Category Archives: Dance, theatre & musicals

Questions about WWI. (Re)Visions of the Aftermath

Posted on February 23, 2014 by barczablog

WWI. (Re)Visions of the Aftermath, presented this week at Theatre Glendon beginning Wednesday February 26, is an exercise in history & story-telling, both onstage and inter-actively through social media. What was World War I? What impact did it have, perhaps still … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews | 2 Comments

Ronnie Burkett—The Daisy Theatre

Posted on February 20, 2014 by barczablog

If “OuZooooonian” is Ronnie Burkett’s scary word for the dark place of judgment beyond the proscenium in Toronto there’s probably a comparable word in every other city. I am not sure which sort of virtuosity is most impressive. The brilliant … Continue reading →

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Martin’s music

Posted on February 4, 2014 by barczablog

I’ve crossed over to the other side.  I’m sitting onstage rather than in the audience for a student production at Ryerson, playing an electronic keyboard alongside capable student singers & musicians.  As I mentioned in a recent post, I’ve been … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Personal ruminations & essays, University life | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Adapting Martin Chuzzlewit

Posted on January 24, 2014 by barczablog

Just had the first run of Martin Chuzzlewit which I am directing at Ryerson. It is by Charles Dickens in a great adaptation by Michael Hollingsworth. The text has sixty seven scenes and forty characters. Dickens thought the novel his … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, University life | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Last of Romeo & Juliet

Posted on January 12, 2014 by barczablog

It works. I just attended the Saturday matinee of The Last of Romeo and Juliet by Talk is Free Theatre at Barrie’s Mady Centre for the Performing Arts. The salient question on this occasion is the one that often comes … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Reviews | 2 Comments

(Q + A) x 300: questions and conversations

Posted on January 1, 2014 by barczablog

This is the moment when bloggers look at their annual stats, notice trends, and perhaps say thank you to the community that supports them. According to my stats I posted 232 different items over 365 days. This is a moment … Continue reading →

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

TOT Land of Smiles

Posted on December 28, 2013 by barczablog

Every work is really several possibilities, depending on the emphases in the interpretation.  There are several operas inside each opera, several musicals inside each musical.  And this is particularly so when we speak of operetta, a form that can seem … Continue reading →

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AtG Messiah: without a net

Posted on December 15, 2013 by barczablog

We were promised something different, and they delivered. Against the Grain Theatre’s Messiah took a familiar piece and added something without disturbing the essential gold.  Handel, Isaiah, Revelation (etc) are well served, in a piece entirely true to the  name … Continue reading →

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

10 Questions for David Ferry

Posted on December 12, 2013 by barczablog

I first encountered David Ferry as an actor, even though he’s also a director, a dramaturg and a great teacher with extensive experience in theatre, television, film and radio.  In that production of Othello Ferry created the most astonishing Iago, … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Evangelist Season

Posted on December 9, 2013 by barczablog

One has to be careful with metaphors.  We use them without safety nets or training wheels, which is to say, they’re a kind of figurative language that’s riskier than simile,  those constructions where the relationships in the signification are spelled … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Personal ruminations & essays, Spirituality & Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment