Category Archives: Reviews

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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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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Thoughts on the Plain Janes’ Scenes From The Sidewalk the sequel

Posted on July 20, 2021 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca You have to hand it to the catastrophe that is the pandemic: it’s impossible now to take for granted the “live” in live theatre. “Going out to the theatre,” a phrase to be tossed off expectantly … Continue reading →

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Breaking out of our cages: Night from Major Matt Mason in Rundle Park. A review..

Posted on June 18, 2021 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca Rundle Park on a cloudy night is an eerie place. A network of cement roads and parking lots, all abandoned. They seem to be holding at bay the woods, the dark tangle of trees, the taller … Continue reading →

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Through the looking glass: The Ugly Duchess, streaming at Northern Light Theatre. A review

Posted on May 22, 2021 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca At the start of The Ugly Duchess, a woman seen from the back walks away from us to approach an elaborate golden altar constructed of mirrors. When you look in the mirror, who looks back? Trevor … Continue reading →

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‘Questions that make the house shake with silence’: Something Unspoken streamed at Northern Light. A review

Posted on May 8, 2021 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca Northern Light Theatre’s exquisite little streamed version of Something Unspoken, a rarely produced Tennessee Williams’ one-act from the ‘50s, is a bit like a whisper in a bubble. Breathe too hard and it will vanish. In … Continue reading →

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Adventures in pandemic theatre: a mystery box, a romantic comedy, a (very) short film fest, and more

Posted on April 8, 2021 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca Theatre’s strange, circuitous and sometimes wonderful route through the pandemic, chapter umpteen. Let me tell you about my week. •For three days the mystery box sat on the dining room table, wrapped in silver. Light, but … Continue reading →

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Got a couple of minutes? catch a film at the Play The Fool International Short (very short) Film Festival

Posted on April 4, 2021 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca Psst.… Wanna have fun, fast, on a blowy pandemic Sunday? I went to an international film festival this morning. And I saw all 12 jury selections, in their entirety, before my second coffee. Surely the world’s … Continue reading →

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