THE MAGIC FLUTE - REVIEW OF 2026 AIX-EN-PROVENCE FESTIVAL PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas

The Aix-en-Provence Festival is up and running for its 2026 season. It opened with Mozart’s Magic Flute and will run frum July 2 to July 21, 2026. The Magic Flute was produced at the Festival in 2014 by Simon McBurney and that production was revived in 2018. This year we get a new production conducted by Leonardo Garcia-Alarcon and directed by Clement Cogitore.

Cogitore has some definite views about his treatment of this opera. His Magic Flute is an opera about war and its grim consequences, and he wastes no time displaying his views. As soon as conductor Garcia-Alarcon begins the overture, we see projected videos and still photographs of a world at war. Destroyed buildings, hungry children rummaging for food, refugees and a world consumed by devastation are shown in frightful detail. It is so overwhelming, I found myself watching the horrors of war and not listening to the music. That is no fault of Garcia-Alarcon who does a splendid job conducting the Millenium Orchestra

The theme of war and its devastation is seen throughout the performance but there is progress towards peace, and we see construction or reconstruction as the damage is rebuilt and we see people enjoying life on the beach or by a pool as normality of sorts is restored.

The opening scene shows a little boy pulling a small cart. He stops and spreads a white sheet and lies down. We hear Prince Tamino (Mauro Peter), the hero of the opera, yell for help as he is pursued by a monster. The little boy is the adolescent Tamino, I guess, Peter is the adult Prince and there is an infant Tamino. The heroine Pamina is sung by Ying Fang but we also have an infant and adolescent Pamina played by two different actors on different nights.

There are numerous children on stage and Cogitore, I guess, wants to emphasize the fact that this is an opera about children’s innocence being destroyed by war and innocence and civilization perhaps being regained by the masonic faith which is the underlying message or strength of the opera for those who can get it.

 I repeat that the backdrop of war persists throughout the performance. The emphasis is on darkness, and we see many scenes through a scrim. Cogitore is responsible for the rich collection of videos. The sets designed by Alban Ho Van aid and abet the principal aim of the opera. The opera is seriously dramaturged by Simon Hatab.

Scene from The Magic Flue, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence 2026 
© Jean-Louis Fernandez 

Costumes by Wojciech Dziedzic are a potpourri of styles and far from royal or formal attire. The grim lighting by Sylvain Verdet added to the grim view of the production.

Chinese soprano Ying Fang and Swiss tenor Mauro Peter sing well amid the paraphernalia of children and sets that rob the opera of its humour and magic. French soprano Sabine Devieilhe as Queen of the Night is momentarily surrounded by children during her first aria and they sing or say something as she is singing that I did not get. During her second aria with those tortuous high notes, she did a decent job but the atmosphere in which she was singing did not prove propitious to a superb performance.

British bass Brindley Sherratt has a marvelous rolling low register that one needs for Sarastro, the High Priest of Isis. He has two major arias, and he sings one standing at a lectern on a raised platform. He sings his second aria seated at a desk, wearing a suit. What are we supposed to make of that for a character who is the voice of Masonic love and peace? 

We have the high-minded Tamino striving to prove himself worthy of becoming a Mason. But we also have the bird catcher Papageno (Sean Michel Plumb) and his future wife Papagena (Emma Fekete). They are comic characters in an opera produced in a popular theatre for the purpose of making money. It was the idea of Emanuel Schikaneder who wrote the libretto and financed it.

Papageno gets a laugh minutes after the curtain rises when he pretends to have slain the monster that was chasing Tamino. There was no monster and no laugh. If there was a twitter of a laugh during the entire production, I must have missed it.

This a production that is so overwhelmingly quirky, Mozart’s wonderful Magic Flute almost disappears. Too bad.

It may be worthwhile noting that this is a coproduction with Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg and Opera Ballet Vlaanderen.

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The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder opened on July 2 and is being performed a total of ten times until July 21, 2026, at the  Théâtre de l'Archevêché, Aix-en-Provence, France.  http://festival-aix.com/

JAMES KARAS IS THE CULTURE EDITOR OF THE GREEK PRESS, TORONO

EL ULTIMO SUENO DE FRIDA Y DIEGO – REVIEW OF 2026 LIVE FROM THE MET IN HD TRANSMISSION

Reviewed by James Karas

The Met has wound up its 2025-2026 season of transmissions Live in HD with El Ultimo Sueno de Frida y Diego composed by Gabriella Lena Frank with a libretto by Nilo Cruz. It was first produced in 2022 and now gets a grand production by the Met. The title refers to artists Frida Khalo and her husband Diego Rivera but the opera has little to do with their lives. But we do see some of her paintings and Rivera’s famous scaffold and  we are made aware of some of their tempestuous lives together and apart.

The opera has more to do with the Orpheus and Euridice myth turned on its head. This opera takes place in 1957, three years after the death of Frida. Diego goes to the cemetery on The Day the Dead in 1957 to seek a connection with her. The mythology is neither Greek nor Christian. It is Aztec.

Diego wants to see Frida so she can help him on his journey to the underworld. He is dying or is already dead and he wants to see her on earth and then make his way to the underworld with her.

We all know that Orpheus went down to Hades to implore the gods to give Euridice back to him using his lyre to convince them. It works but in the end, he loses her because she disobeys the order of the god not to look at him until they reached the earth. She looks at him.

Carlos Álvarez as Diego and Isabel Leonard as Frida in a scene from 
"El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego." Photo: Marty Sohl / Met Opera

The Orpheus myth has mesmerized composers for more than four hundred years. The very first opera (now lost) was Jacopo Peri’s Euridice (1600). Monteverdi’s Orfeo (1607) was the first great opera and that was just the beginning. More than 80 operas have been written based on the myth and there have been six operas based on it in the 21^st  century.

Aside from the large Met chorus and dancers, El Ultimo Sueno has only four characters. Mezzo soprano Isabel Leonard sings Frida with an exceptionally beautiful voice. She is dressed as Frida in some of her self-portraits. Leonard bears amazing resemblance to Frida and it is one of the pleasures of the production.

