Monthly Archives: August 2021

The Deaf world, from the inside out: Deafy, a Fringe review

Posted on August 14, 2021 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca Deafy (Backstage Theatre) Then character we meet in Deafy is droll, wry, a master of the eye roll/shrug combo, a guy who’s in touch with the absurdities of his world. Nathan Jesper is Deaf. And his … Continue reading →

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A collision of worlds and cultures: Chanzo, a Fringe review

Posted on August 13, 2021 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca Chanzo (Backstage Theatre) Guilt, grief, and responsibility, the enduring triple-crown of family dysfunction world-wide: that’s the emotional infrastructure of Chanzo. And since this new play from the Kenyan-Canadian playwright/ dramaturge Mūkonzi Mūsyoki, in a fluid mixture … Continue reading →

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Burlesque meets accordian: Squeezebox Cabaret, a Fringe review

Posted on August 13, 2021 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca Squeezebox Cabaret (Garneau Theatre) “We wrote a song about COVID for you…. Just kidding.” There is some mesmerizingly kooky about a burlesque cabaret that’s presided over by a flamboyant accordionist, doing squeezebox covers of pop songs, … Continue reading →

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The body-shaming knot unravelled, in a cunning little play: Woman Caught Unaware, a Fringe review

Posted on August 13, 2021 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca Woman Caught Unaware (Varscona Theatre) In this surprising, cunningly written little 2018 play by the Brit writer Annie Fox, an older woman (a woman of a certain age, the delicate way of saying over 50 and … Continue reading →

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“Leaders wanted!” Sing a song of regicide: Freewill’s Macbeth, a Fringe review

Posted on August 12, 2021 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca Macbeth (Freewill Shakespeare Festival at the Old Strathcona Performing Arts Society) “Leaders Wanted.” “Why Not You?” “Volunteer Here.” At the start of Macbeth, three raffish figures in scavenged combat gear stand onstage holding signs and eyeballing … Continue reading →

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Celebrating the return of actors to the stage: Freewill’s Much Ado About Nothing, a Fringe review

Posted on August 12, 2021 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca Much Ado About Nothing (Freewill Shakespeare Festival on the Vanta Outdoor Stage) For the first time in a 32-summer history, the Freewill Shakespeare Festival has arrived at the Fringe — and it’s in runners, carrying a … Continue reading →

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It’s Fringe Eve, the moment to consider intriguing prospects in a year to experiment

Posted on August 11, 2021 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca It’s Fringe Eve (the night the green onion fairy leaves a special stay-awake pill under your pillow). And lordie lordie, our giant summer alternative theatre extravaganza is turning 40. The big four-oh? During a pandemic? A … Continue reading →

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Deafy at the Fringe: changing the landscape for Deaf theatre

Posted on August 10, 2021 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca It was one of those theatre collaborations that start, like so many others, at a closing night party in the wee hours (after copious drinks). And like so many set in Edmonton, it included the fateful … Continue reading →

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Will goes fringing: Freewill Shakespeare Festival takes their resident playwright to the Fringe

Posted on August 9, 2021 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca For more than three decades, they’ve camped out in the river valley every summer with the world’s most famous playwright. And they’ve shown off their artist-in-residence in big full-bodied productions under the Heritage Amphitheatre canopy. For … Continue reading →

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A rom-com that opens a window onto our own history: Heaven, live at the Citadel. A review.

Posted on August 6, 2021 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca Silvery trees grow downward from above in Whittyn Jason’s evocative design for Heaven, the first production of the Citadel’s (socially distanced) return-to-live “summer season” after a year of constantly changing restrictions.    Someone up there in … Continue reading →

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