Media Stuff
A Pair of Shorts - Toronto Fringe 2003
A Midsummer Night's Dream Project - Toronto Fringe 2000
Eye Magazine gave us a FOUR STAR review! There was a photo and the review was in a special box - about a third of a page! The full text is below.
There have been nice audience comments such as "Well crafted and beautifully acted. Shakespeare at it's finest." - you can see some at the Eye Magazine web site at: http://www.eye.net/fringe/00/display.asp?show=2 or below.
Robert Crew of the Toronto Star selected us as one of his top 10 shows in a Fringe Recommendation List in the July 6 issue, commenting that we had one of the best shows in last year's Fringe.
We had mini-reviews in both the Toronto Sun and Toronto Star.
Director Robert Ross Parker was interviewed on July 6th on EZ Rock radio.
Luisa Durante (Puck) is one of 8 Fringe actors quoted in the July 6 issue of NOW magazine
Trish O'Reilly and Stephen Flett were interviewed on July 3 by Don Mosley of CKLN Radio. They also presented a short scene from the Dream Project.
As of June 28, we have a listing and picture at toronto.com at http://www.toronto.com/E/E/TORON/0024/37/13/
Eye Magazine - July
13, 2000 - CT - (Four stars) * * * *
Accelerated Shakespeare
"Fun, fresh and frenzied, A
Midsummer Night's Dream Project has everything you could hope for in a
Fringe Shakespeare: cigarettes, noisemakers, women playing men's roles and four
pairs of clumpy ski boots.
Director Robert Ross Parker's adaptation is excellent, managing to squeeze all five acts into 60 minutes using only seven actors. Though the cuts to the text obviously had to be brutal, they have been made judiciously -- the only part of the play that feels like it's been cut beyond recognition is Titania and Bottom's comic coupling.
Acting from the whole ensemble is generally strong, and the doubling-up allows most of them to stretch themselves in wildly different roles. Some of the actors, lacklustre in their roles as lovers, finally come alive when they switch parts.
One of the director's innovations is to turn Shakespeare's "rude mechanicals" (Bottom, Quince, etc.) into clowns who communicate using only monosyllables (such as "Ma!" or "Hey!") and squeaky toys. At the end of the show, instead of performing Pyramus and Thisbe for the newlywed nobles, they do a two-minute version of A Midsummer Night's Dream -- again uttering only monosyllables -- an idea inspiring in both concept and execution. If grunts and kazoos sound unbearably pretentious, don't be put off: the clowning is so good that it's all perfectly comprehensible and entertaining.
Not quite every idea works (I was never fully convinced by the ski boots), but the play goes at such a clip that the bits that don't are quickly lost in the mad, delightful rush." -- CT
Audience comments on the Eye Magazine web site:
Toronto Star - July 6,
2000 - Robert Crew
A
roll-of-the-dice recommendation list
"There's probably a better method,
something involving a blindfold and a pin. But here, with absolutely no
money-back guarantee, are 10 plays that caught my eye amid a blizzard of press
releases:...Cabbagetown Theatre Productions' Pseudolus was one of the
best last year. This year it's A Midsummer Night's Dream, with director
Robert Ross Parker throwing a one-hour girdle around the play."
PSEUDOLUS in the Toronto Fringe '99
With so many shows in the Fringe, the media coverage usually goes to the shows with "names", but our "beer-tent buzz" was good, and so were the reviews!
NOW Magazine
- July 8,
1999 - Jon Kaplan
Plautus's sitcom savvy
Rating: NNNN
"The plays of ancient
Roman writer Plautus prove that there's nothing new under the sitcom sun. His
play Pseudolus -- besides being the source for the Broadway musical A Funny
Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum -- provides the shtick for dozens of
television shows. Its plot -- a wily servant helps his young mistress to get the
slave boy she loves -- becomes increasingly complicated by the minute, and you
have to be sharp to keep track of the characters.