Tenor Carlos Alvarez looks like a portly Diego thanks to padding and he is a passionate third husband to Frida. The marriage was tempestuous and, in many ways, unpleasant as they were both serially unfaithful but three years after her death and on the death of Diego we want them to find peace in the underworld. 

El Ultimo Sueno has huge production values that only an opera company like the Met can dream of providing. The first act in the cemetery and the underworld features a large cast of villagers in the cemetery who want to see their loved ones. It switches to the underworld, and we see skeletons, ghosts and dancers that are dazzling. There is a huge skeleton of a red tree with branches above and roots below. The tree of life and death?

The peasants recognize Diego in the cemetery and tell him that he needs faith in his heart to be allowed to see Frida. We meet the Warden of the Dead, Catrina with the hideous deathly face and body. She is the frightful guardian of the souls. She lays the rules for allowing someone to visit the earth. Only 24 hours and no touching. Frida had a horrible life on earth and is reluctant to go back but she eventually relents. 

Not much happens in the Orpheus myth and in El Ultimo. The librettist has added a character called Leonardo sung by countertenor Nils Wanderer. He is a fan of Greta Garbo and emulates her appearance and comically her manners. He wants to go to the earth to see her. Wanderer does a fine job vocally and is entertaining as a would-be Greta Garbo.

El Ultimo Sueno has some lush music and some grand flourishes but I would like to see and hear the opera more times to appreciate its contents and context. But the Met Opera Orchestra performs brilliantly under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Seguin. On first viewing, it proved impressive, enjoyable and a work that demands to be seen again and again.
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El Ultimo Sueno de Frida y Diego by Gabriella Lena Frank (music) and Nilo Cruz (libretto) was transmitted Live in HD from New York’s Metropolitan Opera at select Cineplex theatres across Canada on May 30, 2026. There was an encore showing on June 19, 2026, that I saw. For more information go 

to: www.cineplex.com/events.

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

OTHELLO – REVIEW OF 2026 STRATFORD FESTIVAL PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas 

Othello, along with The Tempest and A Midsummer Night’s Dream  is the third and final play by Shakespeare produced by the Stratford Festival this year. One cannot fault the choice of three major plays and appreciate that all three receive astounding productions. I do complain that they have only three plays at a festival that used to be called the Stratford Shakespeare  Festival.

The production, brilliantly directed by Haysam Kadri, shows some powerful performances that make it difficult to recall anything that approaches its effect. Start with Andre Sills as Othello. We start with the self-assured general, a black man in a white Venice, who has a commanding presence and fearless disposition. He has married Desdemona, the beautiful daughter of Senator Brabantia (Chick Reid) and racist slanders follow. He is not concerned because he  is honorable and Venice needs him more than he needs Venice.

This commanding presence will be subverted and lowered and Othello changed into a jealous, murderous man, an ugly being, a hideous man by the exercise of pure evil or what one scholar called motiveless malignity. He will try to reclaim his stature and regain his dignity only momentarily near the end. Sills gives us both Othellos in an unforgettable performance that rates with the best we have ever seen.

The source of Othello’s destruction is the malignity of Iago played masterfully by Evan Buliung. Iago is evil to the core but he is intelligent and knows human nature to the extent that he manipulates and destroys a man who seems indestructible. He is a consummate and brilliant actor who sounds believable and dependable. Moreover, he enjoys his evil and adds some humour to the character.  Iago may have reached the apogee of his evil and Othello the depth of his depravity when convinces Othello that Cassio, another black man, has cuckolded him.  He goes yet further by suggesting that Othello strangle Desdemona and he does it. A bravura performance by Buliung. 

André Sills as Othello, Krystin Pellerin as Desdemona
 and Evan Buliung as Iago. Stratford Festival 2026. 
Photo: Dariane Sanche.

The lovely Desdemona of Krystin Pellerin is a faithful daughter of Venetian nobility but a woman who falls in love with a mensch, a noble and decent man, a famous and capable general. She wants to help Cassio (Jordin Hall) a man who may have been unjustly punished. But her act of decency is noticed by the archdevil Iago who knows how to twist everything to punish the Moor. We love her and cry for her. as we applaud Pellerin 

Rylan Wilkie plays Roderigo perfectly as the dense, gullible and well-off junior officer who is reaching for the stars by wanting Desdemona. He is putty in Iago’s hands who makes him lose his fortune and his life.

Cassio (Jordin Hall) is the man who gets the position that Iago coveted and he becomes a victim of Iago as well. Iago sees his weakness, alcohol, and uses it to have him humiliated and demoted and then arranges for his death. Cassio tries to regain his position believing that his punishment was much greater than his misconduct called for. In the end he is rehabilitated and gets Othello’s office. Superb work by Wilkie. 

The lesser roles are done well and I give kudos to Jessica B. Hill as Emilia, the seriously abused wife of Iago and Vivien Endicott-Douglas as Bianca, the woman for hire. Chick Reid plays Brabantia, Desdemona’s mother instead of Brabantio, the father in the original play. She does not miss a beat and does a superb job.

This is the eighth production of Othello that I have seen at the Stratford Festival starting in 1973 with the disastrous staging directed by David Wiliam starring Nachum Buchman. The Israeli actor spoke little or no English and had no feel for Shakespeare’s poetry. There have been good productions since then but nothing in memory compares with the searing production directed by Haysam Kadri. I have seen a total of fourteen productions in various venues and none has moved or impressed me as much as the current production at Stratford.

Go see it.  
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Othello by William Shakespeare opened on June 18 and will run in repertory until September 27, 2026, at the Tom Patterson Theatre,  Stratford, Ont.

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

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST – REVIEW OF 2026 STRATFORD FESTIVAL PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas

Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is one of the best comedies ever written and pity anyone who has never seen it. Fortunately, for those who have seen it numerous times or for the first time, every production, in the right hands, can offer a terrific night at the theatre. I speak of the current production by the Stratford Festival at the Avon Theatre.

