Picasso at the Lapin Agile - Theatre Review

By: Saema Nasir

Steve Martin is usually front and center on the silver screen, making us giddy with laughter in his wildly hilarious films. You may be surprised to learn that he is the playwright of a fantastical play, which opened in Chicago over 20 years ago. Picasso at the Lapin Agile is a pleasant surprise that will engage, delight and amuse.

This intellectually stimulating comedy brings together two of the greatest minds and talents of the 20th century in one bohemian, ramshackle bar in Paris in 1904. Martin imagines a meeting between Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein as they exchange grand ideas about the universe and its relation to art.

Produced by Seven Sibling Theatre, the latest incarnation of the play stands out for one reason alone: the talent. The writing is brilliant and one can see Steve Martin’s comedic chops shine through the witty dialogue. However, it's the young ensemble cast that is bursting with talent and brings to life Martin's hilarious, yet thought-provoking work. 

The venue is quite unique: instead of a theatrical stage, the play is set at the Round, an intimate bar in Kensington Market, which is meant to be the Lapin Agile. The audience watching the great debate only serves to enhance the authenticity of the setting.

As a young Albert Einstein, Will King’s accent and mannerisms stayed steady throughout the 90 minute play. It would be easy to slip in and out of character and and veer into parody instead of a respectful depiction of Einstein. Indeed, I felt as if I was watching a young genius passionately speaking about ideas which would one day lead him to greatness. 

Just as excellent was Dylan Evans who portrayed the young, philandering and angst ridden Picasso. Bringing a vibrant energy to the stage from the moment he entered, Dylan’s Picasso was both infuriating as a heartless womanizer and endearing with his passionate drive for his art. 

Erin Burley, whose portrayal of Suzanne (among other characters) was restrained, sympathetic and authentic. I did not feel disdain for the woman hastily pursuing Picasso, but instead sympathy for her girlish infatuation.

The storyline is fairly simple, with various luminaries in history popping in for a drink at the bar, interacting with the colourful regulars, with conversation ranging from one’s place in history to women, science and art.

If you are looking for a stimulating evening where you will simultaneously laugh, think, and witness superb acting from the talented young cast, then go and see Seven Siblings Theatre's production of Picasso at the Lapin Agile.

Picasso at the Lapin Agile plays at the Round (152A Augusta) until February 28. Tickets are $25.

Photo courtesy of Seven Siblings Theatre.

Saema Nasir is a marketing communications specialist who blogs, writes, paints & explores her beautiful city of Toronto. She has a Masters in Public Relations and also blogs at thecityquill.com. Follow her on Twitter @saemanasir. 

One Night Only: The Greatest Musical Never Written - Theatre Review

By: Saema Nasir

Improvised musical: two words that, when put together, can lead to disaster one would imagine. Or at least one very uncomfortable evening at the theatre.

Not so in the case of One Night Only: The Greatest Musical Never Written. The concept behind this production is fresh and the talent exceptional. The audience drives the musical, as the actors get their cues from them and make up the storyline and songs throughout the duration of the show.

Random audience members are asked three questions that will be the basis for the custom-designed musical. Three simple questions and the cast of impressive actors, comedians and singers (triple threats – watch out J-Lo!) spin and weave a storyline that makes sense and works well as a musical. Even song lyrics and music coming from a live five-piece band are all spontaneously created. The band’s amazing musical talent at times guides the song-and-dance numbers and at other times, the cast’s quick-witted dialogue influences how the music is shaped. In short, the actors and band were in-sync, perfectly working together to create a top quality musical. 

On the night I attended, audience members suggested ‘Calgary’, ‘infidelity’, and ‘the deep blue sea’ as ideas for the cast to play with. The resulting musical took place in the oil sands of Alberta and at the Calgary stampede with various characters scheming while shimmying to escape marriage, find love and even sell some pork rinds. I took a moment to observe the audience and judging by the hoots, hollers, guffaws and generous applause, they agreed with me; this show is rip-roaring fun!

It’s also a show that relies heavily on the talent of its cast – no elaborate set or well-crafted script to rely on, but it works. Free from the constraints of a predetermined plot, the cast shines; adeptly dancing, swerving, gyrating and singing into the audiences’ hearts. Ashley Botting stands out as the wronged, pork rind-selling wife of a mime. Her singing voice and dancing are superb, only to be beaten by the razing one-liners she spews out on the spot. Jan Caruana's ability to improvise is quite impressive. As a Calgary stampede organizer, she made the simple act of smoking ham hilarious and breathed life into the droll and cynical characters she created in each scene. 

Leaving out the cheesy jokes and avoiding boring archetypal characters, the actors keep it fresh with risqué jokes and edgy song lyrics. It's a mystery as to what your night at this musical comedy will entail and that's the point. In an era when even supposed reality shows are scripted and politicians deliver rote speeches, it is invigorating to witness live theatre that is neither pre-planned nor predictable. 

One Night Only: The Greatest Musical Never Written can best be summed up with the following three words: entertaining, vibrant, hilarious. Another three words? A must-see!

One Night Only: The Greatest Musical Never Written plays at the Factory Theatre (125 Bathurst Street) until February 14, 2016. 
Ticket prices range from $45-$55 + HST|students and seniors $30 + HST|Tickets can be purchased online: www.factorytheatre.ca/what-s-on/one-night-only

Photography: Robyn Bacon

Bigmouth - Theatre Review

By: Paul Lewkowicz

Bigmouth is a unique and entertaining show, starring Belgian actor, Valentijn Dhaenens. The one man show has reached worldwide audiences everywhere from Edinburgh to Mumbai and it is currently playing here in Toronto for a three-week run. 

