After 15 years in London, England as Editor to a lifestyle mag and Communications Consultant, Jennifer returned to Canada, making Ottawa her new Capital City and Apt613 her outlet for arty opinions. An avid people watcher and conversation eavesdropper, Jennifer remains delighted to have her writing derided, mocked and shouted-down in equal measure.
Apt613 checked out the menu at the latest British invasion in the Byward Market. Opened in early 2016, The Red Lion takes over the prime corner at Clarence and Parent previously occupied by Empire. With a soon to be heaving patio we chose an early weeknight evening to explore the atmosphere and pub fare on […]
Apt613 caught up with musician and visual artist Claudia Salguero in the run up to Cantares, her 6th annual Latin Jazz concert at the National Arts Centre. A collaborative multi-cultural effort, Salguero will present a range of hand-picked Latin Jazz songs and be joined on stage by 10 musicians from nine different countries including: Peru, […]
Les Belles Soeurs is Michel Tremblay’s most frequently produced and translated play. Alive with caustic joual-speaking women its strong matriarchal themes fairly rocked Quebec society in the late 60’s. Tremblay ignited controversy with his use of low-brow dialect, mockery of the restrictive grip of the church and his straightforward presentation of disillusioned, pining working class […]
Apartment 613 spoke with conductor and Night at the Cotton Club co-creator Jeff Tyzik at his home in New York. With Night at the Cotton Club, Jeff Tyzik promises to take Ottawa back in time to a Harlem sparkling with the top entertainers of the 1920s and 30s. The gifted guest conductor will take the […]
The story needs little introduction, so familiar is the iconic 1965 film version of Rodger & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. So the question at last night’s packed opening was could this version begin to approach the crowd-pleasing experience associated to its famous legacy? Set in Salzberg, Austria (oddly […]
Cameron Carpenter is not your grandmother’s organist. A far cry from the pious image frequently associated with the “church’s instrument”, the mohawked and diamanté styled Carpenter smashes any attempt to typecast while his virtuoso composer-performer talents dazzle the uninitiated and authorities alike. Inspired at the tender age of 4 by images of silent-movie organ-playing accompanists, […]
Miscegenation (noun): the interbreeding of people considered to be of different racial types. Sarah Waisvisz travels a murky, muddled and miss-remembered heritage in Monstrous a world premiere performance at undercurrents that blends storytelling to dance in Waisvisz search for cultural belonging. Premiering during Black History Month this work comes at an opportune moment offering insight […]
Fringe theatre by its very name explores characters and topics frequently marginalized. Getting to Room Temperature adheres to this tradition in Arthur Milner’s one-man show recounting the struggles that accompany the decline and death of his mother Rose. Based on Milner’s experience with his mother Rose’s death the work was inspired by her pursuit of […]
Once upon a time, a girl born in an undesirable country meets a boy from the land of freedom and opportunity: and so begins the not-so-fairy-tale journey of Matchstick in Nathan Howe’s beautifully inventive musical-narrative that stitches enchanting storytelling to heart-stopping reality. Young Matchstick (Lauren Holfeuer) leaves behind a traumatic childhood moving to her uncle’s […]
Anne & Gilbert: The Musical has swept in to Ottawa in time for the holiday season and, not being a committed Anne of Green Gables nor family-friendly-format aficionado, the challenge set was whether without subject enthusiasm this piece could entertain as a one-off night at the theatre. The story follows Lucy Maud Montgomery’s eponymous flame-haired […]
A play featuring a breakdown in communication, first-hand accounts of the exile from the Garden of Eden and other misadventures is rich fodder no matter where your audience stands on questions of theology. However Arthur Miller’s The Creation of the World and other Business has historically been a challenge to stage and this production proves […]
Set in a northern UK town Jim Cartwright’s Two features Michelle LeBlanc and Richard Gelinas in not only the roles of husband and wife publicans, but also as the dozen or so characters that pop in for a drink over the course of an evening down the pub. This inventive two-hander opens with the landlord […]
Freezing, the family friendly holiday production at The Gladstone Theatre, embraces an inventive plot line steering away from the movie loosely echoed in the title. Familiarity bred anticipations and comfort, with many young girls in attendance decked out in their finest Anna and Elsa gear, while original storytelling guaranteed the production was no poor man’s […]
The Perils of Persephone pits a crafty rural farm family against the bureaucratic devious machinations of government spin doctors in the latest amateur theatre offering from Ottawa’s Little Theatre. Playing in a government town this amusing comedy had resonance with its audience on opening night. Still ironing out some first-night jitters the production clearly appealed […]
Heading in to David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross one wonders if The Avalon Studio production will compare favourably to the excellent movie version with Jack Lemmon, Alan Arkin & Al Pacino. Be assured, this is no poor cousin but a relentlessly vicious and vital theatrical experience of Mamet’s world of shady salesmen and dark deeds. […]
