SUMMER AND SMOKE - REVIEW OF 2026 PRODUCTION AT CROW’S THEATRE

Reviewed by James Karas

There seems to be a serious hiatus in the production of plays by Tennessee Williams. We get the occasional staging but not nearly enough. Summer and Smoke, his 1948 play produced by Crow’s Theatre and Soulpepper is a welcome exception.

The play has a Prologue and twelve scenes and Williams gave detailed instructions about the set design. There are 16 characters listed in the script but the current production has 14 characters done by seven actors. There is a scene with Alma and John as children which has been omitted in the current production.

Summer and Smoke is one of Williams’ less successful plays when compared to The Glass Menagerie and  A Streetcar Named Desire but it contains many of his theatrical insignias from fragile women to unrequited love and life in the town of  Glorious Hill, Mississippi from the turn of the twentieth century to 1916.

The core story is the relationship of Alma Winemiller (bahia watson), John Buchanan Jr. (Dan Mousseau), Nellie (Bella Reyes) of the younger generation and Alma’s parents Rev. Winemiller (Beau Dixon) and Mrs. Winemiller (Amy Rutherford), Dr. John Buchanan and input from the other characters.

John Buchanan Jr. is a new doctor who trained at the elite Johns Hopkins Medical School . He is physically attracted to Alma who is is more interested in a spiritual relationship. Alma acts erratically, fidgets, has a nervous laugh and takes sleeping pills to calm her nerves during the day. She is clearly not ready for a physical relationship. A superb performance by watson.

Pictured: bahia watson, Dan Mousseau in SUMMER & SMOKE.

Photo: Dahlia Katz

Mousseau is excellent as John a self-assured, sophisticated young man who does not believe in the existence of a soul and pursues the good life. He tells Alma that she has a doppelganger, a different person inside her that guides her behavior. He descends into heavy drinking and betting until he matures into a different person.

Beau Dixon as the Reverend Winemiller is a bastion of morality and he has to endure his unhinged wife who has a passion for licking ice cream cones. The senior Dr. Buchanan is furious with his son who behaves disgracefully. The actors are experienced and do fine work.

The play is done in Crow’s theatre-in-the-round which presents limitations in set design and scenery. This forces the use of a few props for the dozen scenes that must be handled quickly. A bench and a square low table indicate the park on the 4^th of July with the attendant fireworks. The interiors may have a couple of tables with or without tablecloths and a few chairs, all of them brought on or off the spacious playing area by the cast. Full marks to Lorenzo Savoini for set and lighting design.

The opening scene showed a huge statue of a headless and armless winged goddess that was very impressive. A torso of the upper body with exposed innards was used by the junior Buchanan to show human anatomy and perhaps carnal desire without the intervention or existence of a soul.  

Of the seven actors, only Mousseau and watson  play one role. The others, with admirable versatility, take two or three roles and I want to give due credit for their work. Dixon plays Papa Gonzales in addition to Winemiller while Rutherford has the additional part of Mrs. Barrett. Kaleb Horn plays Young Man, Dusty and Roger. Stuart Hughes handles Vernon as well as Dr. Buchanan Sr. and Reyes plays Rosa and Rosemary in addition to Nellie.

Summer and Smoke takes place in Mississippi which calls for a southern drawl. I don’t wish to dwell on that but will note that there was unevenness in the success of giving us that accent. Watson did a fine job, Mousseau’s Buchanan had a less pronounced drawl perhaps because he was educated in Baltimore and may have gentrified his speech.

Summer and Smoke is a fascinating play and director Paolo Santalucia does a masterly work of presenting it. He handles the large number of characters with a few actors adroitly and we get a fine night at the theatre.
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Summer and Smoke  by Tennessee Williams in a production by Crow’s Theatre in partnership with Soulpepper, in association with Birdland Theatre, will run until March 1, 2026, at Crow’s Theatre, 345 Carlaw Avenue, Toronto, Ontario.  http://crowstheatre.com/

James Karas is the Culture Editor of The Greek Press, Toronto

THE BARBER OF SEVILLE – REVIEW OF 2026 COC PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas           

The Barber of Seville, the Canadian Opera Company’s companion to Rigoletto for its winter season, is an irrepressible opera that combines unforgettable music and melodies with a wonderful and funny love story. You can’t go wrong with seeing it for the first or umpteenth time.

The current production is a revival of the 2015 staging by Joan Font which was last seen here in 2020. The production has its moments and some of its disappointments but it rises to thoroughly enjoyable level in the second half.

