The Kick & Push Festival continues this weekend, offering accessible live performances for the whole family in City Park.
Kick & Push Continues to Play in City Park
Kingston
Getting Caught Up: Summer Theatre in the Kingston area is underway!
So much going on!!!
The Thousand Islands Playhouse has launched their 2021 Season, with “Sexy Laundry”. They will be running one show at a time, now through November, in the Firehall Theatre. They have a wonderful outdoor lobby with table service in place, ensuring that the experience of catching a show in Gananoque continues to be enjoyable in every way. My Whig-Standard Review can be found here.
The 2021 edition of The Kick & Push Festival has begun as well, with “Roll Models” being their first offering City Park. It’s a fun evening, offering an opportunity for “audience players” to get right in on the action…The Whig review for this show can be found online, as well.
And finally, City of Wine: Kingston mounted a production of the final play of Ned Dickens’ epic cycle, “SEVEN”, over the course of a week earlier this month. Although this production has closed for now, ambitious plans are afoot for future productions of all the City of Wine is plays. Kingston Theatre Alliance carried my review for “SEVEN”.
It’s so exciting to be back in the swing of things! Watch for upcoming reviews as theatres continue to open up in the region…
2021 Storefront Fringe Festival – In Person or Online
Anyone who has followed this blog must be aware that even under typical circumstances, the Storefront Fringe Festival always excites me, and gets me in the writing groove…This year, of course, it’s even more inspiring, as we gradually open up and figure out how to reintegrate theatre and the performing arts back into our lives…
This year’s Festival offers a variety of mediums in various formats that cater to any and all levels of comfort audience members may have…Also, this is the first year that the local newspaper, the Kingston Whig Standard, has provided review coverage for the Festival shows! The reviews ran as smaller capsule entries in two parts – one featuring the virtual offerings, and another the live productions…
The downside of traditional media coverage is that I had to limit content to this short-term format, BUT that is the advantage of this blog! If you have questions or differing opinions, please share them here, and let’s have a conversation…
(Also the Kingston Theatre Alliance is featuring full reviews from their contributors!)
“Kitchen Chicken” Is Delightfully Delicious
“Kitchen Chicken” (photo shamelessly pilfered from the Kick & Push site)
“What just happened?”, you may find yourself asking as you leave the Grand’s traditional main stage auditorium…It turns out that “Kitchen Chicken” is a dinner party the likes of which you’ve never seen – and it is a fabulously outrageous and entertaining one, at that!
In all honesty, despite the kinetic mayhem and sensory overload, you likely won’t have any doubt what has transpired at all. There’s lots going on, and it can be a little hard to keep up and take it all in, but there’s a solid narrative woven throughout and the L’Orchestre d’Hommes-Orchestres ensemble (Bruno Bouchard, Gabrielle Bouthillier, Jasmin Cloutier, Simon Elmaleh, Danya Ortmann, and Philippe Lessard-Drolet) takes us back to a time and place where the kitchen was the place to be, and meal prep was a family affair. Sure, supper is made – and enjoyed by everyone! – but there’s so much more to be savoured here than today’s microwave and tablet dining experience.
Although there’s no dialogue per say, the communication between the performers is crystal clear, and given all that is going on at any one time, their timing and cooperation is simply incredible. The enthusiasm and laughter is contagious. The music keeps the pace and energy up for the cast as well as the audience. My only complaint would be the mixing of sound, as the vocals and lyrics to several of the songs were often lost – and given the precision in choice and placement of every other element of the show, I do feel like the story told would have had even more clarity and punch with the benefit of those words.
I have never seen anything like “Kitchen Chicken”, and that certainly adds to the appeal and amusement of this one-of-a-kind experience that is not to be missed!
