LA BOHEME – REVIEW OF 2025 LIVE FROM THE MET IN HD TRANSMISSION

Reviewed by James Karas 

Puccini’s La Bohème is back on a theatre screen near you. If you do not see it, it is your loss. It is a gorgeous production and streamed for us who do not live in New York and probably could not afford the hefty ticket prices.

A few numbers. The performance on Saturday, November 8, 2025, was the 1415^th at the Metropolitan opera. That makes it the most produced opera at the Met. Franco Zeffirelli’s production has been performed more than 500 times since its first performance in 1981. The most of any production.  And it has been played in all but nine of the Met’s seasons since  its first production at the Met in 1900.                         

How is that for stats?

The current production has the same sets designed by Zeffirelli, costumes by Peter J. Hall, lighting by Gil Wechsler and is done by revival director Mirabelle Ordinaire.

Our beloved Mimi is sung by soprano Juliana Grigoryan and she has all the attributes of a superb heroine. She appears petite, innocent, virginal and lovable. She has a lovely voice and holds those notes with ease and beauty. Of course, she is clever enough to blow out her candle when she sees in Rodolfo someone that she likes and pretends that she lost her key. She may be a flirt and may have some shortcomings but we don’t care. We love her and are with her all along. 

Heidi Stober as Musetta (centre) and the crowd in La Boheme. 
Photo: Karen Almond / Met Opera

Tenor Freddie De Tommaso has a beautiful, light, Pavarottiesque voice ideal for Rodolfo. He hits the high notes right at his entry on stage and maintains gorgeous tones throughout. When he cries at Mini’s death there is not a dry eye in the house.

Baritone Lucas Meacham is a virile and sympathetic Marcello who must endure and enjoy the tempestuous Musetta. But he sings with beautiful sonority and is a he-man who can take care of himself.

Soprano Heidi Stober’s Musetta is of course tempestuous, enjoys teasing and perhaps making Marcello’s life hell at times but she is also extremely decent when she sells her jewel to buy medication for Mimi. She does Musetta’s Waltz superbly as becomes a teaser of the male organ.

Women conductors have become highly desirable (it’s about time) and the Met Orchestra was conducted by Keri-Lynn Wilson. Excellent work.

Zeffirelli’s sets with the garret on the top floor of a tenement in the Latin Quarter, a snow-covered area near the toll-gate on the outskirts of Paris and a terrific scene for  the parade that includes a donkey and a horse are splendid and spectacular as needs be. Peter J. Hall’s costumes are perfect and Gil Wechslet’s lighting adds feature to this superb production.   

Seeing a performance at the Met is wonderful but catching a performance on a large screen has its benefits. You can examine faces and reactions in detail and see things that you may not witness if you sat in the best seats in Lincoln Center. 

This was the sixth time that I saw the Zeffirelli production and I confess to enjoying it thoroughly. Go see it.
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La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini was transmitted Live in HD from New York’s Metropolitan Opera at select Cineplex theatres across Canada on November 8, 2025. There will be an encore showing on December 6, 2025. For more information go to: www.cineplex.com/events.

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

DISSONANT SPECIES – REVIEW OF 2025 PRODUCTION BY THEATRE GARGANTUA AT FACTORY THEATRE

Reviewed by James Karas

The title Dissonant Species may have the benefit of honesty, assuming it refers to humankind, and much of the music that we hear during the performance. It ends with the five performers screaming at the audience as loudly and harshly as they could for an inordinately long time.  I have no idea why.

In a program note, Theatre Gargantua states that “our productions explore compelling subjects and meld compelling physicality with striking designs underpinned by live original music.”

The musical begins with a soundwave floating in the air at the back of the playing area. There are numerous instruments on the walls and we are treated to a technical Music 101 lecture, talk of musical experiments and information about the beneficial effects of music. The lecture is technical and mostly incomprehensible. The talk of the structure of music is either technical, or difficult to follow, again, except perhaps to students of music.

We are told that exposing your fetus to music during pregnancy may help him/her with language learning. Music can be useful in retarding the effects of dementia. Indeed, the mother of one of the performers who is suffering from dementia responds to music and in her case, it is to the song “Over the Rainbow.” It was also the only recognizable piece that I heard. They mention Bach but do not play even a few bars of his music. They ignore classical music entirely and I am not sure what type of music they have in mind. But it is all original. 

The ensemble of Dissonant Species.Photo: Michael Cooper

The ensemble consists of Heather Marie Annis, Nicholas Eddie, Malia Rogers, Michael Gordon Spence and Hannah Sunley-Paisley.

In one segment. Michael Gordon Spence, the senior musician of the ensemble, we see him address the students in a disastrous lecture. Then we see hum having a nightmare where he is attacked by his students.

One of the  students/players is pregnant and there are two young women and in one segment we Nicholas Eddie as an obnoxious young man.

The cast engaged in some gymnastics and it may have been intended as some kind of dance routine. They wore white lab coats for the Experiment scenes and I got very little of the jargon that they were using.

The play is written by Heather Marie Annis and Michael Gordon Spence, no doubt for knowledgeable musicians, and they want to show us their musical learning and talent. Spence also designed the set. The sound designers and original compositions are by Christopher-Elizabeth and Richard Lam with additional original compositions by The Ensemble and Heidi Chan.   

The play is directed by Jacquie P.A. Thomas, the founder and artistic director of Theatre Gargantua.

Music majors will no doubt get a lot more out of the show than I did. For hoi polloi like me, it is not a very good night at the theatre.
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DISSONANT SPECIES by Heather Marie Annis and Michael Gordon Spence, in a production by Theatre Gargantua, opened on November 7 and will run until November 23, 2025, at the Factory Theatre, 125 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario. www.factorytheatre.ca.

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

THE COMEUPPANCE – REVIEW OF 2025 PRODUCTION BY SOULPEPPER

Reviewed by James Karas

The Comeuppance by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is about four high school friends, classmates gathered for a pre-reunion event twenty years after graduation. As may be expected there is a great deal of emotional turmoil, revelations and anguish, as they recall experiences from the past and actions in the present as they meet in the house of a classmate in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.

The five characters are Ursula (Ghazal Azarbad), a woman who is diabetic and as a result  has lost the sight of one eye and wears a patch. The play is set  in front of her small and unprepossessing house. Emilio (Mazin Elsadig), apparently a successful artist who is living in Europe. He has a child in Berlin. Kristina (Bahia Watson) is an anesthetist with a drinking problem and is coming to the reunion with Francisco (Carlos Gonzales-Vio) who is not part of the high school friends. Kristina dated Emilio in high school.  Francisco (also called Paco) has serious PTSD after serving in Afghanistan. Catlin (Nicole Power) is a motormouth who peppers her sentences with “like”. (Many of them do with liberal use of the f word.) She has no children but has had five miscarriages as opposed to Kristina who has children.

The most important character is probably Death. It opens the play with many names that meant nothing to me. Death speaks through the other characters. The lights dim and we see the skull of a character and hear Death speak through him or her. The facts about Caitlin’s miscarriages, for example, are related by Death whereas she wants us to believe  that she simply did not have any children.

(L to R): Bahia Watson, Mazin Elsadig, Nicole Power, 
Ghazal Azarbad, Carlos Gonzalez-Vio. Photo by Dahlia Katz.

Death speaks through Ursula and describes her birth and how her mother died shortly after she was born. She fell and hit her head on a radiator and bled profusely. Her husband left her fearing he may never be able to look after his daughter. As a result, Ursula was raised by her grandmother who suffered a horrible death from cancer.

Simon is a character that is often mentioned and anticipated to show up but never does. He answers his phone near the end of the play and speaks with the confrontational Emilio (who does not go to the reunion) but his conversation is interrupted.

The play is densely written, almost too densely as we go through memories and recollections of the past. Some recollections are false and there are so many happenings that I found it difficult to keep track of them. They all have lived through the traumatic and dramatic events of the last twenty years,  2002-2022. 9/11, the Columbine massacre, abortion, reversal of Roe v.Wade. Covid-19, Trump and war, war, war. These were terrible events but they applied to everyone. The friends are all fundamentally failures and that is the result of the choices that they made in their lives and not the historical events that they lived through.

The set by Shannon Lea Doyle shows the porch and front of Ursula’s house with an American flag displayed prominently. The lighting by Jason Hand deals with the tricky changes from individual characters to Death who emerges to speak with changes in lighting. Very well done.

Director Frank Cox-O’Connell has to deal with a complex and dense play with complex relationships and long speeches. He directs an experienced cast with superb results.

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The Comeuppance by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, in a production by Soulpepper, continues until November 23, 2025, in the Michael Young Theatre at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 50 Tank House Lane. Toronto, Ontario. www.soulpepper.ca

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

CHILD-ish – REVIEW OF 2025 TARRAGON THEATRE PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas

CHILD-ish is an interesting method of theatre making. Sunny Drake as the writer and creator of the play tells us in a note in the program that she interviewed 41 children between the ages of 5 and 12 and used the materials collected to form it into a play. You can see it at the Tarragon Theatre, Toronto.

There are five actors on stage (Karl Ang, Jannelle Cooper, Monique Mojica, Jordan Pettle and Asher Rose). Rose takes on the role of the interviewer (i.e. Drake) of the children. He and the other actors perform the words of the children without pretending to imitate them. They do jump up and down like chickens but it is an exception to the rule.

The actors take us thematically through the experiences of children as gleaned by Drake. They go from love to mental health and desire to commit suicide. Some of the comments are mundane, others are moving  and many are interesting. 

Jordan Pettle, Janelle Cooper, Karl Ang, Asher Rose 

and Monique Mojica. Photo: Jae Yang 

Near the end of the 65-minute show we are asked to speak to our neighbor and become a questioner and an interviewee. Using questions posted for us on a screen, a young lady on my right asked me about my favorite stuffy and I had to reply that I don’t know what a stuffy is. What are they anyway? Then she asked me about dragons (I am not sure if I had to identify my favorite dragons) and again I had to reply that I knew nothing specific about dragons to give an answer.

At the end of the show about half a dozen youngsters, apparently from the 41 who were interviewed, streamed onto the stage making some happy noises and playing with stuffed pillows and furniture. I could not make out what they were saying but they seemed like rambunctious and happy children. 

Jordan Pettle, Janelle Cooper and Monica Mojica. Photo: Jae Yang

A long time ago Art Linkletter interviewed children on television with hilarious results. He spoke with children, who spoke like children and gave spontaneous replies that were frequently unexpected and funny. Example: What did your mother tell you not to say? Children speak differently from adults and vice versa and we did not get the intonation, hesitation or exuberance of children answering questions. The adult actors provided none of the pleasures of listening to kids.

Putting the play together obviously took a lot of work and the production has the full panoply of behind-the-scenes people. Amanda Wong is the set designer, Ming Wong is the costume designer, Andre du Toit is the lighting designer, Brian Quirt is the dramaturg, Laura Warren is the projection designer, Jessica Greenberg is the Director of Child and Youth Engagement. Unfortunately, the production left me cold. You may enjoy it far more than I did.

CHILD-ish by Sunny Drake, writer and creator, directed by Andrea Donaldson runs November 16, 2025 at the Tarragon Theatre, 30 Bridgman Ave. Toronto, Ontario.  www.tarragontheatre.com

James Karas is the Senior Editor, Culture of The Geek Press, Toronto

THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON – REVIEW OF 2025 ROBERT LEPAGE PLAY AT BLUMA APPEL THEATRE

Reviewed by James Karas 

When you hear about a play written and directed by Robert Lepage, you tighten your belt, snap at attention and prepare for some inventive, original and perhaps out of the world theatrical experience. Like me, you may not get everything but you may get a great deal of the art of a genius at work. The Far Side of the Moon has all these factors in its production by Lepage’s company Ex Machina at the Bluma Appel Theatre, Toronto.

The Far Side works on several levels, with generous use of projections, slides and stage effects that dazzle. On one level it is the story of the space race between the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R. during the heady days after World War II. The communist Russians and the capitalist Americans were racing to outdo each other with rockets and the competition to explore space and land a man on the moon.

The other story is about two Quebecois brothers who do no get along. Phillippe and Andre are both played by Olivier Normand as are all the other characters in the play.

The following program note is worth quoting as a guide to the play: “Set against the Cold War's fierce U.S.-Soviet rivalry, this gripping story explores the personal and political turmoil of an era defined by global tension with a uniquely Canadian perspective. Through the tale of two Quebec City brothers, Lepage's stunning use of multimedia and visual storytelling draws the audience into a world on the brink of change and portrays the impact of global conflict on the individual.”

First task is to give recognition, kudos and admiration to Olivier Normand for his bravura acting. He plays Philippe and Andre, the two brothers, who are very different and do not get along. Philippe seems to be getting nowhere with his life. He is hesitant, uncertain of himself and slow of speech. He is interested in extra-terrestrial life but has also tried teaching and telemarketing. He is working on a doctorate and trying to make a video of life on our planet to be sent in orbit in the hopes of beings of another part of the universe  may be able to see life on earth. Andre is a brash, self-assured TV personality.    

Scene from The Far Side of the Moon. Photo: Li Wang,

courtesy of Shanghai Jing_an Theatre Festival

The only other player on stage is a puppet handled by Eric LeBlanc and we hear Normand Bissonette and Martine Rochon as the voices of the Host. There are more than half a dozen people behind the scenes assisting with the performance. We see them taking a bow at the end of the play. You will see the tiny cosmonaut puppy several time including a scene where it is led by the mother of our two protagonists.

The far side of the moon is of particular interest because the Russians explore it first and it now carries the names of Russian cosmonauts along with those of other historical figures. It is not American.

The opening scene features the inside of a washer and dryer. In the imagination of Lepage, they are metamorphosed into numerous machines such as a space capsule, the inside of an airplane and other mind-bending objects. A simple ironing board is transformed into a bicycle, a motorcycle, and various exercise machines in a sheer display of Lepage’s brilliant imagination. And The Far Side of the Moon never fails to display that.

The play does move towards reconciliation of the brothers and cooperation between the Americans and the Russians in saving a problematic space mission. But that tells you almost nothing about  the complex, poetic, multi-disciplinary theatre that Lepage creates. I admit to being confused at times and I am probably not doing justice to the production. The only solution is to see it yourself.   
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THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON, written and directed by Robert Lepage, produced by Ex Machina, and presented by Canadian Stage, continues until November 16, 2925, at the Bluma Appel Theatre. St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front Street East, Toronto, Ontario. www.canadianstage.com

THE MIKADO REVISITED - REVIEW OF 2025 TORONTO OPERETTA THEATRE PRODUCTION

 Reviewed by James Karas

                                     If you want to know who we are,  
                                    We are gentlemen of Burlington

What civilized lady or gentleman would not recognize the lilting melody and the opening lines of the Chorus of Nobles in The Mikado? Oh, you noticed that the last word is not Japan but Burlington. Not Burlington, Vermont but Burlington, Ontario. And those nobles did not make a wrong turn on Highway 401 from Gilbert and Sullivan’s libretto and landed in Canada but did it at the behest of Guillermo Silva-Marin, the General Director of Toronto Operetta Theatre.

The Mikado is all about Victorian England and it satirizes English society and politics in the 1880’s. It is a sheer delight as written and it allows for interpolation and comments on current events wherever it is produced. Silva-Marin has transported it to Canada while staying faithful to the original music and makes some changes of names and giving it a modern-dress (sort of) production.

I will give Silva-Marin’s names for the characters and their original names. We meet Nanki Blue (Marcus Tranquilli), a nice Canadian boy who used to be called Nanki-Poo. He is  traveling minstrel madly in love with  Yum-Yum (Madeline Cooper) whose name tells you everything and it cannot be improved upon. Unfortunately, she is engaged to Sir Arthur Boborian (the inimitable Gregory Finney) also known as Ko-ko who was a poor tailor but was promoted to the post of Lord High Executioner of Burlington.

Ranking above Borborian is Lord Arthur Blimp (Handaya Rusli) who is Lord High Everything Else formerly known as Pooh-Bah. The chief honcho of the the place, make that the Prime Minister is Sir Arthur Blarney ( Stuart Graham) formerly known as The Mikado. You also need to keep in mind Katty Kat (Karen Bojti), a Dowager Duchess betrothed to Nanki and formerly known as Katisha. 

A Canadian scene from The Mikado Revisited. 

Toronto Operetta Theatre

There are some peculiar laws in Burlington. If you are caught flirting without being married, you will be condemned to death. If you are condemned to death, the lady with whom you committed the crime, will be buried alive with you.

Part of the fun of The Mikado is the opportunity to poke fun at current personalities. Silva-Marin takes advantage of that with references to current famous people. having set the opera in Canada I was hoping for more but what he included worked.

The production has the virtues of enthusiasm, energy and vigor. It is obvious that Silva-Marin stages the production on a financial shoestring. The singing is at least decent and some of the vocals are good. The orchestra of nine instrumentalists plus conductor Narmina Afandiyeva do their best. There are five strings, an oboe, clarinet, trumpet and percussion. The trumpet was played on a stentorian level at times.

Setting the operetta in Canada is laudable and including more satire and names on the list, as the song says, would have been delightful. Silva-Marin explains in the program that he did it because of the challenge of the arts through the issues of cultural appropriation, and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policies recommended by government agencies and foundations. There is truth in that and a laudable goal to be achieved. But in a production of The Mikado? Whom are we including? Canada, Burlington, Japan, 19^th century London? Are we afraid that the Japanese may complain that  the TOT has fallen astray in Equity. Diversity and Inclusion in a production of an operetta that pokes fun at English society and everything that a director can add to it? Has anyone complained about it or is this simply bending the knee to imagined or imaginary political correctness?

If we go that road, would anyone dare produce any play from Ancient Greece, to Shakespeare, to almost anything. Are we going to move Oedipus to Hamilton because what he does is so offensive to the Greeks? And what about the position of women, the gods and the treatment of non-Greeks?

