Arts Club's Billy Bishop Goes to War

Arts Club's Billy Bishop Goes to War

 

Twenty-Something Theatre
Blue Surge by Rebecca Gilman

Dates and Venue 26 August - 5 September at 8 pm (Tuesday - Sunday) - Previews 24 & 25 August | Studio 16, 1545 W. 7th

Reviewer John Jane

Rebecca Gilman’s clichéd social commentary manages to indulge the audience in an interesting character study but offers little by way of satisfying entertainment. Blue Surge is considered to be one of the playwright’s better works; deriving its title from Duke Ellington's evocatively melancholic Blue Serge played in a minor key and provides an incidental soundtrack through the second act. Full review


Alessandro Juliani and the cast at Bard on the Beach. Photo David Blue.Henry V by William Shakespeare

Dates and Venue 18 July - 24 September 2010, Tues. to Sun. | Douglas Campbell Studio Stage, Under the Tents in Vanier Park

Reviewer Elizabeth Paterson

The boards will be rattling at Bard on the Beach for the rest of the summer with an energetic and exhilarating production of King Henry V. Alessandro Juliani ably leads a cast of 11, possibly the same number of players as Shakespeare’s own company, who play more than 25 parts and range from Duncan Fraser and Bernard Cuffling with years of experience to Joseph Gustafson making his debut as the Boy. Full review

Dean Paul Gibson as Falstaff. Photo David Blue.Falstaff (Henry IV, Parts I & II) by William Shakespeare; adaptation by Errol Durbach

Dates and Venue 1 July - 22 September 2010, Tues. to Sun. | Douglas Campbell Studio Stage, Under the Tents in Vanier Park

Reviewer Jane Penistan

Errol Durbach has taken scenes featuring Falstaff from the two plays of Henry IV together with other scenes of importance to this narrative, and conjoined them into a single play. Linking the disparate pieces Dr. Durbach employs Chorus, as Shakespeare does Rumour in the opening of Henry IV part II, with his own verse. Nor is the Chorus confined to one voice, in various links in this chain many of the company are involved. Full review

Cleopatra (Jennifer Lines), Marc Antony (David Wheeler). Photo: David BlueAntony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare

Dates and Venue 16 June – 24 September, 2010 | Mainstage, Vanier Park

Reviewer Ed Farolan

I wasn't too happy with this production, mainly because I felt the roles were miscast. After seeing actors like Marlon Brando and Richard Burton play Marc Antony, I found it quite difficult to see a middle-aged, bearded and bald-headed actor (Andrew Wheeler) assume this supposedly "sexy" role. Likewise, I didn't really see any fireworks in the love scenes between him and Cleopatra. After seeing Elizabeth Taylor and other seductive Cleopatras playing this Nile queen, I couldn't see any resemblance or anything close to a Cleopatra in Jennifer Lines. Full review

 

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

Dates and Venue 3 June - 25 September 2010, Tues. thru Sun., 8pm | Mainstage Tent, Vanier Park

Reviewer John Jane

Bard on the Beach opened its 21st Shakespeare festival with one of the immortal Bard’s most entertaining comedies, Much Ado About Nothing; the first of four productions that can be seen at Vanier Park. (Antony and Cleopatra, Falstaff and Henry V will follow throughout the summer). Full review