Wellington Oracle

-Theatre review by Lesley Buxton

I love Shakespeare. I’m an addict. All throughout high school, I proudly wore a button featuring the famous bard’s face that proclaimed “Will power” pinned to my black leather jacket. This is why I decided my twelve-year-old daughter would accompany me to Third Wall’s production of “As You Like It.” It was not a mistake. She loved it. The most remarkable thing about Charles McFarland’s production is the energy of the actors and their commitment to their roles. From the moment the first actor walks onto to the stage the air crackles with possibility and, we the viewers sense we are in for an intriguing ride.

McFarland faces the violence of the first scenes head on. The lighting is gritty and the feeling is reminiscent of an episode of The Sopranos. I congratulate him on casting Glenn Kulka as Charles, the Wrestler. Though Kulka was obviously nervous—this is his theatrical début—his physical confidence gave the fight scenes a dimension and realism seldom realized in most theatrical productions. The fight match alone is worth the price of admission. Last night the audience including my daughter got so involved they were clapping and hissing at the actors. Tania Levy and Mishka Lavigne were fabulous in this scene as Kulka’s supporters. Though they didn’t say a word their body language was wonderful. (more…)

Third Wall’s Theatre’s production of Peer Gynt by Henrik Ibsen plays the studio theatre of the Irving Greenbertg Theatre Centre until March 21. Contact GCTC box office 613.236.5196 for tickets and showtimes.

Review by Lesley Buxton

The first time I ever heard of Peer Gynt was in the film Educating Rita when Rita, the main character suggests, rather too honestly the best way to avoid the pitfalls of mounting the production was to “Do it on the radio.” I was seventeen at the time and like Rita, desperate to learn about the arts. Today as I contemplated my review I found myself thinking about that film and what it has to say about education and the arts. I believe the main function of theatre is to entertain as well as to elicit feeling for the characters and that really great theatre has a universality that appeals to audiences of all classes. (more…)

“A View From the Bridge”
Elmdale House Tavern- 1084 Wellington Street West
February 22, 23rd & March 1,2, 8,9, 15, 16
(Sundays and Mondays 7:00 pm)

Review by Lesley Buxton

Arthur Miller’s “A View From The Bridge” set in Red Hook, Brooklyn in the 1950’s, is considered an American tragedy. However this story could easily take place in Hintonburg, or  even outside North America because no matter what our heritage we’ve all met these characters. Particularly Eddie Carbone,  a reputable middle-aged longshoreman who has worked hard all his life to provide for his wife, Beatrice, his children, and his orphaned niece, Catherine. (more…)

Review by Lesley Buxton

Sexual Perversity in Chicago
By David Mamet

David Mamet is the original bad boy of theatre and to be frank, I’ve always had a soft spot for him. He has the audacity to be brutally honest. This is why “Sexual Perversity in Chicago” is still as compelling as when first produced in 1976. Though the language this play is no longer disturbing, the subject matter still should be. Initially this play appears to be an everyday romance. Danny and Deborah meet, fall in love while their friends, Bernie and Joan watch from the sidelines. Yet what Mamet is really exploring is misogyny. How it shapes relationships between genders as well as its role in male bonding. (more…)

Review by Lesley Buxton

When I was a drama student in the late eighties John Patrick Shanley’s play, “Danny And The Deep Blue Sea,” was all the rage. I never liked it. In contrast most of my peers adored this two-hander. After all, this play, set in a bar in the Bronx, is about a man called Danny who thinks he might have killed a man who meets a woman called Roberta, a woman who bears the burden of a secret so terrible that she believes she cannot be redeemed. Perfect for those dying to do real theatre. It has all the ingredients: gritty language, violence and sex. (more…)