This is What Happens Next

Daniel MacIvor wrote and stars in the one man production. The start is a bit weak - entering late and blathering on about being cuaght in a line at Starbucks, but it is funny and gets the audience into the mood to laugh. It also permtis him to transition the various scenes, since he has already broken the third wall.
Another play about misfits and outsiders. (Strange how our theatre going seems to follow themes!)
MacIvor is great in all the roles he plays and brings the separate stories all togther into one very effectively. I loved him best as Warren, but Kevin was also a very believable character. It nevers ceases to amaze me how thoroughly actors can transform themselves into another character simply by changing posture and voice.
Lighting and sound were very effective.

Trout Stanley

Strange name for a man or a play! I have been searching for words to describe this play and the closest I can come is surreal. The characters are likeable misfits, caught in an odd situation. And yet, there is something that makes them representative of everyone who has felt like an outsider at some point. The humour is broad - I especially love the idea of the stripper/scrabble champion. The cast was good and clearly into the spirit of the show. Katie Lawson as Sugar Duchame has an easier time connecting with the audience, as her part is more sympathetic. Jessica Huras as Grace Ducharme has to overcome the tough broad part to reveal that inside she is actually not as strong as Sugar. Derek Moran was a solid Trout Stanley.

If I were producing this play, I would cut it back to 90 minutes and do it in one act. There is enough repetition to permit this, without losing the spirit of the play and you would then avoid the awkward break for an intermission.

Oh What A Lovely War

A musical about the First World War - odd concept but interesting. The first act was a bit weak, but the second was definitely worth staying for. It picked up the horror of the war, projecting the staggering losses above the stage, and noting the lack of result.
Great cast - most of whom were not familiar.
It was odd to hear some of the songs with their original war themed words, and remember them as the more light hearted versions sung by sororities and fraternities. Keith tells me many of the songs were even older than the first world war, but were music hall tunes with the words changed for the war. Evolution occurs in music as in everything.