Director Krista Jackson finds humour to enhance Wilde’s wittiest lines and provides laughter in unexpected  and delightful ways.

If you have seen one or twenty productions of Earnest, you will recall and pay attention to Lady Bracknell, referred to as a gorgon in the play. Fiona Reid plays the role superbly. She has the physical presence of a commanding personality and the vocal aptitude to find the perfect pitch for every line. She can switch from her normal voice and go down an octave when she needs to emphasize what she is saying. When she hears that Jack Worthing was abandoned in a handbag in a railroad station, she enunciates “handbag” expressing shock and disbelief by repeating just those two syllables.

She has some of the best lines in the play and Reid does not allow a syllable to come out of her mouth without taking advantage of its comic potential. Jackson has deleted some lines from the text including Lady Bracknell’s famous line about General Moncrieff, the father of Jack Worthing. “The General was a man of peace, except in his domestic life.” I wanted to hear Fiona Reid say that line.

Carter Gulseth as the impecunious Algernon Moncrieff and Joe Perry as John Worthing played perfectly as young lovers. Jackson invented physical business for them from eating muffins, to almost a sword fight and their scenes were marvelous.

The cast of The Importance of Being Earnest. 

Stratford Festival, 2026.Photo: David Hou

Marissa Orjalo as Cecily and Allison Lynch as Gwendolen, the pretty young ladies that Algernon and John pursue are delightful and Jackson treats them with the same imagination and inventiveness. As a nice touch, Cecily is shown handling a spade in contrast to Gwendolyn who proudly tells her and us that she has never seen a spade, evidence that the two ladies come from different social circles.

Jackson gets comic mileage from the relatively minor characters of Canon Chasuble in the hands of Ben Carlson and Miss Prism played by Lucy Peacock, two outstanding actors from whom we can hardly expect anything short of outstanding performances.

Jackson makes great use even of the small roles of Algernon’s butler, Lane (Sean Arbuckle) and John’s butler Merriman (Liam Tobin). They garner laughter by simply standing at attention, pausing for effect or simple body language, Cecily puts a book on her head and holds one in each hand presumably to exercise her posture. She has to stop when Gwendolen arrives and Merriman takes the books, puts them on his head and exits the scene.

The Importance requires three sets, One for Algernon’s apartment in London, the exterior of John’s house in the country and the interior of his house for the final scene, Bretta  Gerecke has designed the three sets intelligently and economically. The first set has pink walls and a few pieces of furniture. For the second set we see a Greco-Roman portico in the back and again a few pieces of furniture for the tea and confrontation between the young ladies. The Landscape Paintings on the set are hand painted by Thomas Lappano, The scene pieces are wheeled on and off the stage and form the final set. Flowers and greenery are an important part of the play and in this production they are prominent and a pleasant addition.

The production proves one more time that with a strong and talented director and behind the scenes artists you have the beginnings of an outstanding production. Add a superb cast and a play that you may have seen twenty times looks as if you are seeing it for the first time.
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The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde opened on June 18 and will play in repertory at the Stratford Festival until October 29, 2026, at the Avon Theatre, 99 Downie St. Stratford, Ont. www.stratfordfestival.ca/

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

THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - REVIEW OF 2026 PRODUCTION AT TARRAGON THEATRE

Reviewed by James Karas

In their synopsis to The Caged Bird Sings, creators Rafeh Mahmud, Rouvan Silogix and Ahad Lakhani inform us that the play tells the story of three prisoners: Rumi (Mikaela Lily Davies) and Jin (Navtej Sandu), two star-crossed lovers and scientists who share a cell with Sal (Rouvan Silogix), a mysterious vagrant. As they navigate their newfound reality and reconcile their past lives, they are haunted by ghosts and demons of their own making.

They continue that we are to witness a radical re-imagining of Rumi’s “Masnavi” and explore the literal and metaphorical prisons that we are put in, put ourselves in, and the ones that we create. Inspired by Sufi mysticism and concepts of Fanafillah, the production examines our ability to overcome and break out of the cage.

They tell us that “Rumi’s ‘Masnavi’ spans over 25,000 metaphorical, mystical, provocative and twisting couplets, filled with parables, poetry, philosophy, farce, and surrealist investigations of our world and the inherent connectedness of each and every living being.” They conclude that their reimagination tries to bring the essence of his thoughts and aesthetics to a contemporary globalized perspective.

That flowery and adjective-overladen text bespeaks fearlessness on the part of the creators and perhaps overweening ambition to to express in an hour and a half all the complexities contained in that long sentence not least of which is the inherent connectedness of every living being.

Scene from The Caged Bird Sings. Photos by Jae Yang. 

The play is based or inspired by Rumi’s ‘Masnavi’ which, again according to the creators of the play, “consists of over 25,000 metaphorical, mystical, provocative and twisting couplets.” That means more than 50,000 lines or verses of poetry. To put it in context, Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey have a total of 27,800 verses making ‘Masnavi’ almost twice as long as both Greek epics.

The play takes place in a cell with two comfortable cots where we meet Rumi and Jin, the two lesbian scientists. Their cellmate is Sal, a colourful figure, sometimes clownish, sometimes regal who tries to establish relationship with the women.

I do not know why the three people are imprisoned. The women are tastefully dressed in low-cut tops, and no one is mistreated. We do not see a jailer and what they are doing in jail is a mystery, but they are not mistreated.  The authors try hard to ease us into the play, no doubt aware that many of us are in terra incognita and I speak for myself only.

The play has numerous stories to tell and in addition to telling us the titles of the three parts, they show placards with the titles of each episode. “Of Mice and Alligators,” “Stardust,” “Songs for the Dead,” “King and the Slave” are examples. The creators seem enamoured of puns and we have “Gin Rumi.” “Rum-eo and Jiniet” three times. In addition, we have “Waiting for Godot’s Due Process” and “What’s New Pussycat” for good measure and I am not sure what they meant. The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is initially expressed with Rumi and Jun jumping under the blankets.