(I may go back for seconds 😉 …)
“Kitchen Chicken” continues its run as part of The Kick & Push Festival until Saturday, August 10th…
There’s A LOT Going On “In Ireland…”
Nathan Coppens & Lauren Allen in “In Ireland We Rented A Car From Criminals” (submitted photo)
Much like the play’s title, “In Ireland We Rented A Car From Criminals” attempts to fit an awful lot into relatively little time and space – and it’s mostly worth the effort…
There are two stories intertwined here, one being a fun and versatile vehicle (pun fully intended) enhancing the accessibility and pathos of the other. The first is a contemporary comedy, centred on a couple’s trip in Ireland, with each on their own particular quest while there. The second slyly uses the first to delve into some of the country’s dark history, as well as its relevance to us today – especially as playwright Rod MacPherson neatly ties it all up in the end.
Nathan Coppens carries much of the load, flipping between one character and another – each distinct and memorable. His strong physicality serves him well throughout, and adds significantly to the comedic surface of the piece. Lauren Allen has a strong presence as well, but presents in a quieter and much more controlled manner, perfectly suiting her primary character while also serving to ground the overall production. There are a number of interactions between the two as a married couple that make it clear that they share a special chemistry that is essential to pulling off such a whimsical stage partnership. While much of the action is frantic, they each do have some very subtle, touching buttons where they could afford to take an extra beat or two, and allow the audience to settle in, share, and appreciate the moment.
The production is harried from the outset, and director Andrew Johnston’s use of the stage and placement of props and costumes initially felt messy, with set pieces apparently pulled from corners of this church venue, all contributing to a distracting level of discord. This, however, bothered me less and less as the show progressed, and as Coppens and Allen owned the space, finding and replacing each piece with an ease only available through muscle memory and confidence. The energy in this high-octane romp started to flag as they rounded the bend on the home stretch (particularly noticeable in the surprisingly anti-climactic realization of Tom’s “quest”) – but Coppens left enough in the tank to deliver a closing that was not only satisfying but impactful for an appreciative audience.
“In Ireland We Rented A Car From Criminals” is a quirky little show, well-suited to the character and pace of the Fringe. It is a production that entertains while offering many laughs, a few touching surprises, and a dose of reality, too.
“In Ireland We Rented A Car From Criminals” continues its run in Venue #3 of the Storefront Fringe Festival…
“Stupidhead!” is a Smart Little Show!
“Stupidhead!” featuring Katherine Cullen (Image shamelessly stolen from The Kick and Push Festival site)
I was invited to join a friend to see “Stupidhead!”on relatively short notice, and it represented one of those rare experiences to walk into a show having no idea what it was about, or what to expect…
What an exciting way to start off my 2019 Kick & Push experience. And what a treat it was!
Billed as a comedic musical about dyslexia, and the embarrassment that is being a human, it certainly delivers as such – and a little bit more. Regardless of your familiarity and engagement with dyslexia specifically, this clever script, developed and performed by Katherine Cullen with music and accompaniment by Britta Johnson, has a relevance and accessibility to be appreciated by all. Quite witty and cheeky, but also honest and poignant, the fully engaged audience spent much of the hour in stitches, save a few touching moments when you could hear a pin drop.
I was impressed by the economy of the overall production, especially given its light-hearted approach to such personal subject matter. It is a tidy little show, succinctly packaged and neatly revealed, and it knows exactly what it is and what fits. As must be the case for these Festival shows, the production values are simple but effective, and in this case, subtly add to the overall experience of the play. Kudos to director Aaron Willis for keeping such a creative and impulsive production within the invisible but necessary parameters that delivered a perfectly satisfying arc for the audience to follow, yet still leaving room for Cullen and Johnson to have some fun while expressing some very real and personal emotion. The writing is remarkably tight as well, and confidently walks that fine line of self-deprecating humour and storytelling that allows the audience to laugh along “with”, but never “at” Cullen, her challenges, or her pain. There is far greater dramaturgy credit given for the piece (Willis, along with Andy McKim and Jivesh Parasram) than one usually sees or might expect for a shorter work such as this, and I recognize that this was likely a significant factor in their ability to settle on a piece that is so damn comfortable in its own skin. Frankly, it is all incredibly brave, and I can only imagine how gratifying the payoff must be for Cullen to have an audience so obviously on her side throughout, given the isolation that we all typically feel when dogged by our perceived shortcomings and inadequacies (whatever they may be). It is with an uncommon and noteworthy combination of sincerity and skill that Katherine brings us along on her journey, with the loving support of her friend Britta – which is by no means over yet…
The show is a charming piece of poetry, beautifully delivered…Suck on THAT, Peter Dyakowski!
