He said/She said: a tale of two Messiahs

Review

Herr Handel was welcomed to the stage with all the flair and fervour of the biggest glam-rock superstar. It was heartening to see that kind of reaction. After a few housekeeping announcements disguised as a sketch with Handel, The Earl of Sandwich (apparently it's important to know that it's pronounced ['samɪtʃ]), and a silver tray of what I later found out to be actual turkey sandwiches, we had a quick warm-up and were off to the races.

In review: The (reimagined) Winter's Tale

Review

Hovering somewhere between medieval inspiration and abstract improvisation, Kim Ashton's music served as evocative incidental music, offering subtext and commentary in what felt like a live version of a film score. With admirable listening skills, the quartet played from memory, removing one more barrier that can separate the audience from the creative process.

In review: Scenes from the End

Review

"Over the past few years, I have experienced grief. It's impossible to rationally 'describe' your experience of grief because death is absurd," writes Werner in her performer's notes. "When you lose someone, you find yourself surrounded by people who never talk to you about it - not in person anyway - because they simply can't. Or, if they think they can, it quickly becomes unhelpful and patronising, in a weird sort of way."

In review: Il trovatore at ROH

Review

First performed in 1853, just after Rigoletto and just before La traviata, Il trovatore gives unfortunate talking points to those who may say that opera plots are silly. There's the "I burned the wrong baby" bit, the "it's too dark to tell who I'm hugging" bit, and there are all the opera-esque moments of oddly-timed shock and rage.

In review: Manon Lescaut at ROH

Review

There are 21st-century women who are pressured by their parents into a life they don't choose, yet being sent to a convent is arguably more period-specific. Rich people get to enjoy private entertainment; yet a troupe of minstrels showing up in someone's bedroom is of another time. And while there's a theatrical trope of a chorus who comments on the actions of a main character, it's harder to believe a hoarde of people at a casino have turned their attention away from gambling, to Manon's outsmarting of her would-be abductors.

Loose TEA raises funds for radical new vision of Bizet's Carmen

Review

Viau's new take on the story has John already married to Michaela who comes and pleads for his return home for the sake of their kids, as opposed to his mother in the original. Ricardo is an investment banker ready to support Carmen in her dream of opening her own watering hole in exchange for her feminine charms. John is infatuated with Carmen, as she treats him like he's still a human being - something he doesn't recognize in others after two violent turns in Afghanistan.

In review: Naomi's Road

Review

As Canadians, we pride ourselves on our acceptance of others, our inclusivity, and our concern for the well-being of others - but our record is not unblemished. There have been many missteps and atrocities committed by Canadians from which we can't shy away. Especially now, when we see who's running for the leadership of one of Canada's major political parties. We can not let ourselves go back to a time when stories like the one I saw tonight were happening.

In review: Les contes d'Hoffmann

Review

His Hoffmann was strapping, sexy, and desperate, and his open-throated, silvery sound was utterly thrilling. He sang with an extraordinary range of colour, and he took us through the vocal evolution of Hoffmann, as he accumulates more and more emotional baggage from his failed affairs.

In review: Glory Denied

Review

The work questions the perspective of emotional trauma, and whose is the most devastating? Is it enduring a prison camp for years only to return to an unrecognizable life? Is it enduring a different kind of prison-like solitude, guilt when one's life's work isn't enough? Nashville Opera's production of Glory Denied, fittingly opened on Veterans' Day, is now one of only five or six full productions of the opera.

In review: Ayre

Review

This wasn't just "Miriam sings beautifully," she brought us in and told us stories of life, danger, heartbreak, violence, and love. Miriam is - and always was - a flawless singer, but her acting in this show was unparalleled. Sensitive, candid, visceral, and dedicated to truth - all the things I crave in a theatrical performance.