The episodes follow one another quickly and absorbing them is difficult largely because I am not versed on the source material. The creators need to be far clearer for me to follow what is happening on stage let alone the lengthy description of their hopes.

The production is directed by Rafeh Mahmud, one of the creators, the Set Designer is Waleed Ansari, the Costume Designer is Niloufar Ziaee and the Lighting Designer is Arun Srinivasan.   

This is a production of Modern Times Stage Company and Theatre ARTaud. Modern Times (Rouvan Silogix artistic director) describes itself as an “immigrant theatre organization that has focused on celebrating and creating radical theatre in Canada.” Theatre ARTaud (Rafeh Mahmud artistic director) tells us it is “surrealist theatre and multimedia collective run by Artists of Colour.” Both companies have laudable goals and have been around for many years indicating their success.

Unfortunately, their production of The Caged Bird Sings did not get to me the way I hoped it would.
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The Caged Bird Sings, created by Rafeh Mahmud, Rouvan Silogix and Ahad Lakhani, produced by Modern Times Stage Company and Theatre ARTaud continues until June 28, 2026, at the Tarragon Theatre, 30 Bridgman Ave. Toronto, Ontario.  www.tarragontheatre.com/

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

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY - REVIEW OF 2026 PRODUCTION AT THE CAA ED MIRVISH THEATRE

Reviewed by James Karas

Paranormal Activity is a ghost-cum-horror story intended to scare you, make you laugh and entertain you. It is based on the Paramount Pictures movies of the same name by Levi Holloway that I have not seen. The play premiered in Leeds, England two years ago and is now playing at the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre, in Toronto.

A few (very few) words about the plot because there is nothing worse than being told about the visits or is it presence or invasion of paranormal visitors in one’s house.

James (Patrick Heusinger) and his wife Lou (Melissa James) are happily married and live in a nice two-story house. I am not sure if we know much about their marriage, but we learn that they have moved from Chicago to London to escape some unpleasant experiences. Yes, their house was haunted. We see a cross-section of their English house on the stage. The main floor has a kitchen and living room, and a staircase leading to the second floor. There is bathroom, and two bedrooms on the second floor, all displayed clearly for the audience.

Then things begin to happen. There is a crashing noise that makes one jump a few inches out of one’s seat. Now you know that this house is haunted. You do not see anything yet but whatever it is, it is causing some very loud bangs, lights flash and members of the audience add to the excitement by screaming or expressing shock in different ways.

Everything gets progressively worse or more pronounced, shall we say, both on stage and in the audience. That is part of the fun.

Melissa James and Patrick Heusinger in Paranormal Activity. 
Photo Credit: Johan Persson

James and Lou investigate or try to recollect if there is anything in their past to unleash the horror or find out whatever is haunting their house. The question is what do you do if you house is haunted? I don’t know but James and Lou install a bell in the house. To do what? They consult Alexa who is not much help. James’ mother Carolanne (Pippa Winslow) appears on a television screen to give useless advice. That is not all because in the meantime Lighting Designer Anna Watson’s tricky lights, Sound Designer Gareth Fry’s ghostly and supernatural sounds and Luke Halls’ videos keep us on the edge of our seats and the intense audience responses make it more thrilling.

Heusinger and James give nuanced performances displaying a sense of humour and humanity. They are not the usual plastic figures that one may associate with second-rate horror movies. One may say that they are “realistic” and mean it as a compliment and I do.

The ending takes a sharp move away from the horror movie genre and I found it quite interesting. Go and see the play if you want to see how it ends.

Much of the horror that keeps us enthralled is owed to the Set Designer Fly Davis and the Lighting, Sound and Videos design mentioned above and to Chris Fisher for the illusions.

Director Felix Barrett gets a huge part of the credit for this wonderful show by taking what at first blush may appear as a run-of-the-mill horror story into a highly entertaining theatrical experience.

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Paranormal Activity by Levi Holloway continues until July 5, 2026,  at the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre, 244 Victoria St. Toronto, Ontario. www.mirvish.com

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

PRIMARY TRUST - REVIEW OF 2026 PRODUCTION AT CROW’S THEATRE

Reviewed by James Karas 

Primary Trust by Eboni Booth shows the life of Kenneth, a lonely, awkward young man who tries to fit in normal society. Kenneth was raised in an orphanage and looks like a nervous, indeed neurotic young man who stammers and uses his hands incessantly when he speaks. His whole body shows his discomfort in social situations and he spends much of his time after work at Wally’s Bar drinking mai tais.

Keneth does have a friend, Bert, who joins him for drinks and appears like a decent and helpful companion. But there is a problem: Ber is an imaginary friend and counsellor. When Kenneth is dismissed from his job in a second-hand bookstore because the owner is closing it, he applies for work at Primary Trust. Bert accompanies him to the bank and advises him on how to behave during the interview. Kenneth gets the job.

Kenneth  interacts with Clay, the bank manager who hires him at Primary Trust. Interestingly, Clay is unsure of himself and acts almost like a clown but he does have faith in Kenneth who tuns out to be an excellent worker.

Kenneth is the main character and focus of the play and Durae MacFarlane gives an outstanding performance. He is on stage for the entire performance and we see him at his most pathetic, drinking alone at Wally’s, and trying to get a connection with a human being aside from his imaginary friend.

The cast of Prime Trust. Photo: Dahlia Katz

Peter N. Bailey gives a superb performance as Bert, a decent and understanding companion for Kenneth with the problem of not being a human being. But he is what makes Kenneth’s life bearable and may be the means for Kenneh to find his way to self-assurance and normality. Bert and Kenneth tell us that Bert is imaginary but also a  human being  with a wife and children. He is real but only Kenneth can see him.

