Category Archives: Lifestyle

London Fringe 2018: HOUSE – An On-the-Ball Performance of Verbal Surrealism

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By Jay Menard,

Daniel MacIvor’s HOUSE, as performed by Jon Paterson, is a show that is at once extremely compact and incredibly expansive. It is a show that both is perfectly confined by TAP Centre for Creativity stage, but demands a release of its boundless energy. It’s exhausting, uplifting, depressing, and enervating — all at once.

The show can be described as a manic ballet of verbal surrealism that all takes place within a two-square-foot area. Paterson rarely strays from his simple chair in the middle of the stage. A single white spotlight illuminates him and, even in his brief forays breaking the fourth wall, the audience is drawn into the intimacy of the performance. Continue reading →

Celebrating Canada’s 150th with Eyes Wide Open

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By Jay Menard

It’s not been perfect getting here. In fact, it’s downright horrible for a lot of people. But I’m still going to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday today — with open eyes and an open heart — because I’m proud of who were are.

And I’m even more hopeful for who we can become.

I’m going to celebrate and I’m not going to ask for forgiveness for doing so. I also completely understand those who choose to denounce the celebrations — and I appreciate and support those reasons.

But I guess I don’t see a celebration of this nature as being a validation of everything that’s come before it. Instead, it’s a benchmark along a much longer path towards securing a better future for everyone. Continue reading →

London Fringe — Delirium Expertly Finds Meaning, Connections in Life

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By Jay Menard

Martin Dockery’s Delirium, which closed the Fringe Festival last night, is a fast-paced, energetic, and hilarious one-man show that takes topics as diverse as immigration, Burning Man, and Monarch butterflies, and finds the interconnectedness and meaning in between them.

Dockery is a gifted storyteller. Alone, on an empty stage, he spends an hour captivating the audience with three seemingly separate tales. The first deals with his proposal to his partner Vanessa after dealing with immigration at Pearson International Airport in Toronto; the second is the tale of an encounter he had at Burning Man, prompted by a restaurant idea he had at the festival; and the final story is an airplane encounter he had following the death of his beloved dog, prompted by a seat mix-up. Continue reading →

London Fringe — A Figgy Pudding that’s a Delight to Consume

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By Jay Menard

For many people, a traditional figgy pudding conjures up feelings of warmth, family, and the holidays (not for me, mind you. I’m repulsed by the concept…) But, conceptually at least, Figgy Pudding is an apt title for Jimmy Hogg’s wonderfully warm, funny, and family centred look back at the Christmases of his youth.

For those of us of a certain vintage, the show has added relevance. Whether it’s growing up with New Wave and visions of keyboards dancing through our heads, or an odd fascination with He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Hogg’s story brings you right back to a specific time and place in the 80s. And even if you’re not of that generation, there are more than enough relatable moments about family — from playing games with them to drinking stories — that mean that common ground can easily be found. Continue reading →

London Fringe – Full Tilt Boogie? More Like the Band’s Warming Up

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By Jay Menard

Full Tilt Boogie, by Sean Quigley, is an ambitious production that attempts to tackle multiple topics: distribution of wealth, xenophobia, social media discourse, and hope. It’s at once both too much and not enough. And while there are elements of a solid production there, it remains too much of a superficial examination of today’s life to actually be moving.

Quigley plays the role of storyteller, songster, and raconteur. Unfortunately the tone he uses, especially with a largely familiar audience that skewed larger than the average Fringe show, was fairly condescending. Conscripting Friendly Giant-esque story time and using an elementary teacher-esque delivery undermines the messages Quigley’s trying to tell.

He spends much of his time verbally pointing at things: xenophobia, those who opposed BRT and sanctuary cities, our lack of compassion towards the homeless, and the faults of big business in their greed and failure to redistribute wealth. He tackles the “check your privilege” mentality with a cursory statement about how perhaps we just need to show more compassion. Continue reading →