Once again, I salute Silva-Marin for keeping operetta alive in Toronto. Sometimes it looks almost miraculous that he is able to keep productions coming. From December 30, 2025, to January 4, 2026, TOT is producing The Czardas Princess by Emmerich Kalman.

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The Mikado Revisited  by Arthur Sullivan and W. S. Gilbert was performed on October 24, 25 and 26, 2025 at the Jane Mallett Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front Street East, Toronto, Ontario. Tel:  (416) 922-2912. www.torontooperetta.com

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

LA SONNAMBULA – REVIEW OF 2025 TRANSMISSION LIVE IN HD FROM THE MET

Reviewed by James Karas

The Met Live in HD is back with nine operas to be streamed by the Metropolitan Opera from New York’s Lincoln Center to a movie theatre near you. The opening production is Vincenzo Bellini’s La Sonnambula that was shown on October 18, 2025,  to be followed by La Boheme on November 8, 2025.

It is a new production directed by tenor Rolando Villazon. There are some eyebrow-raisers but overall, it is a stunning production. It follows the 2009 production by Mary Zimmerman which was roundly booed because of her setting the opera in New York as if it were being rehearsed. The singing was outstanding with Natalie Dessay and Juan Dieo Florez in the lead roles but that did not discourage the pronounced disapproval of the audience.

The plot of La Sonnambula is thin and silly but Bellin’s music and bel canto arias raise it to a level of its own in the repertoire. We are in a Swiss village in the past and Amina and Elvino are in love and about to get married tomorrow. Count Rodolfo, a perfect gentleman, arrives in the village and Amina sleepwalks into his room and is found wearing his robe. The conservative villagers go into shock and Elvino goes into an apoplexy of jealousy. The wedding is off and the villagers turn on Amina.

Several scenes later and a lot of gorgeous singing, Amina’s innocence is established and she and Elvino get married and live happily ever after.  

La Sonnambula is a bel canto opera which means that it makes extraordinary demands on the singers. They must sing beautifully, of course, and be able to reach high notes and go to low notes effortlessly. The vocal beaty must be pronounced and it is a style of singing that few singers can accomplish.

 Deborah Nansteel as Teresa, Nadine Sierra as Amina, 

Nicholas Newton as Alessio, and Sydney Mancasola as Lisa 

in Bellini's "La Sonnambula." Photo: Marty Sohl / Met Opera

This production has singers that meet and surpass those criteria. Soprano Nadine Sierra sings Amina, the sleepwalker, who goes from bliss to despair on being accused of infidelity. She has a surpassingly beautiful voice and can reach the highest soprano notes and sing with sustained emotion be it of joy or pain. Her tone, her expression and the beauty of her singing place her in the highest category of sopranos. A thrilling performance.

Tenor Xabier Anduaga is the ardent lover Elvino who goes into a fit of jealousy at the thought that Amina spent time in Count Rodolfo’s room. He has a supple voice that combines beauty and flexibility, allowing him to sing gorgeously and appear to be doing it effortlessly. Sierra and Anduaga have some magnificent duets that make you forget the silliness of the plot.

Bass Alexander Vinogradov sings the role of Count Rodolfo, an impeccably dressed and mannered aristocrat. He sings with beautiful sonority and being a man of integrity saves Amina’s reputation. He is a pleasure to watch and hear.

Villazon added a solo dancer to the production. Niara Hardister, dressed in ethereal white, appears most of the time on the upper tier or roof of the two-tier set and she could be Amina’s alter ego or sleeping self which means I have no idea what she is doing in the opera.

The set by designer Johannes Leiacker shows a white-painted main stage area with doors in the back and a white roof above it. the roof is covered with snow and beyond we see a dramatic view of the Alps. That part of the background changes to dark and threatening clouds and with projections of designer Renaud Rubiano we get a dramatic set for the production.

Interestingly Rodolfo, Elvino and the dancer descend to the main stage area from the roof using a ladder.

This is a superb production of the opera despite the several quirks that Villazon has added to it. The thin plot is subject to some very odd interpretations and interpolations but Villazon has resisted such directorial self-indulgence and gives us a marvelous production.

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La Sonnambula by Vincenzo Bellini was shown Live in HD from the Metropolitan Opera at select Cineplex theatres across Canada on October 18, 2025. There will be an encore showing on November 1, 2025. For more information including dates for reprises go to: www.cineplex.com/events

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

BREMEN TOWN – REVIEW OF 2025 TARRAGON THEATRE PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas

Bremen Town is a new play by Gregry Prest now playing at Tarragon Theatre. The town is the destination of some travelers and the play may more appropriately be called the The Adventures on the Road to Bremen but Mr. Prest did not consult me on the title and we have to settle for his choice.

The play is very loosely based on The Bremen Town Musicians, a folk tale by the Brothers Grimm about mistreated animals. They go to Bremen to  become musicians as a way of making a living. Prest has animals in his play but people are trying to go to Bremen.

Frau Esel (Nancy Palk) was a housekeeper and was unceremoniously dismissed after 45 years of service. She decides to go to Bremen Town to live with her estranged son who is a clarinet player in a local orchestra. She tries to get on a train but is told that the train is not in service.

The information comes from Caspar Hund (Oliver Dennis), an elderly man who makes a living as a magician and street entertainer. He is not good at it and when he tries to make a girl disappear, he ends up beating her. Frau Esel hires him to lead her to Bremen on foot. It is a long journey and they will meet many people and have numerous adventures on the way in a play that lasts about ninety minutes.

The other characters are the elderly Herr Katze (William Webster) and his old sister Frau Sophia Henne (Sheila McCarthy).

Nancy Palk as Frau Esel in Bremen Town 

Vogel (Tatjana Cornij) opens the play with a song and plays the accordion frequently. She addresses the audience directly as our host and provides an obligato on her accordion.

There are also three players described as Young Actor 1 (Dan Mousseau), Young Actor 2 (Veronica Hortiguela) and Young Actor 3 (Farhang Ghajar). They play the dozens of people that the other characters meet on the journey to Bremen. Like Odysseus’s return to his home this return to Ithaca will be full of adventure and full of discovery with an uncertain result.

