Exciting theatre news! Ottawa’s favourite indie theatre festival is returning live and in person this spring. Undercurrents: theatre below the mainstream will run from April 20–30 at Arts Court.
Colin Noden: “SadClown is not a self-indulgent depressive. She’s trying. She’s hopeful that the next thing that comes her way will be life-transforming. Diving right in and giving it her all can get pretty messy. But she’s willing to give it a go.”
Colin Noden: “I’m preparing for my editor’s wrath and red pen. But it was worth leaving with a fond remembrance. I’m thinking of eating a triple pepper pizza just to induce some Triptych dreams tonight.
Barb Popel: “This is a remarkable play… A must-see at this year’s Fringe.”
Barb Popel: “A Toast to Prohibition is a delightful musical full of champagne sparkle.”
Colin Noden: “Every member of the audience who sees this play will leave with a different life-changing phrase stuck in their heads.”
Colin Noden: “This is a powerful play. It is not a preachy play. It asks no questions and gives no answers. It shares an eternal experience in a visceral way.’
Livia Belcea: “From the limitations of the ageing body to the pain of seeing all your loved ones disappear, to the isolation seniors feel due to generational gaps or simply because they live alone or far from their families, Old Fart 2021 tactfully weaves difficult elements into a cheerful and relatable narrative.”
Broadway Friends Forever: “Michelle invites you into her story and is very funny, but does share some dark moments with the audience. A one-woman (ish) show, Cabaret-zy is much like an intimate conversation with a friend.”
Livia Belcea: “This play is uncontestably funny and original, and works because both performers are talented, creative, and incredibly committed to their roles, but there was an obscureness about the play that confused me rather than engaged me.”
Laura Gauthier and Samara Caplan: “With a small ensemble and simple staging filmed with COVID precautions in place (the actors wear masks when singing, but thanks to a great microphone setup they do not come through muffled), the virtual production is done quite well.”
Brian Carroll: “If you just want some yuks, spend your cash elsewhere. But if you like plays where you have to work at understanding what’s going on, shell out your money and take a chance.”
Colin Noden: “Insightful, intriguing, and authentic, told in a pain-soaked hilarious way. It’s a tale of a special childhood that is also every secret childhood.”
Livia Belcea: “W-YRD’s plot is not original, and I was skeptical about how a musical with a cast of seven performers, each in a different location, could be pulled off in a virtual format, but this show is a success and a must-see!”
Prohibition wasn’t all gangsters and hatchet ladies—though there was definitely lots of that! A Toast to Prohibition looks at the average folks going the extra mile to get a drink during that dry era.