There were some issues with the singing at the beginning where tenor Dave Monaco as Count Almaviva and baritone Luke Sutliff as Figaro had difficulty reaching the demands of their roles. Their vocal cords settled down during the second half. Bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni did fine work as the singing teacher Basilio especially in his delivery of his famous aria “La Calumnia.”

Baritone Renato Girolami sang an excellent Dr. Bartolo and managed to be sonorous and humorous throughout the performance. Mezzo-soprano Deepa Johnny made a fetching and marvelous Rosina both vocally and theatrically. We fall in love with her right from the start when she sings “Una voce poco fa” (a voice echoed in her heart) and then tells us  that she is docile and simply announces that she is gentle, respectful, obedient, sweet and loving if she gets her way. She turns into a viper if she does not and swears that she will get her lover Lindoro. Period. Johnny sings sweetly, convincingly, beautifully and displays the verve and determination that we want to see in Rosina. A superb performance. 

Deepa Johnny and Renato Girolami. Photo: Michael Cooper

Rossini gives a somewhat unrelated aria, “Il vecchiotto cerca miglie” (The old man seeks a wife) to the maid Berta (Ariana Maubach) who sings it gorgeously and deserves kudos.

Director Joan Font and Set and Costume Designer Joan Guillen want to give their conception of the opera. Fair enough. But you must give us something original and convincing that adds something to our appreciation of the work. The Barber can be done on two sets. First the town square with the exterior of Bartolo’s house and a window where see Rosina. The second scene is the interior of Bartolo’s house with the details and variations that the director and designer can provide.

In this production Dr. Bartolo lives in a glass house and we see the interior window where Rosina stands and the staircase  for exiting the house. The interior  has a stark look about it with a very large piano and a few chairs. There is a large rectangle at the rear that is black or we see a flowering tree of various colors displayed on it. Only half the stage is lit at times and that adds nothing to the production. At times the stage looks like a storage facility.

Scene from The Barber of Seville: Photo: Michael Cooper

In the opening scene Count Almaviva stands on a huge guitar to serenade Rosina and Figaro sings much of “Largo al Factotum” as if his feet were nailed to the stage boards. Let’s just say that the set adds nothing to the production.

There is a woman sitting stage right throughout the performance and I could not figure out what she was doing there.

The costumes were fine representing we assume Seville attire in the 19^th century or whenever.

Font casts eleven actors in the production and they appear now and then in addition to the chorus. I could not figure out what they were doing except to add crowds whether they are necessary or not.     

Font’s and Guillen’s conception and execution added very little to the opera but they did not repress the music, the singing and the humour of Rossini’s genius. Conductor Daniela Candillari made sure of that with her handling of the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra and Chorus that performed superbly.    
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The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini with libretto by Cesare Sterbini in a revival of a COC coproduction with Houston Grand Opera, Opéra National de Bordeaux and Opera Australia opened on February 5 and will be performed eight times until February 21, 2026, on various dates at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario. For details see www.coc.ca

James Karas is the Culture Editor of The Greek Press, Torontp

WITCH – REVIEW OF 2026 SOULPEPPER PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas

Witch is  fascinating play by Jen Silverman that gets a superb production by Soulpepper. The play has an interesting pedigree that goes back to a work produced in 1621 and written by three prominent playwrights of the era, William Rowley, Thomas Dekker and John Ford called The Witch of Edmonton (and no it is not about the premier of Alberta). It is an unwieldy play with three plots but Silverman has reworked it into a modern play with humour and drama.

Elizabeth Sawyer, the witch of the title, is a poor, mature woman who is shunned by her community because she is suspected of witchcraft. She is accused of being in league with the Devil and thus capable of evil deeds like making animals sick and dying. She is visited by Scratch, the Devil, who offers to take vengeance on all who mistreat her if she gives him her soul. Elizabeth is a reasonable woman who is in no rush to give her soul to Scratch but the two strike up an unlikely friendship. Tantoo Cardinal gives a terrific performance as Elizabeth. She exudes strength, sympathy and a splendid portrayal of the poor, social outcast.

At the other end of the social ladder, we have the wealthy and powerful Sir Arthur Banks (Oliver Dennis) whose son and heir apparent, Cuddy, is a feckless Morris dancer in love with Winnifred, a maid. She is in love and pregnant by Frank who is an ambitious servant trying to convince Sir Arthur to adopt him as a son and heir. 