Kenneth was raised in an orphanage and some foster homes after the death of his mother when he was ten. He found his mother dead and dragged her body into a closet in the kitchen and stayed with her for six days. A social worker also named Bert found him in the closet and took him to a hospital. One shudders at the terror of the experience. The real Bert left Kenneth but promised to come back. He never did and Kenneth created his imaginary Bert who was the same as the real one.

At eighteen he got a job in a bookstore owned by Sam. He worked there for twenty years until Sam sold the bookstore. Ryan Hollyman plays Sam and the bank manager Clay. As the bookstore owner, he treats Kenneth well, knows about his imaginary friend and deals with Kenneth fairly.

Clay is a very different character from Sam and as I said he appeared awkward and unsure of himself to the point of being clownish. Is he like Kenneth but with a good job? Hollyman acts superbly in both roles.

The fifth character in the play is Corinna (Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah) who works at Wally’s but befriends Kenneth. Like the other characters, she is a decent person who tris to help him. Booth does not create a villain in her play.  Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah plays an obnoxious bank customer and it is the closest Booth comes to creating a bad apple. As the obnoxious customer, she creates a huge argument with Kenneth which results in his dismissal from his job.

I will not reveal the whole plot.

The set designed by Julie Fox is simple but effective. The sign for the all-important Wally’s bar is shown on the right and a corner of seats is wheeled on and off the stage for bar interiors. There is a desk and a sign for Primary Trust and there is a musician on a keyboard at the back. Danilo Reyes is the musician and fifth member of the cast.

Director Cherissa Richards gives a nuanced direction to this subtle and lyrical play.

Primary Trust runs approximately 95 minutes with no intermission.
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Primary Trust  by Eboni Booth, a Crow’s Theatre and Grand Theatre co-production, will run until June 21, 2026, at Crow’s Theatre, 345 Carlaw Avenue, Toronto, Ontario.  http://crowstheatre.com/

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

FUNNY GIRL – REVIEW OF 2026 SHAW FESTIVAL PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas

The Shaw Festival’s big musical for this year is Funny Girl, the 1964 musical based very loosely on the life of Fanny Brice (1891 – 1951). The musical has some familiar marvelous songs and an episodic plot about Fanny as she rises to stardom as a singer, comedian and actress.

The musical starts with Fanny (Sara Farb) in her dressing room in the theatre waiting for her husband Nick Arnstein to be released from jail. We then flashback to her life from an ambitious young girl who wants to go on the stage but whose mother Mrs. Brice (Patty Jamieson) tries to dissuade her. She feels that Fanny is not pretty enough to succeed. Mrs. Brice and her friends sing “If a Girl isn’t Pretty” she should get a job and forget the theatre.

Fanny defiantly sings “I’m the Greatest Star” and Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. (Damien Atkins), the great impresario and producer of Ziegfeld’s Follies offers her a job. Fanny proves that she can act and sing as well as inject comedy in her performances. In other words, she is star material.

The musical has a large cast of people on stage but the main ones are singer and dancer Eddie Ryan played by Matt Alfano. Alfano is an excellent singer and dancer and a mensch. He is supportive of Fanny and a decent fellow who helps Fanny. Well done. 

Sara Farb as Fanny Brice with members of the 
Funny Girl ensemble. Photo by David Cooper.

Damien Atkins as Florenz Ziegfeld Jr is a tough man of the theatre but also a smart one. He is furious when Fanny turns a song into a comedy routine but is also smart enough to see a good thing. He helps Fanny’s career enormously.

Patty Jamieson as Mrs., Brice and her poker-playing klatch played by Sharry Flett, Alana Bridgewater and Janelle Cooper are an entertaining asset. 

Nick Arnstein (Qasim Khan) is Fanny’s lover and husband and she is waiting for him to be released from prison. He is charming, effusive, generous and a man who wants to become rich. When that proves difficult, he attempts a fast-buck method of fraud. He  takes and loses all of Fanny’s money and is convicted of committing fraud. She still loves him but their marriage is not working out.

The musical is well done. The dancers perform Parker Esse’s fine choreography skillfully  and the singing is marvelous. Unfortunately, there is a problem with Sara Farb’s voice. At certain points her voice squeaked. When she sang “Rat-tat-tat” with Eddie, Jenny and the ensemble. Her voice squeaked.  She gave a superb performance otherwise and the unpleasant sound seemed like an aberration and I can only conclude that she was having a bad afternoon. Funny Girl depends largely on the lead performer and Farb does her job superbly subject to a couple of glitches.

She does excellent work with her singing, dancing and comedy and you want to hear her do “I Want To Be Seen With You Tonight”  and “You Are Woman I am Man” , the duet with Nick.

Sets and Costume designs by James Lavoie are exceptional for the various locations and the costumes capture the circa 1930’s styles.

Director Eda Holmes does fine work with the episodic script, the scene changes and the overall pace of the work to give us a splendid afternoon or evening at the theatre.

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Funny Girl by Jule Styne (music), Bob Merrill (lyrics), and Isobel Lennart (book)  continues in repertory until October 3, 2026,  at the Festival Theatre, 10 Queen’s Parade, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. www.shawfest.com

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

SLEUTH – REVIEW OF 2026 SHAW FESTIVAL PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas

The 2026 Shaw Festival is up and running without the beautiful Royal George Theater which is under construction. The old Court House Theater which has not been used for years is back in service with productions of Sleuth and Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense. A New Work In Progress is promised 

Funny Girl, Amadeus and One For The Pot are playing at the Festival Theatre. The Wind in the Willows, Heartbreak House and Ohio State Murders play at the Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre.

Anthony Shaffer’s Sleuth is probably one of the best thrillers ever written. It opened in 1970 and has been adapted for two films, most famously one with Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine in 1972.

The play is set in a manor house in Wiltshire, according to the program, the home of Andrew Wyke (Patrick Galligan) a cultured gentleman and a brilliant writer of murder mysteries. He has invited Milo Tindle (Sepehr Reybod), a man of Italian origin and much lower social standing, to his house to discuss his adulterous relationship with Mrs. Wyke.  Wyke knows about the adultery and has no objection to Milo marrying his wife provided  he can take care of her. Wyke is a gentleman and he worries about Tindle and his wife.

