre, yet most of the songs work well in their own context for the sake of story development and/or projecting the emotional impact of a situation.

A beautiful evening of Christmas music was delivered to December 15 by The Toronto Consort in the acoustically wonderful Jeanne Lamon Hall at Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre in Toronto… The heart of this evening’s fare was a grand telling of the Christmas Story by seventeenth century German composer Heinrich Schutz.

This inventive production closely follows the storied work of Charles Dickens, with a few unique adjustments to add just enough freshness.  Appropriate for a family audience, it is a great new way to get into the Christmas spirit(s.)

It’s difficult for me to say that I enjoyed ‘A Million Billion Pieces’ because there’s a lot to digest about what Love stands for in this 70-minute production.

If anyone needs another suggestion for a “practically perfect” gift this holiday season, give the joy of live theatre. Get your tickets quickly as I truly believe this ‘Mary Poppins’ will sell out soon.

If this youthful, vibrant touring company is any indication at this opening night, ‘Cats’ still has a long life ahead of it, and audiences will continue to ‘let the memory live again’ even thirty years later.

Burkett kept wiping his forehead and brow as the nearly two-hour show is quite a workout for him. But I was in awe of his formidable stamina …

When a play took my breath away and gave me goosebumps mere minutes into the opening night performance, I knew I was in for something special.

“Burgeoning into ‘the ribald’ with a dash of ‘the raunchy’, ‘The Unconventional Holiday Revue’ cast gifts us some unconventional holiday fun ranging from Justin Trudeau’s brown face to Don Cherry’s infamous ‘you people’ which still baffles me why there is this continued interpretation on social media sites.”

“What a joy to see a show specifically geared to children and their families. And what a gift to give yourselves and your families this Christmas/holiday season.”

“This is not the whimsical song of rose-cheeked von Trapp children skipping over mountains escaping Nazis.  Christopher Morris and Daniel Brooks’ project is a harsh and blinding invasion of hypocrisy – the audience is not meant to be comforted.”

Mr. MacIvor came across as personable, witty, intelligent, articulate and sensitive during the talk back. I liked that portion very much.

Did I gain any further insight into the play?  I wished I had.

Conductor David Fallis beautifully guided the diverse orchestra right from the luscious overture.  As majestic as the music was, it was also entertaining to see some playful banter between Fallis and some of the artists on stage.

An impromptu question and answer period for students from London Ontario’s Western University (my alma mater) thankfully provided much needed information for me to appreciate Daniel David Moses’ “Almighty Voice and His Wife”. The text is challenging

“Ghost Quartet’ was eerie, surreal, ethereal, puzzling, captivating and beautiful.” It was an auditory and visual experience of the highest degree for me, indeed thanks to the intimate setting of the studio theatre setting.”

“‘The Mush Hole’ is heartbreaking, astonishing and beautiful. Much like we know and remember about the Holocaust and what happened during World War 2, I was brutally reminded of seeing this production that we here in Canada had our own Holocaust. “

“Montrealer Alexandria Haber has written an extremely complex two-hander play about the process of grief and death, and how we are able to move forward.”

“‘Trout Stanley’ is worth a look especially to see wonderfully solid performances from the three characters.”

“The conflicts in the play overlap commentary on economics with the complexities of generational gaps and racial overtones. This may sound overly ambitious and, at times, it was.”

“Soulpepper’s rendition is a careening tsunami.  It begins with a joyous peach sun hat and drifts unyielding into madness.”