Tag Archives: Sky Gilbert

Falling for Sky Gilbert’s Shakespeare Lied and other bardish books

Posted on August 17, 2025 by barczablog

I want to explain where I’m coming from, as I review the second of three books from Sky Gilbert about William Shakespeare. Shakespeare Lied appeared in 2024, while Shakespeare Beyond Science came out in 2020. My response this time (over … Continue reading →

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My Little Brony: The Musical

Posted on April 11, 2024 by barczablog

It’s the morning after seeing My Little Brony: The Musical. The music was great, and we laughed a lot. It’s a delightfully enjoyable play. I went into it thinking about reviews and critics, wondering how I would approach a new … Continue reading →

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Sarah Polley & Terry Gilliam, The Torturer’s Apprentice

Posted on August 31, 2022 by barczablog

Violence is everywhere these days. Excuse me for stating the obvious. I’ve recently seen an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus that plays with our imaginations, encouraging us to feel for the people getting hurt in the play. Sometimes it’s much … Continue reading →

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Preview of immersive Titus

Posted on August 31, 2022 by barczablog

I’ve just seen a preview of Who’s Afraid of Titus, Sky Gilbert’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s early play Titus Andronicus. They used the Red Sandcastle Theatre, a space associated with horror through proprietor Eric Woolfe and his Eldritch Theatre cohort. No … Continue reading →

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Interviewing Mike Fan | 范祖铭 (they) aka Tanya Smania (she): probing Tatyana’s Secret

Posted on August 25, 2022 by barczablog

I’m intrigued by the upcoming production of Tanya’s Secret produced by Opera Queens, an adaptation of Eugene Onegin, a work that seems to invite questions. Mike Fan | 范祖铭 (they) aka Tanya Smania (she) is the artistic director and driving … Continue reading →

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Who’s Afraid of Titus? Sky Gilbert isn’t.

Posted on August 10, 2022 by barczablog

The title Who’s Afraid of Titus? has at least three meanings I can see. 1: Performers who fear that audiences won’t come see an unfamiliar play. 2: Professors (Shakespeare theorists) confused by a play that doesn’t fit the usual template. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews, Popular music & culture, Press Releases and Announcements | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Sky Gilbert talks about Pat and Skee, a dark new comedy about his parents

Posted on February 14, 2022 by barczablog

Pat and Skee opens February 25 at Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton, a darkly comic memoir of a challenging childhood. Sky Gilbert is a ‘child of divorce.’ Pat and Skee is an homage to Sky’s parents—who did their best to raise … Continue reading →

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Cliff Cardinal’s Shakespearean musings

Posted on October 16, 2021 by barczablog

I’ve just been to “a Radical Retelling” of As You Like it by Cree actor and playwright Cliff Cardinal at Crow’s Theatre.   A story about someone banished into the forest after his property is stolen from him by his brother … Continue reading →

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Looking back, aka Alex Ross’s Wagnerism: Art and Politics in the Shadow of Music

Posted on December 28, 2020 by barczablog

I’m ending 2020 with a pair of complementary book reviews. No they’re not in any way similar in their topics, yet they frame the transition to a new year rather well. Fareed Zakaria’s Ten Lessons for a Post-pandemic World, (the … Continue reading →

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Sky Gilbert’s remarkable new book Shakespeare Beyond Science: When Poetry Was the World

Posted on November 23, 2020 by barczablog

I am on my third read-through of Sky Gilbert’s Shakespeare Beyond Science: When Poetry Was the World. It is the best book I’ve read this year, one of the most interesting books I’ve ever encountered. I’ve been dancing around this … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Dance, theatre & musicals, Reviews, University life | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments