Author Archives: barczablog

Days of Happiness / Les Jours heureux #tiff23

Posted on September 12, 2023 by barczablog

It’s a pleasure and privilege to watch a film at tiff followed by a talkback, where directors and performers respond to our questions. A woman in front of me asked writer & director Chloé Robichaud the question I would have … Continue reading →

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Blithe Spirits

Posted on September 6, 2023 by barczablog

Hmm: another trip to Shaw, another ghost story. Last time it was Wharton’s The Shadow of a Doubt. “Shadow” is another word for spirit, right in the title. This past weekend Erika and I went to see Blithe Spirit at … Continue reading →

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Toronto Vocal Showcase 1.0

Posted on August 29, 2023 by barczablog

Ryan Hofman’s social media post said“Today…I hope I changed the game going forward.“ It may be so. “Toronto Vocal Showcase 1.0” was the title, and Ryan was the producer. Sixteen singers auditioned this afternoon for an audience largely made up … Continue reading →

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Three Oppenheimers

Posted on August 27, 2023 by barczablog

No one left the IMAX theatre for the three intense hours of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Nightmare images that night reminded of my childhood, portents of the end of the world as I tossed and turned. Kai Bird and Martin J … Continue reading →

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The view from The Inn at Lock Seven in Thorold

Posted on August 13, 2023 by barczablog

Watching boats from the Inn at Lock Seven? Our friends Jim and Louise gave us the idea. You must have heard that ships are able to travel inland as far as Chicago or Minnesota. But how do they get past … Continue reading →

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Edith Wharton’s The Shadow of a Doubt at Shaw Festival

Posted on August 12, 2023 by barczablog

There’s a mystery underlying Edith Wharton’s play The Shadow of a Doubt. The text was just rediscovered by scholars in 2016, after sitting unproduced. There was almost a production in 1903 but it was cancelled. And now the Shaw Festival … Continue reading →

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TSM Metamorphosis

Posted on July 29, 2023 by barczablog

Toronto Summer Music’s theme is the same as the title for last night’s concert, namely “metamorphosis”. I’m writing about it Saturday on the closing weekend of the festival. I’ve been pondering that word over and over in response to the … Continue reading →

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TSM J’Nai Bridges

Posted on July 28, 2023 by barczablog

The drama of tonight’s Toronto Summer Music Recital at Koerner Hall was as much about the one who didn’t sing (Sondra Radvanovsky) as the one who did (J’Nai Bridges). I’m sympathetic to Sondra however much I may have wished to … Continue reading →

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TSM: Tradition

Posted on July 22, 2023 by barczablog

Some words have such broad definitions that we miss some of the possibilities. That’s what I experienced last night at the Toronto Summer Music Concert titled “Tradition”. We don’t always get the opportunity to reflect upon this process nor to … Continue reading →

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The Butterfly Project

Posted on July 13, 2023 by barczablog

Teiya Kasahara gave the first iteration of a self-exploratory monologue from Amplified Opera tonight at the Toronto Summer Music Festival in Walter Hall. It’s called The Butterfly Project because it’s to be an ongoing investigation, inviting us to explore the … Continue reading →

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