Category Archives: Reviews

This is how the world ends

Posted on September 16, 2011 by barczablog

I saw The Turin Horse directed by Béla Tarr at the Toronto International Film Festival. Tarr says it’s his last film.  This is no warm farewell like Fanny & Alexander(Ingmar Bergman’s last film) or The Tempest (Shakespeare’s last play).  It’s … Continue reading →

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Mostly Frenchmen

Posted on August 24, 2011 by barczablog

I am so lucky that I made it to Lincoln Center in New York City this week for the big summer music festival, when Mostly Mozart Festival is admittedly mostly over. This is a festival probing interesting connections and juxtapositions … Continue reading →

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Out At Sea

Posted on August 6, 2011 by barczablog

Out at Sea, Slawomir Mrożek’s absurd fable was just what the doctor ordered. For the past few months I’ve overdosed on politics: I learned a new verb: “kettling” Conservatives won election after election, with a tory trifecta lurking in the … Continue reading →

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Marat/Sade

Posted on July 20, 2011 by barczablog

Last night I watched the opening of Soup Can Theatre’s new production of Peter Weiss’ Marat/Sade, or to use its full title The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under … Continue reading →

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Il Trovatore

Posted on July 10, 2011 by barczablog

Verisimilitude may be a tad over-rated.  Tonight I witnessed a concert performance of Verdi’s Il Trovatore by Toronto’s Opera By Request.  It’s habitual to apologize for what’s missing in these virtual renditions, that have music stands instead of sets, and … Continue reading →

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If you build it will they come…?

Posted on July 8, 2011 by barczablog

Tonight I saw the opening of Guild Festival Theatre, an ambitious company taking the stage in The Greek Theatre in Guildwood Park. This is the former site of the Guild Inn,  in Guildwood Village.  There really was a “guild” at … Continue reading →

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Codex Nocturno

Posted on June 27, 2011 by barczablog

I suspect this is going to be a long review, so for those of you who need the executive summary up front, yes I liked it.  Go see Codex Nocturno!!   I will make an effort to see it again before … Continue reading →

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Svadba-Wedding

Posted on June 25, 2011 by barczablog

I experienced one of the great joys tonight at a new opera.  For awhile I was lost.  In a world of GPS precision and universal surveillance, it’s very hard to be so engrossed as to not know where you are. … Continue reading →

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Cosy and Hungarian

Posted on June 22, 2011 by barczablog

Following the uprising in 1956, we were blessed for a time with a neighbourhood of Hungarian restaurants. Magyar refugees poured into the downtown Toronto area, leaving their mark in Kensington Market, as well as the stretch of Bloor St West … Continue reading →

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A genuine Bali high

Posted on June 14, 2011 by barczablog

There are nine musicians in Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan(aka “ECCG”), and judging by the works presented tonight, this is an ambitious group eagerly embracing new disciplines & styles, while welcoming a diverse assortment of collaborators. I was drawn to this … Continue reading →

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