With delightful energy, the Cabbagetown
Theatre captures the work's nutty essence, complete with groaningly bad jokes,
slapstick and contemporary references. Stephen Flett, a master of comic timing,
never falters as the tricky title character -- he improvises as quickly when
things go wrong onstage as would Pseudolus himself. Flett gets great backup from
the large company, notably Luisa Durante as a vinyl-clad, omnisexual pimp/slave
dealer and Michael Halkusis in the dual roles of the dumb boyfriend slave and an
even dumber macho soldier who works for Alexander the Pretty Good. Silly,
outrageous and lots of fun."
eye magazine:� July 8, 1999
- Kamal Al-Solaylee
Rating:
* * * *
"If you have to see one
wacky, silly but thoroughly enjoyable Fringe play this year, make a date with
Pseudolus, the crafty Roman slave in this unpredictable romp adapted from
Plautus' play. Mining Roman comedy for all its ridiculous possibilities, Pseudolus
is delivered with infectious stage energy from a large cast that keeps the
audience howling. Occasionally, things border on the tacky, but the play
regularly pokes fun at itself, ending up as not just a parody of Roman comedy
but as the kind of hokey Fringe show it unashamedly seeks to be."
Toronto Sun - July 7,
1999 - John Coulborn
Fringe: Sublime to ridiculous
"As one would expect,
offerings at the '99 edition of The Fringe: Toronto's Theatre Festival run the
gamut from the sublime to the ridiculous. And just to keep things truly on the
fringe, there's even a show or two that manages to be sublimely ridiculous.
Here's a sampling.....
....In a more conventional sense, Pseudolus - A Tricky Roman Comedy (on
the Tarragon Mainstage), adapted by the company from the play by Plautus, ranks
up there too. The extensive cast, under the direction of Robert Ross Parker, was
obviously inspired by A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, not
to mention the Three Stooges, Wayne and Shuster and possibly several illegal
substances, and end up taking things totally over the top. Sadly, it all wears
thin by the end, but it's fun getting there."
CITY-TV
We were one of
their Fringe Festival "picks". They aired a clip from Pseudolus
on July 3, 1999.
toronto.com listing
We were one of the lucky shows to get a photo in the
toronto.com listings: http://www.toronto.com/E/E/TORON/0023/05/98/
NOW Magazine - May 27, 1999
- Glenn Sumi
Community Coleslaw
The big inner-city summer theatre fests are a few weeks away yet, but for
those longing for short bits and bites of theatre, the Cabbagetown Theatre
Company's annual 'Slaw Festival should satisfy that appetite. Now in its fifth
year, the community fest has gained a fine reputation for delivering new and
proven short plays, delivered with style and energy. This year's program
includes new plays by Mary Claire Thompson, Scott Atkinson, Tom Pickering and
John Willox. Also included is a musical by humourist Bill Richardson, a play by
Six Degrees of Separation's John Guare and a preview of the upcoming Fringe show
Pseudolus. Performers include Larry Peloso, Kim Sprenger, Liam Doherty, Valerie
Jorgensen and Alyssa Katz. The 'Slaw goes under the knife tonight (Thursday, May
27) through June 5 at the Darrell Kent Cultural Centre (454 Parliament).
921-3406.
NOW magazine
- May 21, 1998
ONE SIZE FITS ALL
Godzilla be damned. Size doesn't matter, especially in the theatre. Often,
short plays pack more punch than bloated concession-stand-chasers. Something to
consider with two one-act play fests. *** A few blocks away, the Cabbagetown
Theatre Company's very reliable 'Slaw Festival enters its fourth year with five
plays, each 10 to 30 minutes in length. On the bill are Jay Reiss' Awkward
Silence, Christine Boyko's Coming Undone, Colleen Curan's Whale Watch, Eric
Peterson's Afterglow and John Wooten's Role of Della. Famous for its look at
seldom-mounted shows and for the decadent baked goods served during
intermission, the event kicks off tonight (May 21) and runs to May 30. Tickets
are $10, with shows at the Darrell Kent Cultural Centre (454 Parliament).
921-3406.
The Toronto Voice
- June 1998 - Colin Grant
In Your Face Slaw A Hoot
"The Cabbagetown Theatre Company
put their patented enthusiasm to good use during the recent 'Slaw Festival '98,
once again proving that community theatre is alive, well, and enjoyable.