Tantoo Cardinal and Nicholas Eddie in Witch, Photo: Dahlia Katz

The connecting link among all these people is the Devil who goes about his business collecting souls. He is a fascinating character, handsome, threatening and persuasive. Nicholas Eddie does a superb job in presenting the tall, handsome Devil who by turn casual and determined to achieve his end. He is also energetic, has a sense of humour and wants to succeed and get a promotion from a low-level soul collector to higher rank. All this Eddie brings out with consummate skill.

Thomas Mitchell Barnet as Cuddy is a dedicated Morris dancer who is not interested in land and wealth and is feckless enough to  give his soul to the Devil. Frank (Shawn Ahmed)  the ambitious servant, professes love for Winnifred when she tells him that she is pregnant and he marries her. We see the shallow and ambitious louse clearly in Eddie’s fine performance.  

Cuddy and Frank engage in a lengthy fight that is in fact a dance routine and comic fight jinks as much as anything with a surprise ending,

Heeyun Park as Winnifred spends most of the time running on and off the stage as Sir Arthurs yells orders at her. She does have an important scene with Frank and calls him to  account. Park gives us a sympathetic Winnifred and a character that is probably a victim of abuse.

The fine performances by the cast and the success of the production are the result of director Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster’s approach to the play. She adopts a vigorous, hyper-kinetic  style of acting and movement. She gets vigorous acting from the cast and the plot moves splendidly. The play has considerable humour especially from the marvelous Oliver Dennis  and Lancaster takes advantage of all of it.

The minimalist set consists of a lit concrete hole in the middle of the playing area that looks like a well, a large regal chair at one end and a bench and some furniture representing Elizabeth’s residence at the other end of the playing area.

Witch premiered in September 2018 in Glencoe, Illinois. The Witch of Edmonton was largely ignored until recently but it received an important production by the Royal Shakespeare Company as well as scholarly attention.

Soulpepper provides us with a superb opportunity to see Elizabeth Sawyer in a new light and be reminded of The Witch of Edmonton five hundred years after its first performance.
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Witch by Jen Silverman continues until March 1, 2026, at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 55 Tank House Lane, Toronto, Ontario. www.soulpepper.ca.

 

RIGOLETTO – REVIEW OF 2026 CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas

The Canadian Opera Company has scheduled two operatic gems for its winter season, Rigoletto and The Barber of Seville, and no one can argue with these inveterate crowd pleasers. One may argue that the company should be more adventurous but no one can get tired of its two choices, so be it.

This revival of Christopher Alden’s 2011 production is carried by an excellent cast but it may be best described as quirky or unorthodox or, at times, a bit confusing for someone seeing the opera for the first time.

Before I discuss those attributes, I want to praise the singers and state unequivocally, that they make the production enjoyable and worthwhile seeing even if you have seen the opera umpteen times.

Quinn Kelsey as the court jester Rigoletto. whether he is expressing love for his daughter Gilda or mocking and then begging the courtiers, gives a marvellous and emotionally splendid performance. When he sings with Gilda, he displays a deeply felt affection for her. When he mocks the courtiers, he is disgusting and in his last outburst when he realizes that Sparafucile has killed Gilda instead of the Duke, he delivers an emotional knockout.

Soprano Sarah Dufresne has a lush and gorgeous voice and her Gilda is vocally outstanding and emotionally moving. Yes, you do have to forget or ignore the fact that she is naive. She decides to get killed to save the life of the repulsive Duke because she loves him. Sure. Put all that aside and listen to her singing. Dufresne will be replaced by Andriana Chuchman on February 10, 12 and 14.

 Simona Genga (back), Sarah Dufresne and Ben Bliss in Rigoletto. 

Photo: Michael Cooper

Tenor Ben Bliss sings the amoral, selfish and swaggering Duke. He starts with “Questa o quella” and ends up with the unforgettable  “La dona e mobile” which has a gorgeous melody and offensive lyrics but, once again, just listen to it and ignore the details until after you leave the theatre.   

A few comments about Alden’s idiosyncrasies.

In the opening scene we find Rigoletto seated in a leather chair in a corner of the stage. Alden is a fan of seated characters and rarely allows them to face or sing to each other. We are in what looks like in a Gentlemen’s Club. The members are dressed formally a la 19^th century private club members that may represent such a place in London. Rigoletto, the odious court jester has a hump but otherwise is dressed like the other club members. He goads and insults the Courtiers and one of them Monterone (Gregory Dahl) curses him. The Duke and the courtiers make up a social group that have the morals of alley cats.

