November Wrap

I hope that November was as glorious for you as it was for me. Along with the record-breaking weather we had here in Toronto (first time ever with no snow), there seemed to be an abundance of things to do in this city.




The arts were blooming this month and I am glad that I was able to continue bringing you arts via the airwaves thanks to people like Golan who made a donation to TmTm and became a member of CIUT 89.5 FM. I had a chance to meet this brand new TmTm listener at our main studio in the Map Room at Hart House when he came to pick up the exclusive show prize package that he won by donating to my show (I did a TmTm Member's Only draw).
Golan is representative of many listeners who are interested in the arts but not sure where to start. The exciting thing I learned about him is that he is willing to try new things. I plan to have Golan on the show to share the experiences he will have attending the many plays in his winner's package. Golan is also hoping that he will be the grand prize winner of this e-bike, but that draw isn't until December 21st. Good luck to Golan and everyone who became a member during CIUT'S Fall Friends of 89.5 Campaign.

I attending the Opening Night of The Toxic Avenger Musical (on Halloween, of course), and it was everything that I expected: subversively funny, musically delightful, and and entertaining! Based on the cult movie of the same name, this musical is about a nerd who is transformed into a toxic superhero after being dumped in some very noxious New Jersey waste, but don't despair folks, because Toxie beats the bad guys (including a conniving mayor played by Louise Pitre) and wins the heart of his blind, librarian/authoress girlfriend.

I hope you had a chance to hear my chat with Jamie McKnight (White Dude) and Darren A. Herbert (Black Dude). As I mentioned during that broadcast, I couldn't really call it an interview since these to guys are so good at riffing off each other. The two have great chemistry despite the fact that they had never worked together previously (Jamie hails from Scarborough and Darren lives in Vancouver). As Black Dude and White Dude they play over 25 characters between them (there's only 5 cast members and close to 30 characters), making up the bulk of the New Jersey populace fleshing out this bizarre story. The Toxic Avenger Musical runs until January (hopefully longer so these guys have more of a chance to show off their talents) at the Danforth Music Hall.

Unlke Avenger, a few plays I manged to see had very limited run. Yellowman starring the extra-ordinary Ordena and a new face on the stage for me, Dean Marshall. This play by Dael Orlandersmith probes the issue of "shadism" as it relates in particular to the Gullah community of South Carolina; the theme however is a universal one to which many cultures can relate.

Don't miss the opportunity to see 3 one-act French plays at the Théâtre français de Toronto (TFT). Don't speak French? No need to worry. TFT has surtitled performances in English! Yep, so no excuses to stay home. Get out of the house and go see 3 plays in one evening: two fabulous plays by Martin-David Peters and a Haitian family-themed play by Djennie Laguerre. Peters' play The Servant (Le Domestique) is a about the servant-mistress dymanics while the provactively titled Black People are Happy (Les Noirs son heureux) will have you laughing as one couple's temperament is explored. Having first seen the English version of Rendez-vous with Home at Summerworks, I am looking forward to see the French and Creole version the play featuring writer/actress, Djennie Laguerre. Laguerre plays the role of two sisters on their way back home to Haiti for the funeral of the father they did not know. One sister sees this as a vacation while the other wonders about the relatives she barely remembers. This diverse francophone trio runs Dec. 2 - Dec. 12th. Surtiled performance dates are Dec. 3, 4, 9, and 12th so buy your tickets NOW! 416-534-6604

Photo Credit: all photos by donna g; TFT poster courtesy of Théâtre français de Toronto

Adam Seelig's TALKING MASKS Opens in Toronto

(R-L) Actors Jane Miller & Cathy Murphy; n/a; Dimitris Azemopoulos, the Consul General of Greece in Toronto; actor Richard Harte; playwright/director, Adam Seelig; Anna Shepelevich of the Greek Consulate; Efstratia Karagrigoriou, Greek Consulate Cultural & Educational Affairs Officer.

Playwright/director, Adam Seelig's brand new work opened to a packed house at the Walmer Centre Theatre on Friday, Nov. 13th. Talking Masks (Oedipussy)--yep, you read those parenthetical words correctly-is Sophocles' Oedipus Rex meets the story of Isaac and Ishmael as birthed by Seelig, founder of "North America's only theatre company devoted to modern and contemporary poetic theatre", One Little Goat. Confused? That's to be expected with Seelig's work. I've been a fan since seeing his 2007 work, Antigone:Insurgency, a play that blends the ancient world with a post-9/11 world (that play also starred Richard Harte). I followed up that thought-provoking experience with Seelig's translation of the Jon Fosse's Noweigan play, Someone is Going to Come in 2008.

Seelig continues to throw a lot at his audience with this play about abandoned children: a boy tied to a tree (Richard Harte), two mothers (or is there only 1 mother voiced by actresses Cathy Murphy and Jane Smith?), a father figure (Andrew Moodie) on a wooden horse named Master Thespian, projected words on the back wall, and a stage setting that makes the audience feel as if they are at a slow game at Wimbledon whenever the dialogue is sometimes tossed back and forth. All the actors are mic'd for the performance, turning the voice(s) of the mother(s) into a chorus at times. Kudos to Dora-nominated set designer, Jacke Chau for her fourth collaboration with Seelig. Chau's previous work with Seelig include Ritter Dene Voss, Antigone:Insurgence (Dora nomination), and Someone is Going to Come.


Like Seelig's other works, you bring your own bias to these plays so there is always interesting discussions/debates to be had after viewing as each person defends their own perspective. "What did this mean?/What did that mean?" I enjoyed Talking Mask, but I think there is a little too much superfluous modernity tossed into the mix, but this is a minor criticism of this riveting piece. After all, I howled when actresses Murphy and Miller break the fourth wall to introduce themselves to the audience: "Hi, I"m Cathy" and "I'm Jane (from Woodbridge)". The humour is subtle and personal, meaning not everyone laughs at the same time in the play; it depends on what resonates with you, and that's what I love about Seelig's work. I learn something about myself from the world he invites me into. He also has an amazing talent at casting, with all four actors in this piece delivering a stellar job.

Talking Masks (Nov. 13-28)
Walmer Centre Theatre
188 Lowther Avenue(Spadina Subway)
Tickets: $20/12 Students, seniors, artists
Tuesdays Pay-What-You-Can
416-915-0201
www.onelittlegoat.org


Photo Credit:
Group shot, Adam Seelig, Richard Harte and Andrew Moodie by donna g
Stage shots (3) by photograper, Sai Sivanesan