Philip Mayfield as Inspector Doppler and Patrick Galligan 

as Andrew Wyke in Sleuth. Photo by David Cooper.

Milo may not have the financial wherewithal to do that so Wyke suggests that he rob Mrs. Wyke’s expensive jewelry, sell them and pocket a lot of money from it. The two begin planning the robbery with the expert Wyke doing most of the thinking. The plan seems failproof. The plot of the play proceeds from there and there are a few surprises. The main characters are Wyke and Tindle but there is also Inspector Doppler (Philip Mayfield), Detective Sergeant Tarrant (Liam McNulty) and  Police Constable Higgs (Stanley Rushton). I praise the performances of the actors but you will have to see the play with its incredible twists and brilliant plot development to find out what is going on with the police characters. It is jaw-dropping and I am not about to disclose any more details.

Galligan gives a bravura performance as the wily, polite, snobbish and devious Wyke describes himself as a sexual performer of Olympic status. But he is generously willing to allow Tindle to marry his wife. He is energetic, expressive and knowledgeable about murder and robbery. Wonderful work by Galligan.

Sepehr Reybod as Milo Tindle and Patrick Galligan 

as Andrew Wyke in Sleuth. Photo by David Cooper.

Tindle is no idiot but he is outsmarted and outclassed by Wyke. He is skeptical about the robbery but with Wyke’s brilliance and the help of whiskey he agrees to do it, but do not underestimate Tindle’s intelligence, perseverance and imagination. Reybod has a tough role and by the end of the play you will come to appreciate the brilliance of his performance and give him a standing ovation.

The set designed by Sim Suzer shows a very well-appointed living room with bookshelves, a fireplace and the usual coffee table and chairs. The costumes by Joyce Padua provides suits for the gentleman and a couple of other items of clothing as necessary.

Director Peter Fernandes maintains control of the action and the brisk speed of the play. He does not allow our attention to waiver.

In other words, Sleuth is an extraordinary production that you will enjoy and not soon forget.
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Sleuth  by Anthony Shaffer continues in repertory until October 9, 2026, at the Court House Theatre as part of the Shaw Festival, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. www.shawfest.com

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

JEEVES & WOOSTER – REVIEW OF 2026 SHAW FESTIVAL PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas 

Jeeves and Wooster are, of course, the immortal characters created by P. G. Wodehouse  and made famous in his books and television series. With Robert and David Goodale’s adaptation titled Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense their fame has reached the stage as well and the Shaw festival has produced the adaptation at the Court House Theatre for its 2026 season.

The show is done by with only three actors Damien Atkins as Jeeves, Jeff Irving as Bertie Wooster and Travis Seetoo as Seppings who play ten (?) characters? I lost count. The play depends on the extraordinary imagination of the adapters and the outstanding talents of the actors and the adeptness of director Brendan McMurtry-Howlett.

That is complimentary but it does not say enough about the imagination and adroitness of the actors. Wooster (Jeff Irving) starts the show by telling us a story and his gentleman’s gentleman Jeeves (Damien Atkins) appears in perfect form for the role. Then the action picks up speed as Jeeves brings on the set (yes, he decorates the stage) and the other characters begin appearing. Atkins transforms himself into Aunt Dahlia in one of the numerous costumes that he will wear. The costume changes by the characters are done as quickly and efficiently as you are ever likely to see on stage. I should add that one of the characters has to get out of a bathtub. This is slower but even funnier.

Travis Seetoo as Seppings, Jeff Irving as Bertie Wooster
 and Damien Atkins as Jeeves in Jeeves & Wooster
 in Perfect Nonsense. Photo by Michael Cooper.

Inspector Spode comes on but we need more than a costume because he is tall. Grab some books from the bookshelf and he becomes tall. We then need him to become nine feet. Wheel in a stand where he can step on it and walk into a costume appropriate for a very tall man.

That is impressive and the costume changes hold true for the newt-lover Fink-Nottle, the nasty Sir Watkyn, his daughter Madeline, cousin Stiffy Byng the butler Butterworth, Mr. Spode and I am sure I have missed someone. We hit the target when we see Sir Watkin and his niece Stiffy appear simultaneously with the actor wearing the costumes of two characters on different sides of his body. He turns from side to side to represent each character as they address each other.

There is a plot of course. Uncle Tom, Aunt Dahlia’s husband has an obsession with owning certain objects d’art. He wants a silver cow-creamer which is in the possession of Sir Watkyn in his mansion. Wooster must steal it and deal with his friend Fink-Nottle’s engagement to Madeline and what do we do with Stiffy and the investigation into the robbery of the cow-creamer? Or with Madeline’s engagement. She puts Wooster on notice that if things do not work out with Fink-Nottle he is next in line in the game of matrimony.

The world of Jeeves and Wooster is the well-off English upper crust in the 1930’s and their silliness, such as the pursuit of the silver cow-shaped creamer and the game of love and marriage. Regretfully I cannot reveal any more information about the plot because you may not be a Wodehouse reader or Jeeves and Wooster fam and I do not want to spoil the play for you.

The sets starting from Wooster’s apartment in London to Aunt Dahlia’s house in the country, to the English countryside and a two-seater being driven there and the bedroom there and other locations that I may have missed are brought on with the same speed and comic aplomb as if  by magic. Set and Costume Designer Sim Suzer gets full marks. Kudos to Lighting Designer Kaileigh Krysztofiak for his imaginative work. 

The acting by Atkins, Irving and Seetoo deserves nothing less than a standing ovation. They speak with an English accent and they do it well and of course, representing men as well as women. A standing ovation describes their success. Director McMurtry-Howlett obviously had to orchestrate the almost countless moves to keep the show moving at a breakneck speed and producing the laughter that the play calls for.

