CanStage - This

I loved this show. It was an uncomfortably realistic portrayal of relationship "downs", among friends and partners, including a particularly stinging betrayal. The acting was stellar and the staging was really creative, with a very unique way of using the entire space. Definitely recommend you see this show.

Nightwood Theatre - God's Middle Name

Last play in the Groundswell Festival series. Very impactful play depicting the challenge of raising an autistic child. The use of various media and a clever and spare set, accented by the analogy of game shows and a dance marathon, reinforced the seemingly futile/ unending nature of a parent's task. Self reflective, the actor playing the mother was amazing. The dad/autistic son was also strong.

Nightwood Theatre - Adam's Rib/Body Memory

Part of the New Groundswell Festival.
Well. While the actors were awesome, I can't say that you should run out to see this play ...

If it weren't for the intro, I would not have had a clue as to what this piece was about. Seemed to have a lot of gratuitous props and actions, randomly placed and disconnected.

Perhaps improvisational theater is just not to my taste.

Nightwood Theatre - Who Killed Snow White

Part of the New Groundswell Festival.

While a workshop presentation, the scripts in the hands of the actors was only mildly distracting at parts. The grandmother was a little stilted however the rest of the cast were very good, with a particularly strong performance by Matthew Gouvela.

A compelling story of sexual abuse, the impact on the victim, and the generational differences in defining feminism.

Fantastic show !

Universal Orlando Resort - Day 3 - Islands of Adventure

The leisure day - having largely completed both parks, this was our opportunity to pick up the few remaining attractions and enjoy a slow day, relaxing over coffee and meals, shopping, taking in the sights, etc.

Taking advantage of the early admittance for on-site guests, we started out at HP to do the Hogwarts tour again. One 15 minute delay in the line gave us ample time to enjoy the tour. There is a great pathway (ie. line distraction) that takes you through the greenhouse and many of your favorite rooms, with talking portraits, video participation by your favorite characters, etc. It was even better the second time. Note the express pass is not eligible for this attraction so get there early !

Next stop was the river raft ride. While pretty tame by other standards, you are guaranteed to get wet. Even with a raincoat, the water washes over the sides and seats so wear bicycle shorts ...

I was determined to do Dr. Doom's Fearfall (150 ft drop) and it was awesome. I didn't realize that it took off like a rocket - the whole ride was over in about 5 seconds, but it was great ! This was my first time on one of these and most definitely not the last ...

Lots of great character shopping, from Harry Potter to Minions to the Cat in the Hat to Simpson's and so on. Also, several trendy brands at attractive prices.

Heading back to the hotel early, we had time to relax by the pool, which featured a big boat filled with water guns for the young kids, a volleyball net and a choice between relaxing pool side or on a small beach. Ended the day at City Walk for dinner. Nascar was a fun place to eat, with sports TV's everywhere (kids could watch cartoons) and pretty good burgers. Service was excellent.

Overall, we were pleased with our five day vacation. Just the right amount of time to stay in the park, although there are several more attractions under construction so it is really growing. The combination of early Harry Potter park access and express passes is valued at $360 per day for a family of four and is definitely worth it as you completely avoid the lines. Note we heard it gets really crowded at Xmas - 4 hour lines for Harry Potter Hogwarts tour vs 1 when we were there, for regular park hours.

Universal Orlando Resort - Day 2 - Universal Studios

Started out a little later today - headed out around 9:30 for the water taxi. Long wait - should have walked. Its great that all the parks and City Walk are all a short and pleasant stroll from the hotel - you really don't waste any time travelling around.

Loved the layout of this park, has a really nice feel to it. We worked our way through Hollywood, World Expo and San Francisco before lunch. Really enjoyed the ET Adventure (dragged our 15 year old kicking and screaming, but then glad he went.... ). Had lunch at San Francisco Pastry Company - yum! Happened to break for coffee at Beverly Hills Boulangerie, coincidentally just in time

for the Universal Superstar Parade and had excellent seats! Easily polished off New York Production Central after lunch. Our favourites were World Expo and Production Central - seeing the world from the viewpoint of a minion was pretty cool.

We were really impressed with the 3D simulation rides. It was incredible how you felt you were interacting with the characters, from the xx in the Simpsons, to Spiderman jumping on the roof of your car, to being shrunk into a Minion on Despicable Me and seeing the world from their diminutive perspective. Universal has a great locker system for stowing your things on rides that move around a lot. Note if you're in a ride line-up before the park closing time they will keep the attraction open until the last person in the line has gone through.

Finished the day with a lovely dinner at Lombards, followed by buffet desert (great draw for the kids!) and prime seats for the laser show on the water. Great finish to a lovely day. We purchased the dinner package (Lombard's Cinematic Spectacular) before departing on our trip but, depending on the time of year, it may not be necessary to pre-book.

