Monthly Archives: June 2012

French Without Tears

Posted on June 28, 2012 by cathyriggall

Another piece of fluff, this time by Terence Rattigan. It was amusing but unmemorable. I did think that given the abundance of French immersion classes for civil servants in this country, the setting could have been changed and the politics … Continue reading →

Posted in Shaw 2012 | 1 Comment

Ragtime

Posted on June 28, 2012 by cathyriggall

We did not plan to see this musical, but it was hot outside, the theatre was cool and we kept hearing how great it was, so we went. A wise decision as it turned out, as Jackie Maxwell did a … Continue reading →

Posted in Shaw 2012, Thom Allison | 1 Comment

Present Laughter

Posted on June 28, 2012 by cathyriggall

Noel Coward fluff, but good fluff. The characters are charming, even when they are behaving badly. Steven Sutcliffe was great as Garry Essendine, Claire Julien was his match as Liz Essendine. mary Haney gave a restrained performance as the long … Continue reading →

Posted in Claire Julien, Shaw 2012, Steven Sutcliffe | 2 Comments

His Girl Friday

Posted on June 28, 2012 by cathyriggall

Not ready for prime time! A good cast, an amusing play, but not a good production. It seemed that director Jim Mezon could not decide if he was directing a farce, a melodrama or a romantic comedy, as elements of … Continue reading →

Posted in Benedict Campbell, Nichole Underhay, Shaw 2012 | 1 Comment

Frankenstein

Posted on June 28, 2012 by cathyriggall

Another brilliant production from the National Theatre, Live. The concept of alternating performances, with Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller playing both the monster and Frankenstein, was sufficiently interesting to overcome the bad memories of a Canstage production from a … Continue reading →

Posted in benedict Cumberbatch, danny Boylr, Jonny Lee Miller, National Theatre | 1 Comment

The Matchmaker

Posted on June 3, 2012 by cathyriggall

What fun! A tremendous performance to finish opening week on a high note. Director Chris Abraham took full advantage of the comedic talents of his cast, adding tremendous physical comedy to the amusing dialogue of Thornton Wilder. This could have … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrea Runge, Cara Ricketts, Josh Epstein, Mike Sharra, Nora McLellan, Seana McKenna, Stratford 2012, Tom McCamus, Victor Dolhai | 1 Comment

Cymbeline

Posted on June 3, 2012 by cathyriggall

Wonderful, amazing, brilliant, fabulous – all are adjectives that came to mind during and after this show! There are many reasons this play is not frequently performed. The plot is complicated; it is difficult to describe what it is about … Continue reading →

Posted in Cara Ricketts, Graham Abbey, Mike Sharra, Stratford 2012, Tom McCamus | 1 Comment

Much Ado About Nothing

Posted on June 3, 2012 by cathyriggall

The official opening night production of the Festival’s 60th season featured knock out performances by Ben Carlson and Deborah Hay as Benedick and Beatrice. Both actors have the ability to speak Shakespeare’s words so clearly that you don’t miss a … Continue reading →

Posted in Ben Carlson, Deborah Hay, Stratford 2012 | 1 Comment

Forty Second Street

Posted on June 3, 2012 by cathyriggall

I love tap dancing and fabulous costumes, so how could I not like this show? and I did like it, but I still had a feeling that even a great production could not disguise the fact that it seemed dated … Continue reading →

Posted in Stratford 2012 | Leave a comment

The Real World?

Posted on June 3, 2012 by cathyriggall

Michel Tremblay again deals with family secrets and the resulting family dynamics. Who knows what, who tells what and what are the consequences when no one says anything? This production had, as usual at Tarragon, a stellar cast with Mathew … Continue reading →

Posted in Matthew Edison, Michel Tremblay, Tarragon 2012 | 1 Comment