More Fine Girls

We didn't see the original (The attic, the pearls and three Fine girls) so we can't compare. This play is fun and silly. The cast pull it off - as you would expect when the actors are Ann-Marie Macdonald, Martha Ross and Severn Thompson.

But it is essentially a silly play with the kind of humour that infects women when they are in groups of old friends (or sisters). Some of the jokes are laugh out loud funny; others warrant just a chuckle and others a groan. Overall it was an enjoyable afternoon, but not great theatre.

Billy Elliot - the Musical

It was an excellent movie and is now a terrific musical. It is a big risk to put the success of a show in the hands of a 12 year old, which is what this musical requires. Billy is on stage almost the whole time and dominates when he is there. fortnautely, the boys in this production are well up to the challenge. We only saw one of course, but other reviews are consistent in reporting on how good the Billy's are.
Elton John wrote the music so it is definitely singable, but is is the dancing the really drives the show.

Brothel #9

The second play in a month to deal with prosititutes and violence against women, this one deals with women sold into prostitution by family members who just want the money. But it shows very graphically the casual brutality inflicted on powerless women by the men in their lives - the pimp, the policeman and the brother who sold her.

The play is very hard to watch, but it is very powerful, I think because the characters are all people. No one is a stereotype; all are complex with both good and bad aspects and therefore so much more sympathetic. You feel sorry for the pimp,(Ash Knight) who is just a guy trying to get by; you hate him for his brutality and the wya he treats the women who are earning his living and you find him charming in his enthusiasms. The policeman (Sanjay Talwar)who rapes the new girl turns out to be a romantic at heart. The older prostitute (Anusree Roy) struggles to survive and really wants to be loved, by anyone. And the younger prostitute (Pamela Sinha) leaves us with a bit of hope when she finally stands up for herself and leaves.

This is an excellent play by Anusree Roy, who was also the strongest actor in the cast, although it was generally a very good cast. Staging was effective and the direction by Nigel Shawn Williams was solid, although I think a few of the bits of business at the beginning (cooking the fish curry for example) took too long.
A tough evening of theatre for a Friday night, but definitely worth seeing.

The Middle Place

This play started as a video and then was transformed by the creator into a play. It is a very interesting social commentary that raises many important issues about the way society treats adolescents who are living in shelters. Told from the point of view of the residents and the case workers, it presents small pastiches of life. But There is no plot, so no real beginning or end. Eventually it just stops.
The cast and staging were good, but the one to watch in future is Andrew Kushnir, the author.