Mustard addresses what it means to be a human being

Searching for parking in Fernwood in a pitch-black stormy November night has got to be some kind of metaphor for life. By the time I arrived in my seat at the Belfry Theatre to see Mustard on Thursday night, I was soaked, petulant due to vague parking signs, profusely perspiring, and thankful to forget it all […]

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The Glorious Sons prove rock isn’t dead at Victoria show

It’s a running joke among my friends that every concert I go to is the best one I’ve ever been to, but if I was expecting The Glorious Sons and Beaches show at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre to be the one to finally put an end to that joke, I hoped in vain. This show […]

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Craigdarroch Castle gets in the Halloween spirit with scary movie series

Looking to amp up the spook factor these autumn evenings? One of Victoria’s creepiest locales, Craigdarroch Castle, is hosting its first Classics at Craigdarroch Movie Series this month. Every Thursday and Saturday evening in October, the castle will hold a classic horror movie screening. Halloween lovers and film aficionados alike have reason to celebrate, as […]

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Atomic Vaudeville’s Rocky Horror Show delivers campy, raunchy fun

Confession time: on October 17, 2018, I lost my virginity. My Rocky Horror virginity, that is. On a night I shan’t soon forget, I swapped my Rocky Horror v-card for an evening of ecstasy with Atomic Vaudeville. From the moment the band came out in corsets and rubber suits, I knew I was in for a ride. […]

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Anthropocene: The Human Epoch makes viewers think about big issues

About a third of the way into Anthropocene: The Human Epoch, a man installing an electric car battery is wearing a T-shirt that states these words: “Don’t know, don’t care.” Director Jennifer Baichwal, who grew up in Victoria, has created a meditative film (the third in a series, following Manufactured Landscapes and Watermark) that introduces us […]

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Potted Potter delivers the best medicine for students in October

My face hurts. I haven’t laughed this much in… I don’t know how long. I just went to see Potted Potter at the McPherson Playhouse with my best friend; we both walked in with high expectations and out with big grins. “Is this my Maurauder’s Map?” I asked the usher as she handed me a scroll […]

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Langham Court delivers spirited season opener

Believe it or not, Victoria’s Langham Court Theatre has just celebrated the opening of its 90th season. And what better way to kick off the year than with a tried and tested favourite? In this case, it’s Blithe Spirit by Noël Coward (it’s so much a favourite that this is the company’s fifth rendition of […]

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Unpacking A Doll’s House for a second time

When Henrik Ibsen wrote A Doll’s House in the 1870s, he raised shockingly progressive and controversial questions about marriage, motherhood, and women’s societal roles. When the central character, Nora, chose to leave her marriage and children at the end of the play, it was a door slam for gender equality. In 2017, playwright Lucas Hnath […]

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Sweeney Todd mainly a victory from beginning to end

It’s a director’s worst nightmare: after months of preparation, something unexpected happens that requires a last-minute cast change. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street director Brian Richmond told the crowd just before the show started last night to go easy on Kieran Foss, who replaced Taylor Fawcett as a member of the chorus at […]

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