Category Archives: Dance, theatre & musicals

10 Questions for Alex Fallis

Posted on May 9, 2015 by barczablog

Alex Fallis is a Toronto native who has been a part of the Canadian professional theatre for over thirty years. He is an actor, director, singer and teacher. As a performer and director, he has experience in opera, musical theatre, … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews, Music and musicology, Opera | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

A Musical, The Importance of Being

Posted on May 2, 2015 by barczablog

I’ve just seen & heard the Toronto Operetta Theatre’s production of Earnest, The Importance of Being, a recent adaptation of Wilde’s play of (almost) the same name.  It was premiered in 2008 by TOT, music by Victor Davies and book … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Opera, Reviews | 4 Comments

Towards a new theatre vocabulary: Lepage, Cavalia and the legitimacy of aerials

Posted on May 1, 2015 by barczablog

It’s aerial week in Toronto: Robert Lepage’s pair of brief operas (Bluebeard’s Castle / Erwartung) for the Canadian Opera Company open May 6th at the Four Seasons Centre, including moments when you can’t tell which way is up Robert Lepage’s Needles … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, domestic & wild, Art, Architecture & Design, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays | 5 Comments

#OdysseoTO: the Golden Age of The Circus

Posted on April 20, 2015 by barczablog

I saw Cavalia’s show Odysseo today at their big tent on the waterfront, in the company of my Mom & a rapturous grand-child.  The world has certainly changed. I’m reminded of the Commedia dell’Arte that was featured in the Barber … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Reviews | 5 Comments

Bud Roach: Arias for Tenor and Baroque Guitar

Posted on January 6, 2015 by barczablog

Every now and then a recording or performance comes along to challenge your assumptions, possibly giving you a new way of seeing things.    I’ve been listening to two Bud Roach CDs: 1-Sospiro: Alessandro Grandi Complete Arias, 1626 (recorded in … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Soundstreams and Canadian Stage collaborating on Philippe Boesmans’ Julie

Posted on November 15, 2014 by barczablog

Canadian Stage have already shown a willingness to venture into different disciplines, bringing great artists such as Crystal Pite and Robert Lepage to Toronto to broaden the experience of the CanStage audience under Matthew Jocelyn’s leadership. Soundstreams and Canadian Stage have … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Opera, Press Releases and Announcements | 2 Comments

Stewart Goodyear and Czerny’s four boxes

Posted on November 13, 2014 by barczablog

Do you read liner notes?  I always begin to do so.  If there’s something of substance, not only do I read them but I cherish them, making them part of the big conversation that is the work of art.  Nothing … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays, Popular music & culture | Leave a comment

Gerald Finley on the shelf

Posted on November 11, 2014 by barczablog

It’s November. October was Gerald Finley month in Toronto, as his Falstaff jumped up on the table that was our collective experience (and for the final scene of the opera). Don’t let the headline (“Finley on the shelf”) scare you, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | 1 Comment

Dreams of the Vienna Woods

Posted on November 7, 2014 by barczablog

How can a place signify so much if you’ve never been there?  But when we look forward to a promised land –whether it’s America for the immigrant, Mecca or Jerusalem for the pilgrim, or just a personal utopia—it’s a mental landscape … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, University life | 3 Comments

Extensions of Us 11.13.14 Questions and Answers

Posted on November 1, 2014 by barczablog

The program was created as a reaction to our experiences as recital performers and audience members. We come to this process with a great love for the art form, but also with a combined knowledge and experience as to its … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews, Music and musicology, Opera | Leave a comment