Results tagged “Necessary Angel”

Let's not lie, maybe some of us went to see that four-hour, unabridged Kenneth Branagh version of Hamlet back when we were in grade six, then wore out our VHS copies of the perhaps over-the-top film, to-be-or-not-to-be-ing along with Ken. Maybe we've also seen rather a lot of different Hamlets on stage, in film, and on Shakespeare Monologue Day in drama class. For all these maybes, we still were unprepared for Necessary Angel's Hamlet Project (it opened last week at Harbourfront Centre as part of World Stage), which is truly unlike any other Hamlet we've ever seen. Significantly shorter than Mr. Branagh's version, this sexy, streamlined version of the quintessential tragedy clocks in at about two hours, cutting speeches, combining and re-ordering scenes, and trimming the cast down to a bare-essentials nine (this requires the merger of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern into "Guildencrantz," one of the productions few jokes). Staged in-the-round at the Enwave Theatre, the actors perform in modern dress (Hamlet wears a Sex Pistols t-shirt), and the entire show is set within a single space: a dining room littered with beer cans and those red plastic cups, giving the impression of yesterday's party that no one has yet bothered to clean up. The tone is angry, violent, and often very sexual, including one of the most shocking and effective examples of onstage nudity we've ever seen.

The Eco Show is a new Necessary Angel co-pro currently playing at Buddies. It's also the latest work written and directed by Daniel Brooks, so it would seem to go without saying that it's one of the most visually striking plays of the season, with masterful use of sound, lighting and A/V. It tells the story of a mysterious, insular family presided over by the sanctimonious and wheelchair-bound patriarch Hamm (yes, ha ha). Put-upon wife Gwen takes care of Hamm, his dying father, his sick daughter Fifi and his moody teenage son Joe. Don't be fooled by the title. Although Hamm is prone to the odd "what is the environment coming to?" tirades, the ecology being scrutinized by the piece is a very small and particular one: that of the featured family itself.

Gossip no longer, culture vultures. We've finally got confirmation on CanStage's upcoming season. Like it or not, it looks like the rumours are true. As we reported before, the Bluma Appel Theatre's rather commercial lineup is entirely free of any Canadian-written shows, which has some folks in quite a tizzy. And as we suspected, CanStage is getting its CanCon through co-pros at the Berkeley Street Theatre. They're calling it The Berkeley Street Project, and it seems intended to supplement the Bluma's playing-it-safe season with "edgier, more provocative works." The first show, Wild Dogs (a co-production with Nightwood Theatre), is a stage adaptation of Helen Humphreys' eponymous novel. Up next, Studio 180 co-produces the Canadian premiere of Blackbird, a West End and off-Broadway hit by British (and consequently not Canadian) playwright David Harrower. The final co-production (with Necessary Angel) is the Toronto premiere of HARDSELL, a new work by Bigger Than Jesus team Daniel Brooks and Rick Miller. (Although, the only reason CanStage can claim "Toronto premiere" status is that the workshop presentation Brooks and Miller were going to present at Passe Muraille a month ago was cancelled due to illness.)

Leave it to CanStage to somehow, in the midst of extreme internal upheaval what is maybe their darkest financial hour, be simultaneously running two of their strongest shows by far in recent memory. In fact, Palace of the End (which closes tomorrow night) and The Clean House (which runs until March 8) aren't just good shows for CanStage, they would be amazing shows for anywhere. Hopefully, they can win the audiences they deserve, but it's certainly disheartening to finally see the company do something really, really right while knowing what's in store for the future. The abrupt departure of new Artistic Director David Storch a few weeks ago was enough of an unpleasant surprise. But further news reported in The Toronto Star was even more alarming. A total of 10 CanStage staff members have apparently been laid off, including dramaturge Iris Turcott, who, like Storch, will henceforth bear the dubious title of "consultant."

Necessary Angel has just announced a totally cool event planned to take place on March 3, 2008. Three playwrights will be given the opening lines for a new play. Each playwright will have 4 hours in which to write said play, after which three different teams will have 5 hours to rehearse the works. When those 5 hours are up, the plays have to be performed at Necessary Angel's annual gala at the Capitol...