Arts review: ‘Snow in Midsummer’ is a ‘baffling blizzard’ of overcrowded ideas
Based on a Yuan dynasty drama by Guan Hanqing, “Snow in Midsummer” is the story of a young widow accused and executed for a murder she did not commit.
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Arts review: ‘Candida’ brings Shaw’s probe of gender roles to 21st century
“In this triangle of love, originally described by Bernard Shaw as ‘a mystery,’ Candida must choose which of the two men will be her future,” writes Penny-Lynn Cookson.
Arts review: ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’ a roaring hit with non-stop laughs
“‘One Man, Two Guvnors’ is a ribald, rollicking, raucous, roaring hit. To dismiss it with disdain, as some have, is beyond chacun à sans goût — it is to miss the point,” writes Penny-Lynn Cookson.
Arts review: ‘The Secret Garden’ blossoms on Shaw stage
“Mystery and magic are in the very words and idea of a “secret garden.” We want to know more. Where is it? What’s in it? Why is it a secret?” writes Penny-Lynn Cookson in her review of “The Secret Garden” at the Shaw Festival.
Arts review: The hits abound at Shaw’s popular Spiegeltent
“‘It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing’ and swing audiences certainly did when Duke Ellington composed this jazz classic with lyrics by Irving Mills in 1931 and performed it at Harlem’s famous Cotton Club,” writes Penny-Lynn Cookson, highlighting one of several standout show at the Shaw Festival’s Spiegeltent this summer.
Arts review: A remarkable play and excellent debut in Canada
“THE HOUSE THAT WILL NOT STAND” *** (out of 5) Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre, 2 hours 30 minutes, one intermission. Ends Oct 12. Writer: Marcus Gardley. Director: Philip Akin. A drama about the
Arts review: Minimalist ‘Orphan of Chao’ an exceptional treat
“Themes of revenge, sacrifice, filial duty, honour, love, mortality and morality become powerfully new in this pared down riveting adaptation and gripping production,” writes Penny-Lynn Cookson.
Arts review: Highs and lows in Shaw’s ‘Witness for the Prosecution’
“When truth is clearly evident, it speaks for itself.” Agatha Christie, the world’s best-selling novelist and Queen of Crime, leads us to seek the truth in a noir genre courtroom drama of justice, dislocation, love and betrayal.
Arts review: ‘My Fair Lady’ makes triumphant return to Shaw stage
For the nay-sayers who lamented, “Please, not another ‘My Fair Lady,’ ” rest assured, the performances and presentation of this musical comedy are stellar, with a depth of social issues still relevant today.
Eye for Art: Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, ‘The Roses of Heliogabalus’
Are you ready to party? As we hesitantly crawl out from the constraints of our restricted social lives of the past three years, one example of an over-the top banquet may serve to
Eye for Art: ‘The Hitler Line’
The façade of the Court House of Niagara-on-the-Lake was festooned this month with red knitted and crocheted poppies made by loving local hands. Poppies wrapped around poles guided us along King Street
Eye for Art: ‘The Third of May 1808′
Armies invade. Citizens suffer. Death and destruction follow. It is an ongoing cycle through history, including the present. In 1807, Spain made an alliance with Napoleon and the British Duke of Wellington to
Eye for Art: Diego Velásquez, ‘Las Meninas’
EYE FOR ART #45 – Diego Velásquez, “Las Meninas,” 1656, Oil on canvas, Museo del Prado, Madrid The social media world in which we live often casts an unwelcome light on the
Eye for Art: ‘Luncheon of the Boating Party’
EYE FOR ART #44 – Pierre-Auguste Renoir, “Luncheon of the Boating Party,” 1881, oil on canvas, the Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. Has there ever been a better time for convivial patio
Eye for Art: Ryerson sunsets and Monet
One of the major joys of this splendid summer in “our town” has been watching the spectacular sunsets at Ryerson Park. Every night has continued to bring a small number of spectators to
Eye for Art: ‘The Treachery of Images’
René Magritte (1898-1967) was a Belgian surrealist famous for thought-provoking images that juxtaposed ordinary objects in strange and puzzling ways that defied the viewers’ preconceived notions of reality. The works are familiar yet
Eye for Art: La Serenissima Venice in art and memory
Imagine, you are sitting at a sidewalk café in St. Mark’s Square
Eye for Art: Juno Showering Gifts on Venice
In February 2020, at the Louvre, the major Leonardo da Vinci exhibition was in its final days. The Mona Lisa remained separate, at the far end of her usual permanent gallery, behind a
Eye for Art: ‘Il Ridotto’
To mask or not to mask continues to be a contentious gamble in our time. In 18th century Venice, the mask did not have to be mandated, it was enthusiastically supported. For six months
Eye for Art: ‘The Magpie’
In 1868, Claude Monet (1840-1926) was in Paris, committed to painting, selling little, submitting work to the Salons but being rejected, seriously in debt, with his soon to be wife and model, Camille
Eye for Art: ‘Adoration of the Magi’
Jan. 6 is Epiphany, a Christian feast day celebrating the revelation of God incarnate in Jesus Christ. It is also known as Three King’s Day commemorating the westward journey of the three Magi carrying gifts
Eye for Art: Temptations of the table
In the 17th century, the Dutch Republic became a powerhouse of economic, industrial, military, scientific and cultural success. It was the Dutch Golden Age, a time of unprecedented wealth and prosperity. The Eighty
Eye for Art: Wonders of the World
We’re on the cusp of winter. There’s a chill in the air. Gusts of wind have stripped the last leaves of autumn, revealing what has been hidden by spring and summer’s leafy abundance. Perhaps we
Eye for Art: ‘The Ambassadors’
Throughout history, turbulent times of wars, revolutions, pandemics, disease, famine, economic upheaval and climate change have affected hundreds of millions of lives. We are presently living through one of those unstable times at very
Eye for Art: ‘Freedom from Want’
This is a work of art – yes, it is, in spite of its creator, Norman Rockwell, being dismissively referred to as an “illustrator” by art critics and curators. “Freedom from Want” has never ceased to
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