review

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!)

Share Your ‘Storefront’ Reviews!

SFF on whiteThe 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, & Brent Clifford Gorrie in "Don't Dress For Dinner"

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…)

Mr. Green Is Worth A Visit

"Visiting Mr. Green" at the Domino Theatre, Jan 9 - 25, 2014

“Visiting Mr. Green” at the Domino Theatre, Jan 9 – 25, 2014

“Visiting Mr. Green“, currently playing at the Domino Theatre, is a solid play that is both topical and poignant, yet quite accessible in its touches of comedy and familiarity.  Written by Jeff Baron in 1996, one can readily see its attraction as a play so widely translated and produced around the world.  It is sophisticated in its subject matter and themes, yet pleasantly simple in its execution on the stage.  Whether it is a play you are familiar with or not, it is most definitely a highlight of this season’s playbill at Domino.

Ross is a young executive working his way up the corporate ladder, who is sentenced to community service hours to be spent with Mr. Green after he almost hits the elderly widower with his car.  Both characters are written with a great deal of personality, clever and meaningful dialogue, and rich subtext.  Each has his own colorful history, unique perspective, and significant internal struggles. (more…)