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Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense by Robert and David Goodale from the works by P.G. Wodehouse continues in repertory until October 10, 2026, at the Court House Theatre, Shaw Festival, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. www.shawfest.com.

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

WAITING FOR GODOT and THE HOBBIT - REVIEW OF 2026 STRATFORD FESTIVAL PRODUCTIONS

Reviewed by James Karas

The Hobbit at the Avon Theatre and Waiting for Godot at the Festival Theatre wrapped up opening nights week (May 25 to May 30, 2026) at the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario. Seven plays in six days is an experience to be savored especially when the productions are of the highest quality.

The Hobbit is based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien which has been adapted for the stage by Kim Selody. It is this year’s Schulich Children’s Play sponsored by the Schulich Foundation. Children are the target audience of the production and quite appropriately The Hobbit is an adventure story.

The wise and seriously hirsute Gandalf (Tim Campbell) with white beard to his stomach, hair to his shoulders and big walking stick launches the adventure. He recruits hobbit Bilbo Baggins  (Richard Lee) out of his happy retirement to lead twelve dwarfs to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and its vast treasure from the dragon Smaug (also played by Tim Campbell). This is serious business done on dramatic sets with stupendous lighting and special effects. Bilbo is hired as a burglar. The leader of the Dwarfs is Thorin Oakenshield (Aaron Krohn).

The Hobbit may compete with Homer’s Odyssey and the adventures of Odysseus with Cyclops, Anthropophagi and murderous Sirens. Tolkien/Selody have dwarfs, trolls, giant spiders, goblins elves, trolls and other creatures that live in Middle-earth.   

Members of the company, The Hobbit. Stratford Festival 2026. 

Photo: David Hou.

The play has more than thirty characters played by nine actors. The roles they play as stated above are guaranteed to fascinate the youngsters. The other actors with multiple roles are Heidi Damayo, Sara-Jeannie Hosie Derek Kwan, Michael Man and Jennifer Villaverde.

The costumes are out of the world or in Middle-earth or to be exact in Tolkien’s imagination. Th real source for the costumes is the immense creative talent of Ting-Huan and Christine Urquhart. Lighting Designer Michael Walton does unbelievably fantastic effects with the lights. The extraordinary sets are designed by Lorenzo Savoini. One cannot praise these people enough because no adventure story would be effective without their contributions.

Director Pablo Felices-Luna handles the handful of actors with the numerous roles, the changing scenes and complexities with expertise and the youngsters should enjoy the production.

In short, it is a fantastic show that should grab the attention of the young ones and their parents or guardians.

Waiting for Godot

Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot has kept the attention, fascination and wonder of audiences, scholars and readers for more than seventy years. The play is produced regularly and people leave the theatre wondering what the hell was going on. There is really no answer except “what you see is what you get.” You may think you know what you see but you may never know what you get or what you are supposed to think of what you get. I hope that is completely confusing.

The Stratford Festival production directed by Molly Atkinson features Tom McCamus as Estragon, Paul Gross as Vladimir, Jonathan Goad as Pozzo the slave owner and David W. Keeley as Lucky the slave. Gordon Paul Miller and Asher Albert Waxman alternate as the Boy.

In a desolate area with a bare tree, the two tramps talk about nothing and have nothing to talk about except that they are waiting for Godot. One of them is beaten and we get the impression of nothingness. We do not know of nothingness nor of who or what Godot is or that he exists.                                                                                                                                                

Tom McCamus as Estragon, Paul Gross as Vladimir 

and Jonathan Goad as Pozzo, Waiting for Godot. Stratford Festival 2026. 

Photo: David Hou.

Atkinson uses the large Festival Theatre stage to add to the void that the characters occupy.

In McCamus and Gross, Atkinson has some of the best talents to play the tramps with Goad and Keeley delivering fine performances in the secondary roles. Estragon is beaten up, has trouble with his shoes and is truly pathetic. Vladimir tries to be optimistic but that does not change anything even when they try to play games.  Waiting for Godot has humour and in some productions, it is played almost as a comedy. Atkinson directs an orthodox production which has some laughs but she does not overdo it.

Pozzo holds Lucky the slave at the end of a rope and the Latter does not say much. It is a pathetic scene on top of a pathetic everything without engaging our sympathy as in a non-Beckett play.

A passing thought. How about looking at Waiting for Godot as a metaphor for life, our life, the world. A meaningless void in which we kid ourselves that someone will come , a redeemer, something and we kid ourselves that he is coming and we should wait for him??/

The Hobbit  by Kim Selody adapted from J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel opened on May 30 and will run in repertory until October 23, 2026, at the Avon Theatre, Stratford, Ontario. Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett opened on May 30 and will run in repertory until July 31, 2026 at the Festival Theatre, Stratford, Ont. www.stratfordfestival.ca

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

SOMETHING ROTTEN! - REVIEW OF 2026 STRATFORD FESTIVAL PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas 

Welcome to the return of the Stratford Festival’s 2024 musical extravaganza, Something Rotten.

The production and the audience’s reception can only be described in superlatives but I will begin and end with outstating praise for Director and Choreographer Donna Feore. I suggest that she is the alpha and omega of the production without forgetting the busload of highly talented performers and behind-the-scenes people who bring the show to us.

Something Rotten is a musical that satirizes modern musicals by poking fun at them while two of the characters are trying to write one themselves.  Set in the age of Shakespeare, two brothers, Nick (Mark Uhre) and Nigel Bottom (Henry Firmston) try to earn their daily bread in the theatre. There are many writers around but an arrogant William Shakespeare (Jeff Lillico) dominates the trade.

The two brothers try to emulate Shakespeare. He is writing a play that sounds like ham. Is it about eating Danish pastry with ham and eggs? Is it a ham omelet? Some day musicals will dominate the theatre and you will get a Fidler sitting on a roof and a musical called Cats and many other such titles. Things are changing and the first song tells us, “Welcome to the Renaissance” and is followed by “God I Hate Shakespeare.” There are numerous comic references to modern musicals.