Frau Esel meets Herr Hund in Hanover. As I said, he is a fraudster as a magician and beats up a child and in turn he gets a sound thrashing from the townspeople. On to Bremen on foot.

On the road, they meet someone carrying a monkey in a cage. Hund buys the monkey which happens to be dead. Then they meet Herr Katze in the wilderness. In a scene that could be from Waiting for Godot, he explains that he just buried his wife and child and the field where he is standing is where his village was and that all the inhabitants are dead. He joins the travelers.

A bear and its owner appear and it seems obvious that the animal is mistreated.

Frau Henne (Sheila McCarthy) is pulled on stage by a rope, her hands tied, by her adult children and it seems she is worse off than the bear. Her children try to sell Frau Henne by auction and get only a button for her from Frau Esel. Frau Henne joins the other 3 travelers.

Frau Esel finds her companions unpleasant and leaves them in the forest. She finds a woman tied up in a bag and releases her. She turns out to have been Frau Esel’s replacement at her former job. Frau Esel is joined by her three former companions. They join a kite festival where they see the bear and its owner. He beats the bear when it disobeys and finally shoots it.

Frau Esel leaves all her fellow travelers behind and makes it to Bremen. Bremen, like Ithaca, does not have much to offer Frau Esel and the journey is over. I will not disclose the ending.

Bremen Town is obviously a folk tale and Prest has placed it in Germany in the 19^th century. There are trains but no other form of transportation available and the travelers go through several towns that exist more in the imagination than in reality even if one can locate Hanover and Bremen on the map.

As with most good folk tales, what it’s about is largely in the imagination of the reader/viewer. The mistreatment of animals like the money and the bear is an obvious message but what are we to make of the presence of the white dove that we see many times? The mistreatment of people from beatings to the sale of a mother by her children as if she were an animal?

Prest adds accordion music composed and played by Tatjana Cornij that we hear while the characters speak. Cornij as Vogel is also our host or perhaps the chorus if we want to go back to Ancient Greek drama.

The eight actors, five playing named characters and three playing the numerous other parts do superb work under the direction of Prest.

Like any good folk story, Bremen Town takes you in as a simple tale and then leaves you pondering about all the things it can be about beneath the surface.     

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Bremen Town by Gregory Prest continues until October 26, 2025, at the Tarragon Theatre, 30 Bridgman Ave. Toronto, Ontario.  www.tarragontheatre.com

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

 

THE MAGIC FLUTE – REVIEW OF 2025 OPERA ATELIER PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas

Opera Atelier, the magical organization of Marshall Pynkoski  and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg,  is celebrating its 40th year of productions in Toronto and around the world with a production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. They give us a vibrant, exciting, colourful and  enjoyable production that must not be missed.

Anyone who has never seen a production of The Magic Flute is in for a treat. Those who may have seen it many times (23 times for me) will be reminded that you never tire of seeing some works.

If you have never seen the opera, you may want to read some background. It is not really an opera but a singspiel. That means a play with songs, maybe like a traditional musical. It has dialogue and songs and it was written for the popular theatre in 1791 for the purpose of making money. The libretto  was written by Emanuel Schikaneder a man who worked in the popular theatre, the Theater auf der Wieden in Vienna. It uses common German, has low (make that people’s) comedy and high Masonic wisdom and ambitions. Don’t worry about the latter, you don’t have to know anything about the Masons.

Prince Tamino is lost in the forest and almost devoured by a prehistoric Monster. Tenor Colin Ainsworth has sung this role many times and handles it again with vocal assurance and splendor. Tamino is saved by three beautiful and gorgeously dressed Ladies (Carla Huhtanen, Danielle MacMillan and Laura Pudwell) who work for the Queen of the Night (Rainelle Krause). They go to tell their employer about Tamino and Papageno (Douglas Williams) who arrives to claim credit for saving him. He is funny.

The Queen of the Night is not funny but she has a beautiful daughter called Pamina (Meghan Lindsay) and she can belt out some high Fs to knock your socks off. She wants to kill Sarastro, her husband, and the high notes sound like bullets from an AK-47 Kalashnikov. The shots, I mean high notes, may not have been perfect but the audience went wild over them on opening night.

Scene from The Magic Flute. Opera Atelier

That’s the high-minded stuff. The people’s humour is provided by Papageno, the bird catcher who lives in the forest, knows nothing about the rest of the world, is a bit of a coward and wants to find a pretty maiden to marry. A lovable human being. Williams has  a terrific bass-baritone voice and a well-developed sense of comic acting.

Tamino arrives at the Temple of Wisdom. Pamina’s father Sarastro (a splendidly voiced bass-baritone Stephen Hegedus) is the kind ruler and all will become clear when Tamino qualifies to join the brotherhood of the Temple. We meet the nasty and lustful Monostatos (tenor Blaise Rantoanina) who has a comic side. Pynkoski underplays the evil in Monostatos and emphasizes his clownish part,  

Tamino and Papageno must endure trials to prove their virtues in order to join the temple. We have the serious and the comic in tandem with hilarious results when Papageno cannot keep up. We all know that the two will make it and Tamino and Pamina will show their requisite character traits to join the Temple and marry.

Papageno will get his playful Papagena (Opera Atelier veteran and lovely-voiced soprano Karine White).

This production is spoken and sung in plain English from a translation by Andrew Porter. There are even surtitles for the songs but you may not need to look at them all.

Gerard Gauci designed the colourful and otherworldly sets. The Queen of the Night is lowered from up high to the stage in spectacular fashion. Colors, beauty, spectacle are emphasized and the mythical story is reflected in the costumes of original designer Dora Rust D’Eye and Resident Costume Designer Michael Gianfrancesco.

Ms Zingg has choreographed the dances performed by the Artists of Atelier Ballet with the usual iridescent beauty.

The Tafelmusik Orchestra performed on period  instruments under the baton of David Fallis.   

If this is your first Magic Flute or you need more than your fingers to count the number of times you have seen it, it is all the same. You will be captivated by the magic flute, the magic love story and the magic fun of this production.