Dhaenens appears on a stage set with six different microphones and a blackboard suspended above him noting 20 names of key historical figures. He takes us on a journey of history by reenacting famous speeches of a variety of political leaders and villains. The diverse range of figures include Socrates from the times before Christ to more contemporary figures such as Osama Bin Laden and George W. Bush. 

The show starts with a strong speech from the Grand Inquisitor, amplified to emphasize its delivery to a large crowd. Throughout the show, Dhaenens moves seamlessly from character to character, even doing back-and-forth speeches between Joseph Goebbels and George Patton. The contrast between the Goebbels/Patton speeches is quite remarkable. As Goebbels, Dhaenens is authoritative, calm and intense. As Patton, he is fervent and overzealous, both vocally and physically. It is impressive how Dhaenens is able to perform such a wide range of speeches in such a short time, which are full of a historical significance and emotion. He is able to embrace each unique character and move very quickly between different speeches. Dhaenens understands that words have the ability to mobilize and manipulate the masses and shows us just how excellent communicators were able to achieve this. 

Dhaenens is at his best when portraying speeches from the Belgian King Baudouin and Congolese independence fighter Lumumba. Ironically, Dhaenens reveals after the show that Lumumba was emotionally the most difficult speech for him, due to knowing that the historical figure would be killed shortly after the delivery of his famous speech. 

Dhaenens seemed to struggle with portraying some of the American leaders, whose speeches were clustered in the latter half of his show. Although he gave a great deal of time to reenact powerful speeches from the Grand Inquisitor, Goebbels/Patton and Lumumba, Dhaenens only gave a minute or less to famous figures such as Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy and Muhammad Ali. This left me wanting for more and wishing that Dhaenens had taken more time to capture some of the most famous and memorable speeches such as “I have a dream”, “Ask not what your country can do” and “How great I am”. He could have also better captured the humour and demeanour of George W. Bush and his father. 

Dhaenens reminds us that the power of speech is never to be underestimated, as they can and do alter the course of history forever. Bigmouth is definitely a show worth seeing and Dhaenens should be commended for his unique and powerful performances, as he delivers them with great emotion, intonation and conviction. 

Bigmouth plays at the Panasonic Theatre until February 7, 2016.

Photo: Maya Wilsens

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra's Messiah

George Frideric Handel's Messiah is one of the most recognizable musical works ever written. TheToronto Symphony Orchestra's beloved concert returns this holiday season at the Roy Thomson Hall. 

Conducted by Sir Andrew Davis, the music is sublime, the singing divine. Davis's production is not your average Baroque Messiah. His grandiose production is a feast for the ears with soaring melodies and a brilliant, new orchestral arrangement. 

Having seen the TSO's stunning production of Cirque de la Symphonie last week and being in utter awe of the orchestra, choir and performers, I know that I am in for an extraordinary musical experience when I see Messiah on the upcoming weekend. 

The holiday season brings forth many traditions that I share with my family and friends; going caroling, baking cookies and having fun at Christmas parties. As an ardent supporter of the arts, I intend on making the TSO a part of my annual holiday tradition. The TSO's Messiah makes the festive season that much more special!

Messiah plays at the Roy Thomson Hall on:

Tue Dec 15, 2015 at 8:00 PM
Wed Dec 16, 2015 at 8:00 PM
Fri Dec 18, 2015 at 8:00 PM
Sat Dec 19, 2015 at 8:00 PM
Sun Dec 20, 2015 at 3:00 PM

To learn more, visit: http://www.tso.ca/en-ca/concerts-and-tickets/2015-2016-Season/EventDetails/Messiah.aspx

Photo by Malcolm Cook. 

Bombay Black - Theatre Review

By: Saema Nasir

Bombay Black is a theatrical play that can be best described as a dark dance of tragedy. One of the first things that may strike theatre goers who see, Bombay Black, written by Anosh Irani and directed by Peter Hinton are the unique casting choices. I’ll be honest, it took me quite a while to understand why a grown man was playing a teenage girl and why a young woman was playing a middle-aged mother. Perhaps the casting choices are meant to get audience to see each character’s asexual soul, their physical being stripped of labels such as gender and age.  

What also stands out in the play is its sensitive, graphic and gut-wrenching treatment of difficult subject matter. From lack of parental love, to child marriage to incest and a love story at the center of the play, Irani did not shy away from explicit language and direct dialogue to describe painful incidents and difficult and complicated feelings between mother and child and admirer and lover. Each word is important, strung together to create sentences which bejewel the dialogue with plentiful descriptions and introspections.

The actors do a stellar job of portraying their characters. Anusree Roy, as the sharp tongued mother of sorrows, Padma, steals the show with her excellent delivery of comedic lines that provide much needed levity in this otherwise sombre play. Her comedic efforts were applauded with generous laughter at each zinger. Kawa Ada plays the victimized young girl, Apsara and does a respectable job of depicting the body language of a 17 year old female well. His traditional Indian choreographed dancing is electrifying and his femininity blossoms throughout the play. Howard J. Davis provides a very enthusiastic performance as the blinded, mysterious Kamal. The characters have a long, sordid history that binds them together and their stories are full of mystery, horror and intrigue.  

Set in Mumbai, India, Irani's play conjures rich, vivid imagery with his poetic lyricism. The entire production of the play is threadbare, with lighting, music and body language used to replace sets or any form of visual cues. This only serves to highlight the dialogue and acting and in turn reinforces the message of the play. And what is the message? That love conquers revenge? Perhaps it might have been, if the ending was not as ambiguous as it was. However that ambiguity may have been the point – to force us to think about what we want the young lovers’ fates to be.  

In the end, the play leaves much for the audience member to decide. Bombay Black is certainly worth seeing for a thought-provoking theatrical experience that forces you to think outside the box. 

Bombay Black plays at the Factory Theatre until December 6, 2015. 

Photos: Joseph Michael Photography