More Information:
Dusting this thing off…
Another summer of The Kick And Push and Storefront Fringe Festivals is now underway, and I gotta say that the buzz around this year’s programming is contagious – so much so that here I am back again, with a reinvigorated drive to spark conversation and provide a platform for its continuation beyond the storefront or the local pub…
My agenda remains the same as it was when I first started this little experiment a few years back…I will certainly share my thoughts and feedback on the shows that I get to see, from my perspective, but this is intended to be a dialogue and a means to share experiences and perspectives…PLEASE share your thoughts openly, honestly, and respectfully – and let’s make the most of this incredible opportunity to enjoy and learn from the craft that so many artists are generously sharing with us…
I encourage you to get out and see as many different shows as you can, and drop back by here and share your stories…I look forward to sharing mine as we go…
HAPPY FRINGING, FRIENDS!
Share Your ‘Storefront’ Reviews!
The inaugural Storefront Festival, conceived and presented by Theatre Kingston as part of The Kick and Push Festival, kicks off on Friday, July 15th!
I recognize that this site has been dormant for sometime – but my desire to engage and promote dialogue in response to innovative theatre offerings remains the same. I can think of no more suitable opportunity to reboot this project than a Festival such as this. Brett Christopher’s vision out of the gate was encapsulated in the tagline “Uncurated, Uncensored, Unboring”, and I have to admit, it piqued my interest!
Here’s what I would love to see happen…
1/ Go to a show. Go to MANY shows. Support these ambitious artists, who are pushing the envelope and testing the limits of their talent as well as the parameters of the traditional theatre experience. Be a part of the audience with whom they so desperately want to connect.
2/ Come back here and post a mini-review of whatever you see, by way of a comment. I think it’s safe to say that these eager artists are looking for your feedback – both positive reinforcement and constructive criticism. Keep in mind that the purpose of this site is to help foster our local theatre community, and everyone’s Festival experience only stands to be enhanced.
3/ Keep the conversation going. Personal commentary and multiple perspectives serve to enrich live theatre, so feel free to reply respectfully to reviews posted by others. Do not passively watch these cutting edge productions. Digest and discuss them. Be a Storefront Festival participant.
And finally, don’t limit the discussion to this site – take the conversation to your favourite pub or restaurant after each show, and share your thoughts across social media platforms. Trust me. The larger and more lively the conversation, the greater the Storefront Festival experience will be for everyone…
I look forward to reading YOUR reviews of the shows that you get to see over the next 9 days!
Find the Storefront Festival brochure here…
A Beautiful Play
Amy Rutherford & Becky Johnson, “A Beautiful View”
It is through the partnership of Theatre Kingston and Volcano Theatre that “A Beautiful View“, Daniel MacIvor’s play about another partnership, is currently playing in the Baby Grand Studio. Two women appear on stage and tell the story of their relationship. Sound simple? Of course it does. But of course it’s not.
As is typical of MacIvor’s work, “A Beautiful View” is far from a neatly packaged, linear and straightforward night at the theatre. In this case, though, such is entirely suitable because the same can be said of the nature of self-identity, friendship, and love as explored in the piece. Just like any meaningful relationship, the play demands a level of commitment – a combination of effort and perseverance to see it through to its end. (more…)
Dine & Dash
Sara Chiodo, Matthew Hunt and Brent Clifford Gorrie in Blue Canoe’s “Don’t Dress For Dinner”
With his script “Don’t Dress For Dinner“, playwright Marc Camoletti serves up just the right combination of credible misunderstanding and madcap mayhem, such that his cast of characters never know what the heck is happening around them – yet the audience can enjoy the pleasure and laughter reserved for those who are in on the joke. The current Blue Canoe production playing at the Domino Theatre, however, loses something in its presentation. (more…)
Kingston Theatre Reviews 