I tip my hat once more to our local magicians, the co-artistic directors of Opera Atelier, Marshall Pynkoski and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg for their extraordinary contribution to civilized life in Toronto.
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The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder opened on October 15 and will be performed until October 19, 2025, at the Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario. www.operaatelier.com

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

ROMÉO ET JULIETTE – REVIEW OF 2025 CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas

The Canadian Opera Company has mounted a redoubtable and enjoyable production of Charles Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette. The production is rented from Malmo Opera and we can blame the Swedes for some of the quirky bits and give credit to the COC for the rest.

Gounod’s opera is of course based on Shakespeare’s  play as adapted for opera by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré. It was first performed in Paris in 1867 and is generally received well if not enthusiastically. The last time it was produced by the COC was in 1992 and this production, as I said, was rented from another opera company.

The singing is generally superb. Tenor Stephen Costello delivers a strong and sonorous Romeo. At times he sounded stentorian but that may be in comparison to Kseniia Proshina’s Juliette. Proshina has a beautiful soprano voice and she delivers a highly sympathetic heroine. But she does not have a big voice with its attendant issues in a big opera house. But conductor Yves Abel handled the situation brilliantly. He reduces the volume of the COC Orchestra when Proshina is singing and avoids drowning her. She is capable of some beautiful flourishes at full throttle and with that and Abel’s handling of the orchestra we got splendid performances from Proshina and Costello.

Veteran Toronto bass Robert Pomakov sings Friar Laurence (I use Shakespeare’s names) with apt resonance and becoming humanity. In his first appearance he wears a white lab coat and he appears like anything but a friar. When next time we see him at the Capulet palace instructing Juliette about faking her death, he has found his cassock and perhaps his religious calling. 

A scene from the COC's production of Roméo et Juliette. 

Photo: Michael Cooper

Bass-baritone Gordon Bintner sings the colourful role of Mercutio and he gets Queen Mab’s aria to show his vocal mettle. He does. Tenor Owen McCausland sings the hot-headed Tybalt who is killed by Romeo after he, Tybalt, kills Mercutio.   

There are about half a dozen other characters that do a fine job. The role of Stephano sung by Alex Hetherington is worthy of mention. Alex is a soprano and Stephano is a pants role and I could not immediately tell that Alex is a woman. Stephano gets a very good aria of his own and he sings superbly in the role.

The set by Emma Ryott goes for dark tones, not to say a gloomy atmosphere. It is not always clear what she is after but the story line and the singing keep us too busy  to worry about the sets and the lighting designed by Charlie Morgan Jones. The program notes tell us that the production sets the opera in New York on New Year’s Eve 1889. The Capulets are having a big circus-theme garden party that many Montagues crash. That explains some of the ridiculous costumes designed by Ryott and having the upstanding Count Capulet (Mark Stone) stripped of most of his clothes.  

And speaking of quirky, Lane (or was it the Malmo Opera director?) has Juliette die standing up. I noticed the quirks in passing and they had little effect on my enjoyment of the performances.

Conductor Yves Abel deserves great praise for his lively treatment of the score and especially his sensitivity and adroitness in keeping the balance between pit and stage at all times. The COC Orchestra deserves kudos and the Chorus earned extra praise for their wonderful performance.

A production not to be missed, quirks and all.
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Roméo et Juliette by Charles Gounod opened on September 27 and continues on various dates until October 18, 2025, 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 Senior Editor, Culture, of The Greek Press, Toronto

ORFEO ED EURIDICE - REVIEW OF 2025 CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas

The Canadian Opera Company shied away from Gluck’s masterpiece Orfeo ed Euridice  until 2011 but when it first produced it, the COC hit paydirt. The source was Robert Carsen’s dark and gloomy vision of the opera that proved emotionally captivating and intense. It was a co-production with four other opera companies including the Lyric Opera of Chicago and it proved stunningly successful. Fourteen years later, the COC has mounted an equally successful revival of the production with Revival Director Christophe Gayral.

When the performance begins, we see an expanse of dark earth covering the stage of the Four Seasons Centre. The sky at the back is gloomy and darkness is the dominant feature. There is a mound of earth beside an open grave and we hear the somber, funereal singing of the chorus. They are supposed to be shepherds and nymphs but they are all dressed in black and we can’t really see them in the darkness.

They are mourning the death of Euridice (soprano Anna-Sophie Neher), the beautiful, young wife of Orfeo. Euridice’s corpse is lowered into the tomb. Some dirt is shoveled in it. The grief-stricken Orfeo (Iestyn Davies) appears, the chorus leaves and it his turn to express his deeply-felt anguish. He asks for the intercession of the gods and eventually resolves to seek her in the underworld. Countertenor Iestyn Davies expresses his tumultuous emotions with heart-rending poignancy and sonority.    

Lights are placed around the grave by members of the chorus and the funeral gains tragic dimensions and somber beauty.

Amore (Catherine St-Arnaud), the god of love, takes pity on Orfeo and agrees to send him to Hades to recover Euridice but subject to some strict conditions. St-Arnaud does not have a big voice and for a moment was almost overwhelmed by the orchestra but balance was restored and she gave a marvelous performance.

Iestyn Davies and Anna-Sophie Neher in Orfeo ed Euridice. 

Photo: Michael Cooper

In the second act, Orfeo has reached the underworld where we see the stage covered with beings covered by sheets that resemble burial shrouds. They are the Furies, the guardians of Hades who do not allow living beings to enter. Orfeo convinces them with the depth of his sorrow to permit him to pass to Elysium, (think of it as the nice part of hell) to claim his Euridice.

The chorus has become a chorus of heroes and Orfeo meets Euridice but he cannot look at her until they come back to earth. Elysium is a place of beauty but Carsen will not allow the gloomy atmosphere to change. The rest of the journey is unbearable as Euridice fears that Orfeo no longer loves her and they reach the breaking point when she is not sure that she wants to return to earth, He can no longer endure her doubts and looks at her. She dies. 

We have reached the climax of pain and grief and there is nothing left for Orfeo but to commit suicide. He sings the extraordinary aria “Che faro senza Euridice” (What will I do without Euridice.) But love conquers all and the god of love intercedes again and Orfeo and Euridice are united, the lights shine, the nymphs and shepherds still dressed funereally celebrate and they all live happily ever after.

