Author Archives: barczablog

Fifteen Dogs at Crow’s Theatre

Posted on January 23, 2023 by barczablog

I loved the book (André Alexis’s 2015 novel Fifteen Dogs). I love the play (adapted for the stage and directed by Marie Farsi at Crow’s Theatre). The book hit me in totally different places than the play. When you read … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, domestic & wild, Books & Literature, Dance, theatre & musicals | Tagged André Alexis, Crow's Theatre, David Mesiha, Fifteen Dogs, Laura Condlln, Marie Farsi, Mirabella Sundar Singh, Peter Fernandes, Stephen Jackman-Turkoff, Tom Rooney, Tyrone Savage | 1 Comment

Telling stories of dogs and gods

Posted on January 19, 2023 by barczablog

Anecdotes are one sort of story. For example I heard that in 2020 COVID caused a surge in canine adoptions. Later I heard there was a flood in reverse, dogs being given up when people changed their minds. No I … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, domestic & wild, Books & Literature, Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, My mother | Tagged adaptation, André Alexis, Animal Farm, apologue, Bengal Tiger, Crow's Theatre, Fifteen Dogs, George Orwell, Giller Prize, Isle of Dogs, Marie Farsi, Pride and Prejudice, rescue dogs, Wes Anderson | Leave a comment

TSO – TMC Mozart Requiem: Best Concert of the Year

Posted on January 12, 2023 by barczablog

The headline is only partly in jest. Yes it was the best concert so far in 2023, as of January 11th. Many are still saying “Happy New Year” and writing the wrong date on cheques (if they even write cheques … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged Gregorio Allegri, Hildegard von Bingen, Isaiah Bell, Jane Archibald, Jean-Sébastien Vallée, Kevin Deas, Ludwig van Beethoven, Michael Francis, Susan Platts, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Leave a comment

Best of 2022

Posted on January 9, 2023 by barczablog

I enjoy recalling the best moments of the past 12 months. There’s a fork in the road, however. One pathway leads towards that which is truly “new”, while the other relies on what we’ve seen before. Need I mention, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera | Tagged Against the Grain Theatre, Alexander Neef, ARC Ensemble, Arkady Spivak, Canadian Opera Company, CERB, Chris Abraham, Conan and the Stone of Kelior, Corey Arnold, Crow's Theatre, Eldritch Theatre, Elisa Citterio, Eric Woolfe, Gay for Pay, Gould's Wall, Gustavo Gimeno, Joel Ivany, Kyle McDonald, Lauren Pearl, Michael Hidetoshi Mori, Nicole Lizée, OCADU, Perryn Leech, RCM, Royal Conservatory of Music, RUR A Torrent of Light, Simon Wynberg, Sweeney Todd, Tafelmusik, Talk is Free Theatre, Tapestry Opera, The Lion Heart, TIFT, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, TSO, Wajdi Mouawad, Yuja Wang | Leave a comment

There’s a place for us: in Scarborough

Posted on January 3, 2023 by barczablog

I’m thinking about two films I saw recently. Last week I finally saw Spielberg’s West Side Story. One of the songs in that film is the lens through which I viewed today’s film: Scarborough. In the 1961 film and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Reviews | Tagged Anna Claire Beitel, Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Hernandez, Conor Casey, Crave, Elvis, gentrification, Rich Williamson, Rita Moreno, Rob Teehan, Scarborough, Shasha Nakhai, Steven Spielberg, Strictly Ballroom, West Side Story | Leave a comment

TOT: Revenge of the Tenors

Posted on December 29, 2022 by barczablog

This afternoon the Toronto Operetta Theatre’s production of Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus (or The Bat) opened to a sold-out audience at the St Lawrence Centre. It’s sometimes called “The revenge of the bat” although today I was inclined to think … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Opera, Reviews | Tagged Andrea Núñez, Derek Bate, Die Fledermaus, Greg Finney, Guillermo Silva-Marin, Kirsten LeBlanc, Scott Rumble, Toronto Operetta Theatre, TOT | Leave a comment

A Blue Christmas pointing me to Elvis’s redemption

Posted on December 26, 2022 by barczablog

The recent Saturday Night Live hosted by Austin Butler persuaded me to watch the recent biography of Elvis Presley, starring Butler. As we watched, Erika pointed to the similarity between Butler and Elvis, two men who both lost their mother … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Popular music & culture | Tagged Austin Butler, Blue Christmas, Cecily Strong, Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis, Elvis Presley, Forrest Gump, Gabor Maté, Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Moulin Rouge, saturday night live, Strictly Ballroom, The Great Gatsby, Tom Hanks | 10 Comments

Gustavo Gimeno’s First TSO-TMC Messiah

Posted on December 18, 2022 by barczablog

The surest sign the city seems to be returning to something like normal, is Handel’s Messiah performed all over. I’m seeing many friends on Facebook either reporting that they’re singing it or feeling left out because so many others are … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged Elliot Madore, George Frideric Handel, Gustavo Gimeno, Jean-Sébastien Vallée, Lauren Fagan, Messiah, Michael Colvin, Roy Thomson Hall, Stephanie Wake-Edwards, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Toronto Symphony Orchestra | Leave a comment

Mother Sorrow: workshop December 9th

Posted on December 11, 2022 by barczablog

I was privileged to observe an open rehearsal of a new creation titled “Mother Sorrow.” The creative team is large, but I should mention director & choreographer Jennifer Nichols, Composer and music director Adam Scime and librettist (combining new words … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Books & Literature, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged Adam Scime, Benoit Bolduc, Brayden Cairns, Christian Masucci Facchini, David James Brock, Evelyn Hart, Gabor Mate, Gioachino Rossini, Jarrett Siddall, Jennifer Nichols, Lindsay McIntyre, Marshall Pynkoski, Messiah, Mozart's Requiem, Nicholas McClung, Opera Atelier, Pergolesi, Rodney Diverlus, Stabat Mater, theatre history, Tyler Gledhill | Leave a comment

Simon Banks’ Opera: The Autobiography of the Western World

Posted on November 30, 2022 by barczablog

For me Christmas came early, when I got my hands on Simon Banks’ new book Opera: The Autobiography of the Western World. I mention that because this is the ideal gift for anyone you know who loves opera or who … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Dance, theatre & musicals, Opera, Politics, Reviews | Tagged history, opera, Opera: The Autobiography of the Western World, Simon Banks, theatre history | 1 Comment