As we know, the courtiers abduct Rigoletto’s daughter Gilda from her house. While she sings some beautiful arias and duets with her father in a place that does not look like a residence, we see courtiers milling around. The Duke sneaks in (he bribes Gilda’s maid Giovanni sung by Simona Genga) and we are treated to romantic, really romantic, duet by the Duke and Gilda. What starts as a lecherous cad and ends as a rapist and disgusting person (“La dona e mobile”) becomes a romantic hero for a few minutes. But as soon as he leaves and the courtiers who were milling around disperse, they return with faces covered and abduct Gilda. What were they doing there before?

They take Gilda to the palace and a distraught Rigoletto begs the courtiers to tell him where his daughter is. He sings to us and not to the courtiers who have huddled around Gilda who is lying on a couch and presumably being raped. She should be found in a bedroom but Alden has her on a couch. Is the Duke raping her or the courtiers? We know it should be the Duke thinking she is Rigoletto’s mistress (really?) The scene is confusing. Rigoletto should be begging the courtiers directly but they have their backs to him and he addresses us. Well, take it as it comes.

The final scene takes place in Sparafucile's dingy tavern or den of murder and iniquity. Sparafucile is a hit man for hire and his sister Maddalena (Zoie Reams) is a lowlife for hire. In Alden’s production and Set and Costume Designer Michael Levine, it looks like a swanky hall where the members of the Gentlemen’s Club are having a general meeting. We hear the wonderful quartet and the goings on but what are they doing there? It is an awful night of thunder and lightning and murder, what are the well-dressed men doing there. 

Johannes Debus conducts the Canadian Opera Orchestra and Chorus in a splendid performance.

I find Alden’s quirks mystifying but they are not enough to spoil Verdi’s work and especially the superb cast that gives you a terrific night at the opera
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Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi cis being performed seven times until February 14, 2026 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario. Tel:  416-363-6671. www.coc.ca

James Karas is the Culture Editor of The Greek Press, Toronto

MISCHIEF - REVIEW OF 2026 PRODUCTION AT TARRAGON THEATRE

Reviewed by James Karas 

Lisa Nasson’s play Mischief, now playing at the Tarragon Theatre, was rightly anticipated and held a lot of promise. It is about the fate of Nova Scotia’s Mi’kmaw people and their objections to the story and statue of Governor Edward Cornwallis. He was governor of nova Scotia  from 1749 to 1752 and is credited with being the founder of Halifax and a heroic figure whose achievements were celebrated with the erection of a bronze, Roman-style heroic statue in the center of Halifax in 1931.

The indigenous Mi’kmaw have a different narrative about their fate as a conquered people whose land war wrested by British imperialism and their subsequent mistreatment.

Mischief provides a story telling the indigenous side of their objections and protests at the presence of the Cornwallis statue in the guise of a heroic figure without much reference to imperialism, colonialism and gross mistreatment of the natives.

All of that is welcome and badly needed but unfortunately the play does an uneven and at times unsatisfactory job of presenting it. The program described Mischief as a gentle comedy from Mi’kmaw writer Lisa Nasson that celebrates the power of community. Brooke, played by Nasson, is a young lady who runs a small convenience store and sells a lot of cigarettes to non-indigenous people. They are represented by Fisherman Fred (Devin MacKinnon). He is loud, demanding and probably considers Brooke just an easy to pick up, native.

Nicole Joy-Fraser, Jeremy Proulx, and Lisa Nasson. Photo: Jae Yang

Brooke’s Uncle Chris (Jeremy Proulx) owns the store and he tries to take her out for ice cream and one’s not quite sure about what this loud-mouth is up to. He has a relationship with the depression-prone Tammy (Trina Moyan) and shows decency towards her. The play also has Emily (Nicole Joy-Fraser), a 288-year-old Ghost who appears several times wearing bizarre clothes. She startles Brooke who exclaims “Jesus Christ” and Emily corrects her that she is not Jesus Christ. A funny reply. 

Brooke attends a rally carrying a sign reading “Edward Cornwallis Makes me Nausheous” [sic] and she tosses a bomb. She runs away and a Good Guy (Devin MacKinnon) approaches her in the woods where she is hiding. Mischief, usually extended to Mischief to Public Property, is a criminal offence and you can take the rest of the plot from there.

Unfortunately, the play and the performances proved a disappointment. The dialogue was frequently awkward, repetitive and ineffective in propelling the plot. The actors sounded awkward and uneasy with the repartee and listening to them was uneasy for the audience as well.