Iestyn Davies occupies the niche of a countertenor voice that has relatively few singers. He has a big, beautifully calibrated voice that can express the anguish, the resolution and the temporary joy of Orfeo to perfection. The COC Chorus is superb in its rendition of its several representations of singing that it delivers.     

The myth of Orpheus and Euridice has proven to be a prime inspiration and challenge for composers. There are almost a hundred operas based on the myth and what composer could resist the challenge of writing music that would sway the guardians of the underworld?
There are many ways of producing Orfeo ed Euridice and Carsen has chosen his own way, emphasizing the dark and solemn aspects. He designed the gloomy lighting with Peter Van Praet, and Tobias Hoheisel designed the sets and costumes. The rest was up to the singers and the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra and Chorus to deliver the extraordinary beauty and emotional power of a great opera.
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Orfeo ed Euridice by Christoph Willibald Gluck opened on October 9 and will be performed seven times on various dates until October 25, 2025, at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. West, Toronto, Ontario. www.coc.ca 

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

BRIGHT STAR - REVIEW OF 2025 PRODUCTION AT CAA THEATRE

Reviewed by James Karas 

Bright Star is a wonderful piece of theatre with a significant qualification. It has music, songs and dances and that qualifies it as a musical. But the singers, instrumentalists, dancers, and actors are all the same people. They are referred to as singer/actors or actor/ singers and the combination makes for a thoroughly enjoyable evening at the theatre. The cast play instrumentalists right on stage and some play numerous instruments, sing, dance and, of course, act. I will list the instruments played by every actor after his or her name just to emphasize the talents on stage.

The play takes place in North Carolina between the 1920’s and the 1940’s and has a plot that has love stories, comedy and drama. It has some beautiful songs that have melodies, funny and moving lyrics and if it strikes you as sentimental, so be it. The music can be described as country and western, even hillbilly or you can call the songs ballads from another world. But it never fails to entertain and the sum of its parts makes for fabulous entertainment.

In 1945 Billy Cane (Nick Dolan, also playing banjo, bass, guitar, mandolin, piano and percussion) returns from fighting in World War II. He wants to establish himself as a writer by having his short stories published in a local magazine. Lucy (Marie Mahabal Hauer – fiddle, piano), an editor for the magazine rebuffs him but editor Alice Murphy (Kaylee Harwood – piano, percussion), likes one of his stories and agrees to publish it.

The company of Actor-Musicians of Bright Star.Photo Credit: Dahlia Katz.

Flashback to 1923. Alice is an attractive teenager who is flirting with Jimmy Ray Dobbs (George Krissa – guitar, piano percussion), the son of the well-off, patriarchal and  assertive Mayor Dobbs (Brendan Wall – bass, accordion, piano, mandolin, banjo, and percussion). Flirtation leads to love and coitus which leads to pregnancy. The Mayor and Alice’s father (Scott Carmichael – drums, mandolin, guitar, banjo, bass and percussion) decide that Alice has to give her child up to be adopted by someone. In a heart wrenching scene, they take her baby away from her and the Mayor puts him in a suitcase and throws it out of a train window into a river.   

Back to the 1940’s. Alice and Jimmy Rae have not seen each other for more than twenty years and she has decided to look for her son. In the course of looking for him she finds the sweater that she knitted for him. Billy Cane hits it off with Lucy with the help of alcohol. Billy’s father Daddy Cane (Beau Dixon who also plays Dr. Norquist -  banjo, guitar, piano, drums and percussion)  tells how he found a baby floating in a suitcase in the river. Billy is Alice and Jimmy Ray’s son! 

It is a beautiful heartwarming, funny and moving story with a happy ending. The strength of the play/musical derives from the songs that are, as I said, country and western or hoedown. They have lyrics that move the story, melodies and character builders. I didn’t think they made them like that anymore but Steve Martin and Edie Brickell did it.

The cast playing all the roles as listed above were on stage much of the time and took up an instrument and played it or pushed, say, the banjo or guitar behind them and took up the character with complete ease. These are talented players in a very different approach to theatre.

Director Jacob Wolstencroft, Musical Director Donna Garner and Choreographer Lisa Goebel do outstanding work in maneuvering a complex and fast-moving show to thedelight of all. Donna Garner deserves special praise. She plays Mama Murphy and Government Clerk (as well as piano, accordion, cello, viola, fiddle and bugle). And more. Her experience on and off stage is extensive and she has established Garner Theatre Production which together with David and Hannah Mirvish is the presenter of Bright Star.      
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Bright Star by Steve Martin (music, book and story) and Edie Brickell (music, book and story), continues until November 2, 2025, at the CAA Theatre, 651 Yonge St. Toronto, Ontario. www.mirvish.com

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

BLACKBIRD - REVIEW OF 2025 TALK IS FREE THEATRE PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas

Blackbird is a marvelous play by David Harrower that was presented at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2005 and subsequently produced in London’s West End. The play has raw emotion and searing intensity when two people meet in a garbage covered staff lunchroom. Ray is fifty-five and  Una is twenty-seven. He had sex with her when she was twelve. The affair lasted several months and they ran away together but eventually he abandoned her. He was arrested and spent three years and seven months in prison. He has rebuilt his life since and now has a job where Una tracks him down. We witness the reckoning for eighty minutes in a small room that has only 25 seats. 

Una (Kirstyn Russelle), an attractive, well-dressed woman saw a picture of Ray (Cyrus Lane) in a magazine and he appears to have a decent office job in a drab building. He does not want to see her or talk with her but he does anyway. She is like a ghost from the past who has lived with memories of their unforgettable relationship without respite. She has written hundreds of letters to him reliving the past and expressing her fury and sorrow.

Ray has worked very hard to put the relationship behind him. His world has changed and prison has broken all his previous relationships. He is in a stable relationship with a woman, he tells us, and near the end of the play a young girl appears. She is his wife’s daughter and appears like a self-confident girl.