With book and music by Karey Kirkpatrick, music by Wayne Kirkpatric and book by John O’Farrell, the trio covered the music, the comedy and plot of the show brilliantly. After that it was the performers, actors, singers and dancers, under the direction and with the choreography of Donna Feore who put it all together. The people on stage come up to fifty, give or take, if I counted them accurately. I know of smaller villages. 

Members of the company, Something Rotten! Stratford Festival 2024. 

Photo: David Hou.

If you are curious about that busload of performers, here is the breakdown. There is the main cast and we have the Acting Troupe followed by The Ladies of the Renaissance and The Bard Boys. We also have the Chefs, and the Renaissance Writers, Astrologers, Townspeople, Puritans, Eggs and Omelets, and the Swings. OK?   

Nick and Nigel consult Nostradamus (a hilarious Dan Chameroy) who predicts the future. Shakespeare was two years old when Nostradamus died but don’t bother me with details. OK, the Nostradamus of Something Rotten is the nephew of the real one! There is Shylock (Steve Ross) who wants to invest in a musical but he can’t because he is a Jew. They find a way. And there is the snooty Lady Clapham (Nehassaiu deGannes) who must be obeyed so she can invest. Bea Bottom (Starr Domingue) is a delightful wife and Portia (Olivia Sinclair-Brisbane), a lovely Puritan who delights and surprises. Yes, she is the lawyer who talks about the quality of mercy. The Puritans led by Brother Jeremiah (Juan Chioran), Portia’s father, are a pain in the unmentionable. I may add that the production is not as fastidious as I am  in its use of colourful language. Colourful? Make that dirty jokes and sexual puns that are just delightful.

From left: Mark Uhre as Nick Bottom and Dan Chameroy 

as Nostradamus, Something Rotten! Stratford Festival 2026. 

Photo: Ann Baggley.

Let’s get down to business and find a suitable subject for a musical. The brothers consider their options. How about Richard II. Too late. Shakespeare has one. How about The Black Death? I don’t think so. What about Omelet, The Musical? The humour, boisterous action, the songs and the gorgeous dance routines keep the audience enthralled.  

We get a dance routine done by the eggs and one done by the omelets. These are just two of the fantastic choreography that Donna Feore produces. She never hesitates to put a group of dancers on the stage who do fantastic numbers. The audience jumped to its feet and gave the performers lengthy standing ovations in the middle of the performance. Plus, an uproarious one at the end of the show.

I can heap praise on the actors/singers/dancers and the backstage artists but that will simply delay your effort to get a ticket and enjoy a great production.
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Something Rotten!, book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell, music and lyrics by Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick, opened on May 29  and will continue in repertory until October 31, 2026, at the Festival Theatre, 55 Queen Street, Stratford, Ontario. www.stratfordfestival.ca

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

DEATH OF A SALESMAN – REVIEW OF 2026 STRATFORD FESTIVAL PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas

Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman is a great play by an American playwright and the Stratford Festival has staged it again to its credit. The production is dramatic, superbly conceived and acted but I take issue with the set.

Willy Loman, the salesman of the title, is a man at the end of his rope. Based in New York City, he travels throughout New England, as far as Boston, showing samples and trying to sell to store buyers. Willy dreams of wealth and of achieving success in 1950’s America by being well liked.

He has instilled the same spirit in his two sons and lives with the conviction that you can “make it” without hard work.

Tom McCamus gives a signature performance as the pathetic Willy. He looks exhausted but tries to maintain his pride and belief that he and especially his sons can succeed in business despite lacking any tools such as education, integrity and hard work. He is ill-tempered and frequently explodes until he is forced to realize that his dreams and his sons’ chances of success are non-existent. McCamus takes us through the trajectory of Loman’s life with superb acting.

Willy’s sons, Biff (Joe Perry) and Happy (Josh Johnston) are products of their father’s illusory dreams and hopes for them. Biff returns home after spending time in the West as a farm worker and in jail. He thinks he can approach a successful acquaintance and get money from him to go into business with his brother. He ends up walking out with the man’s fountain pen. He did not finish high school because he caught his father committing adultery.

                                

Tom McCamus and Lucy Peacock as Willy Loman and Linda Loman.

The brothers are shallow liars and pretenders in  a terrific scene where they lie about their achievements to pick up two women and abandon their father in the restaurant,

Miller provides an illusory example of easy success in Uncle Ben, Willy’s imaginary brother who made a fortune in Africa. David W. Keeley, dressed in a white suit, appears as the ultimate example of success but it is all an illusion.

Miller also provides examples of decency and success in Willy’s neighbor Charlie (Matthew Kabwe) and his son Bernard (Raymond Strachan). Charlie gives money to Willy pretending it is a loan and offers him a job. Bernard tries to help Biff with his studies. His neighbors are successful through hard work. In this production they are black and that drives the message of how to succeed in America with unerring accuracy considering the current racist attitudes.

The most powerful and sympathetic character is Willy’s wife Linda, played by the powerful Lucy Peacock. Linda sees and knows everything but she says little and tries to support her husband and keep the family together. A stunning performance.

The problem I have is with Scott Penner’s set. The Lomans live in a mortgaged house in Brooklyn. It is surrounded by tall buildings on three sides and some windows are lit. Willy Loman famously arrives carrying his cases of samples and walks into his house. In this production he walks into the yard of his house. We see a table and a fridge and when the sons come on stage there is a bed and some furniture to the right of the “kitchen.” The problem is we are still outside and the set is incongruous, and simply wrong. Surely, we could have had a view of the tenements and a view of the kitchen and the boys’ bedroom. This was unacceptable

Death of a Salesman is a great play and director Dean Gabourie does impressive work in bringing it to the Avon Theatre. It is a cohesive, moving and indeed a splendid production. Except for the sets.  _____________________

Death of a Salesman  by Arthur Miller opened on May 28 and continues in repertory until October 31, 2026, at the Avon Theatre, Stratford, Ontario. www.stratfordfestival.ca

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