Lucy Baker
theatre critic / freelance journalist
Category: Uncategorized
-
More Than Just Soccer: uOttawa’s Production of The Wolves
Being a teenage girl is hard. Like, super hard. Everything is embarrassing, devastating, and heart-breaking, and every little thing is literally the end of the world. The Wolves, by Sarah DeLappe, tells the story of an all-girls indoor soccer team in the throes of teenagehood, for better or for worse. The play’s titular soccer team, Read.
-
“Fate goes ever as fate must”: GCTC’s production of Beowulf in Afghanistan
Media about war stories have been done before – some may say they’ve been overdone. So then, what makes Beowulf in Afghanistan different? For starters, instead of just showing the audience how the war happens, it shows the audience why the war happens, or, to a greater extent, why any war happens. Beowulf in Afghanistan Read.
-
uOttawa’s The Ogreling: an Honest (but failed) Attempt to Rewrite the Reputation of Ogres
Simon thinks he’s a normal kid, albeit a little big for a six-year-old. However, when Simon starts school, he begins to realize that he’s different from all the other kids – bigger, stronger, and with a taste for blood. The truth comes out: Simon, like his absent father, is an ogre, and everyone knows an Read.
-
Andrew Scott in Sea Wall: an Emotionally Harrowing Performance
At first glance, Sea Wall, written by Simon Stephens and directed by Stephens and Andrew Porter, does not visually amount to much. It’s set in a cluttered studio, with only one camera angle, and Andrew Scott, dressed in a plain outfit of jeans and a polo, turns on the camera himself. However, in a short Read.
-
Fresh Meat: Real Life, Real Stories, Really Fun
Fresh Meat defines itself as “Ottawa’s playground for theatre makers.” The festival promises to provide a platform for local up-and-coming and established artists to showcase their ideas in front of an audience. Fresh Meat plays must meet only one criteria – the plays must be new and never before seen – ‘fresh meat.’ Theatre is Read.
-
St. Elsewhere: All of the Fine Dining, None of the Animal Suffering
Finding vegan alternatives has never been easier than it is now. As more and more people make the swap to plant-based diets, the variety of options available in the grocery store is constantly expanding. However, even in these modern times, fully vegan restaurants are few and far between. St. Elsewhere is looking to fill that Read.
-
Rom-Com Bombs: OLT’s Romantic Comedy
Romantic Comedy, put on by the Ottawa Little Theatre, promised to provide just that: romance and comedy. However, the OLT should perhaps consider renaming their production Humdrum Tragedy – a far more apt name. Unfortunately, this show missed the mark on just about all counts. From dreary, unflattering costumes, to a simplistic and underwhelming set, Read.
-
Annoyance, exasperation, irritation, resentment, rage, fury, wrath, and aggravation: The GCTC’s The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine
Small and unusual, or cozy and quirky? Ugly sweater, or nice jacket? Tissue box on the fridge, or on the table? These are just some of the trials and tribulations faced in The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine. It features two freshly married hopeless romantics, Ernest (Drew Moore) and Ernestine (Maryse Fernandes), as they move Read.
-
When Worlds Collide and Intertwine: NAC’s The First Metis Man of Odesa
What does a Stanislavski-method trained Ukrainian actress, and a perpetually single Metis playwright have in common? If you said, ‘not a lot!’, think again. Sometimes worlds collide, and opposites attract. The First Metis Man of Odesa chronicles the adventure of a Ukrainian woman from Odesa, Masha (Mariya Khomutova) and a Metis man from Edmonton, Matt Read.
Lucy Baker 