Performed in the cosy confines of the Darrell Kent Cultural Centre, in a
small makeshift theatre adjacent to the Cafe at the Centre, the festival consisted
of six one act plays dealing with the trials and tribulations of human
interaction and relationships: the high-strung aspiring writer sounding off
against friends over a monopoly game in Bitter; showbiz hopefuls agonizing
over an audition in Role of Della; men, women, casual sex and what it all
means in Afterglow; what he said and what he said and what he really
meant when two gay males meet for a blind date in Awkward Silence; two
disparate souls thrown together by circumstance in Whale Watch;
and a satirical take on the feminine "ideal" in Undone.
Minimal props are used, and scene
changes take place in the blink of an eye. This, combined with the short
duration of each piece, and the closeness of the "stage", keeps the
attention focused on the players' energetic, "in your face"
performances, which are at times a little over the top, but always
entertaining."
etc...7 news - June
1996 - Sarah Stewart
New Direction for 'Slaw Festival
"Take five great plays, plus five great Canadian writers,
and you'll get one evening of great Short Canadian plays.
The Second Annual 'Slaw Festival, presented by the Cabbagetown
Theatre Company, showcased Canadian talent last month, at its finest. The week
long event featured the works of Mark Leiren-Young, John Lazarus, Greg Nelson,
and Karen Hines.
Theatre-goers packed the candle lit Central Neighbourhood House
in anticipation of this year's five selected shorts: The Stage Manager's
Nightmare, Fear, Babel Rap, Departures and Arrivals, and Telemarketing -
The Musical.
Many of the plays were first time directions with the
Cabbagetown Theatre. Bert Steinmanis, David Premi, Steve Flett, and Lynn
Zeelenberg have all had previous experience with directing, but had never been
behind the scenes at Slaw Fest before.
"The Slaw Fest is the perfect venue for first time actors
and directors. It provides a training ground," said Kim Sprenger, producer
of this year's festival.
Although the lineup of the evening was unplanned, each play
seemed to outdo the other, until reaching a climax with Telemarketing -
The Musical. Telemarketing is a story of two co-workers who find love
amongst the horror of phone sales. It's the hatred for their job and blossoming
romance that leads to a Romeo and Juliet style demise. Director David Premi said
he had "wanted to perform the musical since seeing it at the Tarragon
Spring Festival."
Also highlighted by audience members was the series of vignettes
in Carol Shields' play Departures and Arrivals. It was an insight into
the thoughts of people passing through an airport, and the conflict of fear and
desire that causes one to depart from and arrive at intimacy.
The volunteer staffed production of Slaw Fest '96 was a
tremendous success. If you missed this year's festival, the Cabbagetown Theatre
company will return next year with another east side Slaw special!"
God & The Actor's Nightmare - 1995
etc...7 news - December 1995
"The Director... 'wanted to leave people with a sense of enjoyment, that
they felt something inside.' The audience's heavy laughter and generous applause
demonstrated that he was successful."
etc...7 news - July 1995 - A. Wharton
"Canadian comedian David Broadfoot enjoyed it. PBS'
"New York Theatre Review" filmed it for broadcast. It wasn't
"Tommy". It wasn't "Joseph". It wasn't "Crazy" -
well maybe a little.
The Cabbagetown Theatre Company presented their first annual 'Slaw
Festival ('Slaw pokes fun at the cabbages associated with Cabbagetown, not
at the other theatrical festival with a similar name) at the " (My
fingers are tired of typing, I'll finish this review off later. SF)
The Toronto Voice - March 1995
"In just two years of existence, the Cabbagetown Theatre Company has
already carved out a reputation for itself as a young company with passion and
energy."
The T.O. Magazine
- October 1994
"The Cabbagetown Theatre Company
received claps, cheers, and explosions of laughter from the audience throughout
its three-day run at the Cabbagetown Festival....this is a gem of a company."
Cabbagetown-Riverdale News -
February 1994
"Jitters...is a great
showcase for the passion and energy of this young company. Everything from the direction
to the acting to the technical people to the front of house and the
publicity was handled professionally and with care."
etc...7 news - June 1994
"...must commend the CTC on getting what seemed to be the entire
Cabbagetown community involved... Cabbagetown has long awaited the arrival of a
community theatre group, and if early indications are any sign, the community
has a lot to look forward to in this group's future productions."
The Toronto Voice -
June 1994
"The result is, Shadows of Angels showed that amateur theatre can also be
good theatre."