The sexual relation with Una was not forced and in fact it appears to have been consensual and affectionate. She remembers him kissing a  birthmark on her body without any rancor. Her fury and pain are not at the sexual relationship but at the fact that he left her and did not communicate with her. He did write a letter but could not send it to her because he was not allowed.  

Cyrus Lane and Kirstyn Russelle in Blackbird. Photo: Dahlia Katz

The two of them go through a rollercoaster of intense emotions in a display of stunning acting by Russelle and Lane that leaves you exhausted. I cannot heap enough praise on the two actors for stamina, emotional depth and bravura  acting.

The complex emotions expressed by both are exquisite pain, fury, and longing for understanding  but not rancor. There is slight physical contact after they reach emotional exhaustion and even a kiss but no indication of probable reconciliation. Una at times thought he was a monster and even though we would not hold in high regard someone who had a sexual relationship with a twelve-year-old, yet, we are not prepared to look at Ray in that regard. It seems they were genuinely affectionate and there is no evidence of any violence. But statutory rape is statutory rape. Now he is living with a woman with a twelve-year old daughter who shows affection towards him She is played by Lucy Janisse. 

Director Dean Deffett does superb work with a script that is played in a small space with two actors that must run through a gamut of intense emotions that keep the audience in thrall.

The play is done at 2550 Danforth Ave (near Main Street) in Toronto. If you don’t think there is a theatre there, you are right. The Talk is Free Theatre has a small room in Hope United Church. This is a very high-quality production with outstanding performances  and I have no idea why the company could not get a better venue.
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Blackbird by David Harrower continues until October  18, 2025 at Hope United Church, 2550 Danforth Ave. Toronto, Ontario. www.tift.ca

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

SLAVE PLAY – REVIEW OF 2025 CANADIAN STAGE PRODUCTION AT BERKELEY ST. THEATRE

Reviewed by James Karas

Slave Play by Jeremy O. Harris is now running at the Berkeley Theatre, Toronto in a production by Canadian Stage.  Before I start my review, it is necessary to make a few preliminary remarks.

The program cover shows a black hand holding up a half cantaloupe whose seeds and centre contents give the impression that it is intended to represent a pudendum. You are forewarned that the play has a great deal to do with raw sexual matters including very salty language.

SPOILER ALERT: If you have never seen the play, you may wish not to read this review because of necessity I will disclose facts that may spoil the shocking discover half-way through the performance. The shock that you will get is worth the trouble of approaching the production in ignorance.

The first scene of the play takes place in a large plantation in Virginia,  a slave-holding state before the Civil War. It involves Jim (Gord Rand) and Kaneisha (Sophia Walker) a beautiful black slave. Jim tells us that he is only her supervisor and not the owner of the plantation and should be addressed as Mister and not as Master. He carries a whip and notices Kaneisha moving her hips provocatively. He is sexually attracted to her and she may well be trying to attract him but with him wielding a whip and threatening to strike her we cannot be sure. In any event, the two engage in explicit (simulated, of course) coitus and we are not sure to what extent it is consensual or rape.  

The scene ends with Kaneisha on all fours and Jim thrusting wildly from behind. She asks him to call her Negress and says she loves what he is doing. What is going on?

The next scene takes place in the brightly lit boudoir (as compared to the dark light of the first scene) of Alana or Madame MacGregor (Amy Rutherford) the wife of the plantation owner. She is in her four-poster bed, dressed in a sexually provocative dress, fanning herself. She is in heat. She calls Phillip (Sebastien Heins), her butler. He is formally dressed, a cultured mulatto gentleman and a talented violinist.

Scene from Slave Play. Photo Dahlia Katz 

She wants something from Phillip and at first asks him to play the violin for her. Eventually, she takes out a huge dildo and I will stop with that scene right here.

We are still on the MacGregor Plantation and meet Dustin (Justin Eddy) a white indentured servant and Gary (Kwaku Okyere), a black, neatly dressed slave who oversees Dustin. They are gay and engage in a physical altercation that ends in intense coitus.

So far so good but then Patricia (Rebecca Applebaum) and Tea (Beck Lloyd), two therapists, take over and everything changes. The three couples appear seated in a therapy session today. The episodes we saw were scripted and the therapists watched the three couples act out their scripts and are about to examine what they witnessed in the three encounters and get the reaction of the couples.

I could not quite figure out what is going on. The therapists seem like recent graduates of some sort who speak in jargon, give evidence of incompetence and I am not sure if the play is not giving us a satire of whatever they are supposed to be doing.

The couples’ reactions were different and they did not see the farcical artificiality of the exercise or purported therapy. Aside, perhaps, from Jim’s reaction, they took the exercise seriously. Alana found the skit liberating and she did as Madame MacGregor what she could not do as as Alana.

The therapists call their method Antebellum Sexual Performance Therapy to help black partners achieve satisfactory coitus with their white partners. But the couples do have sexual and racial problems that they may have masked or tolerated that the therapy sessions bring to the fore.

I will not summarize all the reactions of the couples to the scripted play-acting but comment on the final scene between Jim and Kaneisha. They are in their bedroom and they are the modern couple but they have not discarded the play-acting supposedly in the MacGregor Plantation. Jim has the whip of the first scene. Kanisha is packing to leave him and we see a lengthy emotional outburst that represents acting at a supreme level that left me floored.

She recalls scenes of love and tenderness, and the unfairness of their relationship. She screams that Jim does not listen to her to her needs, to her body’s needs. Her screams  reach  levels of searing emotional intensity that are simply unforgettable.

For all that, the end of the play is ambiguous and I will not say more about it.

The other actors do not reach the stunning performance of Sophia Walker but there is no doubt about their superb acting. Except for the therapists, they play two roles and they must go from slave-era Virgina with Southern accents to modern speech and uncomfortable confessions of relations, especially sexual ones.

Director Jordan Loffrenier does outstanding work in stickhandling the emotional complexities of the characters and the play in general.  It is a play that must be seen and examined many times to get to its soul.

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SAVE PLAY by Jeremy O. Harris continues until October 26, 2925, at the Berkeley St. Theatre, 26 Berkeley St.  Toronto, Ont.  https://www.canadianstage.com/

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