The old Ghost was supposed to provide a connection with the past, I suppose, but repeating “I am not Jesus” several times wore the joke thin. Other examples of unsatisfactory, repetitive dialogue abound and had the same effect.

Andy Moro is the Set, Costume and Projection Designer. The set consists of five arches that may be whale bones. Projected videos are used so extensively they provide a side show. They cover the entire stage and start with a view of a starry sky on top and views of fish on one side and a large bird hovering above on the left side. This illustrates the metaphor of the Mi’kmaws being the fish that are eaten by the imperialist bird. But the projections cover much more. When the Ghost talks about the brain, we see projections of what looks like  a brain. When Brooke drives to the protest, we see a lengthy video of a highway with a speeding car and views of the scenery on each side. It is a long video being shown long after we get the message. We also see Brooke lighting the fuse of a bomb or is it a firework?

The set for the sparsely-stocked Chris’s Convenience is brightly lit and pleasant. The change to the darker scenes with the Ghost and the projected videos are frequent and one may say overdone. Brooke’s drive to the protest seems to take as long as if it were in real time.

Director Mike Payette, designer Andy Moro, writer Lisa Nasson and the cast deliver an uneven production on many levels. The positive aspect of bringing to our attention a significant if little-known history outside of Nova Scotia of the “heroic” Edward Cornwallis is welcome. The play could use the help of a dramaturge and then another production.                                       
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MISCHIEF by Lisa Nasson, a Tarragon Theatre, Native Earth Performing Arts and Neptune Theatre co-production continues until  February 8, 2026, at the Tarragon Theatre, 30 Bridgman Ave. Toronto, Ontario.  www.tarragontheatre.com

James Karas is the Culture Editor of The Greek Press, Toronto

A DOLL’S HOUSE - REVIEW OF 2026 PRODUCTION AT BLUMA APPEL THEATRE

 Reviewed by James Karas

Henrik Ibsen great play, A Doll’s House is approaching its 150^th  anniversary since its publication in 1879. It sent shockwaves far beyond the theatre with its plot of a woman leaving her husband and children to face a world where women had almost no rights. The play holds its power and the current stunning production by Canadian Stage reminds us of its greatness.

Nora is a happy woman. She lives in a beautiful house with her husband Torvald, two children and a maid. She loves to shop and her husband has just been promoted at the bank which translates into more money for more shopping. Hailey Gillis, dressed in a beautiful red gown, practically flies with delight.   

However, there is a lot more to Nora. She  has a chink in the armour of her bliss. Her husband was ill and the best cure was living in Italy for a year. She went to Krogstad (Jamie Robinson), a loan shark and borrowed the money from him. Her well-off father guaranteed the loan and there is a problem with that. The guarantee was signed after his death. In other words, Nora committed a serious crime. But she is very proud of saving her husband’s life. She is almost a shopaholic and her relationship with the terminally ill  Dr. Rank and her dreams of being left lots of money by him raise one’s eyebrows. She shows strength and weakness and is a complex character that Gillis brings forth in a bravura performance.  

Hailey Gillis as Nora in delirious dance. Photo Dahlia Katz

Her husband Torvald (Gray Powell) loves her, tries to control her spending and treats her with affection, calling her his songbird. He is highly moral and intends to fire Krogstad from his job at the bank for ethical reasons. The upstanding Torvald is about to be thrown into a moral dilemma of utmost difficulty when he finds out that his wife has committed the same crime as Krogstad and revelation of the former would compromise his status. Powell gives us the accepted position at the time, of the controlling position of a man and he does a superb job of acting.

Robinson’s Krogstad is painted as a scumbag as he threatens to expose Nora’s fraud but Ibsen gives him a redeeming feature that works through the revival of his old relationship with Kristine. David Collins as the old and ill Dr. Rank is good friend but we may have the right to suspect an ulterior motive in his relationship with Nora. Condlin is excellent as the desperate Kristine. All do superb work in their roles.

All the complex relationships come to a head when Torvald finds out the crime that his songbird committed to save his life. He freaks out.

The resolution of the dilemma comes from Krogstad and Kristine (Laura Condlin), Nora’s old school friend. She is a widow looking for a lifeline. She was in love with Krogstad long ago and Torvald offered her a job at the bank. Krogstad’s job.

This is a powerful production that brings the moral and personal issues raised by Ibsen into sharp focus. Amy Herzog’s new version is largely faithful to Ibsen but she has tightened the plot and we get the full dramatic effect of the play.

