“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.”

“And what of this Toronto premiere production? For me, it was hit and miss. I so desperately wanted to feel a thorough connection for the two hours, but I didn’t.”

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. “

“‘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.”

“Some plot elements from ‘Girl from the North Country’ need to be fleshed out further as there are nineteen members in the cast, and some of the backstories need closure or further addressing. This element does not destroy this wonderful company’s exhibition of true ensemble performance perfection for the stirring renditions of Dylan’s songs.”

“‘Piaf/Dietrich’ offers captivating and jaw-dropping performances by Louise Pitre and Jayne Lewis as the famed chanteuses cabaret singers who form a loyal friendship and, for a brief while, became lovers while living in America.”

“To watch ‘The Crucible’ is not an easy feat by any means as it is emotional, it is nerve wracking, it is horrifying, and it is uplifting.”

“One strength of this production lies in the terrific ensemble work, especially where the cast utilizes dramatic, silent pauses forcefully. After seeing this opening night performance, I was reminded once again just how powerful silence can be on stage when it is timed nicely.”

“I really wanted to walk away from ‘The Book of Life’ a tad more hopeful as Ms. Katese speaks about the fact she focused on maintaining her Book of Life intact during this turmoil and strife.”

At three hours and forty-five minutes, ‘The Front Page’ maintains that solid comic through line necessary to sustain interest. Great fun. Try to catch it if you can.

There are no easy answers in this play as my guest and I were talking quite a bit on the train ride home later about behaviours of adults who are wronged and who have been wronged, and the moral implications involved. 

Just over three hours long, ‘Birds of a Kind’ demanded close attention be paid as it was easy to get lost if you don’t have a background in Middle East Palestinian conflicts. My attention wandered as so much information was given that I began to lose track of specific relationships the characters had with each other.

Soulpepper is tackling French playwright Yasmina Reza’s 1994 play, ‘Art’, which was translated by Christopher Hampton and has been very successful in its productions in London’s West End, on Broadway, and elsewhere.