Category Archives: Dance, theatre & musicals

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 →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged J'nai Bridges, Johannes Brahms, John Carter, Koerner Hall, Maurice Ravel, Rachael Kerr, Sondra Radvanovsky), Toronto Summer Music | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged Anton Dvorak, Barry Schiffman, Bartlett Sher, Fiddler on the Roof, Gabriela Lena Frank, Iman Habibi, Jennifer Frautschi, Jerry Bock, Kelly Hall-Tompkins, Matthew Zalkind, Philip Chiu, Toronto Summer Music Festival | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | Tagged Andrea Wong, David Belasco, Giacomo Puccini, John Luther Long, madama butterfly, Nikkei, Teiya Kasahara, Toronto Summer Music | Leave a comment

PERCEPTUAL ARCHAEOLOGY (or How To Travel Blind)

Posted on June 11, 2023 by barczablog

Don’t let the big words in the title fool you. “Perceptual Archaeology”? I’m closer to knowing what that might mean after seeing Alex Bulmer’s new show at Crow’s Theatre, a co-production with Fire and Rescue Team that helps you to … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Psychology and perception, Reviews | Tagged Alex Bulmer, blindness, Crow's Theatre, disability, Enzo Massara, Fire and Rescue Team, How To Travel Blind, James Holman, Leah Cherniak, Perceptual Archaeology | Leave a comment

Inge(new): in search of a musical criticism

Posted on June 1, 2023 by barczablog

Last night I saw Inge(new): In Search of a Musical from Theatre Myth Collective, a piece by Evan Tsitsias that challenges its audience from the beginning, reminding me at times of an intelligence test. I don’t mean like an IQ … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Reviews | Tagged critic, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Evan Tsitsias, Inge(new), Inge(new): In Search of a Musical, Luigi Pirandello, Red Sandcastle Theatre, reviewer, Theatre Myth Collective | Leave a comment

SOLO Traviata in Burlington

Posted on May 14, 2023 by barczablog

Last night was the boldest step forward yet for Southern Ontario Lyric Opera (SOLO), performing a fully staged La Traviata before a rapturous sold-out audience at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre (BPAC). I’ve been observing the artistic version of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Opera, Reviews | Tagged BPAC, Burlington Performing Arts Centre, Corey Arnold, Daniela Agostino, Ernesto Ramirez, Giuseppe Verdi, James Westman, Karoline Podolak, La Traviata, Maria Callas, Michael Robert-Broder, Ryan Hofman, Sabatino Vacca, SOLO, Southern Ontario Lyric Opera | 1 Comment

Barkley: Snoopy or Benjy?

Posted on May 1, 2023 by barczablog

Barkley Barcza is our newest family member. We didn’t choose the name, glad to use the name that he already seems to know. And yes it sounds cute with his surname. Snoopy is the beagle everyone knows, the creation of … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, domestic & wild, Books & Literature, Dance, theatre & musicals, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged André Alexis, Barkley, Charles M Schulz, Crow's Theatre, dogs, Fifteen Dogs, Peanuts, Snoopy | Leave a comment

Creepy COC Macbeth

Posted on May 1, 2023 by barczablog

On a dark rainy day in the midst of Toronto’s traffic chaos I was rendered speechless by the new Canadian Opera Company production of Verdi’s Macbeth directed by Sir David McVicar. I never knew this opera could move me so … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Dance, theatre & musicals, Opera, Reviews | Tagged Adam Luther, Alexandrina Pendatchanska, Canadian Opera Company, Clarence Frazer, Four Seasons Centre, Giuseppe Verdi, Louis Quilico, Macbeth, Matthew Cairns, Quinn Kelsey, Tracy Cantin, Vartan Gabrielian, William Shakespeare | 7 Comments

Spring Renewal: Scarborough Philharmonic with Ventanas

Posted on April 25, 2023 by barczablog

If it seems as though spring has suddenly come back, thank Scarborough Philharmonic and Ventanas for their concert “Spring Renewal” on April 22nd. The first half featured popular classical pieces. We began with Rossini’s Silken Ladder overture, followed by Vivaldi’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged Antonio Vivaldi, Benjamin Barrille, Demetrios Petsalakis, Gioachino Rossini, Jessica Deutsch, Manuel de Falla, Ronald Royer, Samuel Bisson, Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra, Tamar Ilana, Tyler Emond, Ventanas, Veronika Anissimova | Leave a comment

Bud Roach’s provocative new recording Affetti Amorosi

Posted on April 22, 2023 by barczablog

Although I listened twice through to Affetti Amorosi, Bud Roach’s new CD of 17th century songs in his light tenor voice accompanying himself on the theorbo, I took a break for holy week as I turned to his other recent … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology | Tagged Affetti Amorosi, Bud Roach, Carlo Goldoni, Carlo Gozzi, commedia dell'arte, Domenico Pietropaolo, lazzi, theorbo | Leave a comment