The set by Gillian Gallow consists of rich wine-red curtains covering the set and the stage. There are only a table and some chairs. Very apt and dramatic. The costumes are 19^th century suits and tails for the men and long dresses for the women.

Kudos to director Brendan Healy for an emotionally intense, gripping and nuanced production. We see the complexity and indeed greatness of the play (with a bow) to Amy Herzog and are treated to theatre at its best.   
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A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen in a new version by Amy Herzog,  presented by Canadian Stage, continues until February 1, 2026, at the Bluma Appel Theatre. St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front Street East, Toronto, Ontario. www.canadianstage.com/

James Karas is the Culture Editor of The Greek Press, Toronto

PU SONGLING: STRANGE TALES - REVIEW OF 2026 PRODUCTION AT CROW’S THEATRE

Reviewed by James Karas

Pu Songling: Strange Tales is a visit to an unknown world, at least for me. The play is based on the stories of Chinese writer Pu Songling (1640 - 1715) who wrote more than 500 stories. The production by Theatre Smith-Gilmour with Crow’s Theatre invites us to “enter the spellbinding world of Pu Songling, the visionary writer whose tales of the supernatural have captivated audiences for centuries.”

The play is based on eleven of Pu Songling’s tales adapted by (hold onto your seat) Michele Smith, Diana Tso, Steven Hao, Madelaine Hodges, John Ng and Dean Gilmour. In addition to them,  they give thanks to Michael Man, Lindsay Wu, Jeff Yung and Rosie Simon. That is a lot of people devising a show that lasts about one hundred and ten minutes. The result is amazing.

The play is performed by five actors and it consists of the retelling of some of Pu Songling’s tales by Dean Gilmour, Steven Hao, Madelaine Hodges, John Ng and Diana Tso. The five are talented, imaginative, vigorous, and able to represent many characters in quick succession. They scream, screech, laugh and go through gamut of theatrical positions that amaze and entertain. They represent humans (dead and alive), horses, dogs, foxes and others with virtuoso alacrity. You witness bravura acting of the highest order.  

Scene from Pu Songling. Photo: Johnny Hockin

According to the program, the play is based on the following eleven tales: Past Lives of Mr. Liu, The Corpse, Sharp Sword, Southern Wu-tong Spirit, An Earthquake, Wailing Ghosts, Wild Dog, Temple Demon, Judge Lu, Wei Gongzi and King of the Nine Mountains. As the titles suggest, the stories and the play based on them deal with the supernatural, the miraculous, the awesome and always entertaining. The actors tell us part of the story and act or make the sound of the animal that they represent.   

The opening tale is about a woman whose daughter-in-law has died. The stage has a table with five chairs and the corpse is lying at the edge of the table. Three men seek shelter and the woman permits them to sleep beside the corpse. As they fall asleep, the corpse begins waving its arms  She throws off the paper covering her and chases the men around the stage in a scene of terror, murder and mayhem.

There is the story about the man who loves his wife but does not like the fact that in old age she is not as attractive as she was in her youth. A man promises to give his wife a new face. He takes the head of a pretty woman and transplants its face onto  the unattractive wife. Who was the owner of the pretty face and how did it get on the unattractive woman’s head?

There is pantomime, creation of numerous sounds like that of sinner who is sent back from hell to work as a horse, and then as a snake. We hear the sound of a horse neighing and the slithery snake is squeezed until it disgorges one of its victims. The sinner gets remission of his sins from the devil after receiving his due punishment.

Ting – Huan and Christine Urquhart are the Set & Costume Designers and they have the play done on a virtually empty stage except for a table and chairs. The table and the chairs are moved to suit different scenes. There are four fluorescent lights over the playing area that are used imaginatively and effectively to provide a variety of atmospheres for the real and the supernatural. Noah Feaver is the imaginative Lighting Designer.

Michele Smith of Theatre Smith-Gilmour does outstanding work in directing a brisk production with the five actors giving  outstanding performances. In a limited space and under the strictures of story-telling and enacting, she manages to create superb theatrical effects. Highest marks for success in a difficult job.
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Pu Songling: Strange Tales, a Theatre Smith-Gilmour production in Association with Crow’s Theatre, adapted by Michele Smith-Gilmour et. al. based on the tales of Pu Songling will run until February 8, 2026, at Crow’s Theatre, 345 Carlaw Avenue, Toronto, Ontario.  http://crowstheatre.com/

James Karas is the Culture editor of The Greek Press, Toronto