Universal Orlando Resort - Day 1 - Islands of Adventure

It was so worth it to have the Harry Potter early access privilege (part of the on site hotel package). We were at the park shortly after 7 am and walked immediately through the attraction. By 7:30 it was a 15 min wait and shortly after 8:00, when the park opened to all guests, the line quickly jumped to an hour long. Another popular good spot to hit in the early hour is the wand shop, where the lines also grow pretty fast. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter becomes extremely crowded later in the day. The creation of the Harry Potter environment was extremely well done - it is no surprise why this is a very popular attraction. Go really early and then enjoy a nice sit down breakfast at the Three Broomsticks Cafe, before moving on to other parts of the park.

Despite not having any young children, we all enjoyed the Seuss Landing. I had to do the Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls in Toon Lagoon, as well as the water rides in Jurassic Park and Marvel Super Hero Island. While the line-ups were quite short, the express pass was helpful to bypass the long, weaving paths to the rides. Warning about the water rides - they are a lot of fun, but you will absolutely get wet. Bring a raincoat and, if its not down to your knees, an extra pair of shorts might also be required. But don't worry, in March its warm enough to dry off quickly (we didn't have rain gear .....).

We got through almost all of the park on our first day, but it was definitely a long day. We had a great finish by visiting the all-you-can-eat stir fry bar at the hotel and it was amazing. Definitely recommended !

Universal Orlando Resort - Day 0 - City Walk

Arrived an hour late due to a mechanical problem with the plane, then delay at the airport as the shuttle ticket agent had a problem with our transportation voucher. Westjet vacations have not started off on the right foot...

Check-in at the Loews Royal Pacific was a breeze - whew. The rooms are adequate, but no balcony so you have to head to the pool area to relax outside. Not great if you just want to have a drink and relax in privacy. Also, had dinner in the hotel and it was a little disappointing for the cost.

However, there is a small games room for the kids with a few interesting video games, enough to keep them occupied for a little while in the evening.

Headed to City Walk to check out the stores, restaurants, etc. and found quite a lot of selection and interesting things to see and do. More mature than Disney, which is a theme we will continue to see over the next couple of days.

Factory Theatre - Iceland

A tragic intersection of three lives, flashes back to illuminate why and how each character ended up at this point.

The acting was superb. Highly charged emotional dialogue was balanced with tongue in cheek humour, and slow, thoughtful drama. All three performers were strong and authentic.

I definitely recommend you see this show !

Off Mirvish - Dancing with Rage (Mary Walsh)

Mary objected to the reference "fearless" as this connotes without fear and that is not who she is. But to us, however humble and so comfortable in her own skin, she is fearless in how she takes on controversial characters, both in her skits and in real life as she accosts them on the street. With plenty of references to these various encounters (are you going to call 411) and lots of self deprecating jokes and political jabs and more than a cameo from the princess warrior, Mary kept us laughing all evening.

A nice surprise at the end, where Mary Walsh was awarded the ACTRA Women of the Year award, timely for the one day a year where women are recognized - International Women's Day (you had to be there ...)

The show just opened, so get your tickets quickly, before they are sold out .....

National Geographic Live - Catherine Karnow - Journey to Vietnam

We really enjoyed this third segment of the series. The photos of Vietnam Nam included breath-taking scenery, gorgeous people, abject poverty and exploitive riches. The photo of the magnificent high rise office tower with only two floors lit and a helipad that could not be used as the wind would whip any helicopter trying to land into the side of the building is a stark example of the skills shortage and corruption at high levels, holding back development. Fascinating.

CanStage - Spotlight Japan - Sayonara and I, Worker

Sayonara - Pretty awesome android. The short vignette with the replica female android was somewhat eery as her responses were strangely conversational, yet stilted in the way one might expect. The android was soothing and quite fascinating.

I, Worker - I loved these little robots. Parallel love stories, with two robot servants who look after the needs of their human "clients", who are experiencing some marital discord, while at the same time trying to understand how to deal with their own emerging feelings for each other. Very sweet.

CanStage - Spotlight Japan - Haptic and Holistic Strata

Haptic - I don't get modern dance and I certainly didn't get this. With electronic music, more like very loud buzzing and beeps, and rapid movements of alternating limbs, I found this to be pretty vapid. Although the dancer was superb, in his fluidity and execution.

Holistic Strata - The stage was simply a completely white floor and back wall, perfect to provide a very cool effect with projections of graphics across the entire space. Dots were splayed all over, like stars, and they alternated in volume and tempo. Set to electronic music, at the beginning the dance movements were very slow, but then they began to speed up with the graphics and it all really came alive. Really interesting visual effects, both in the display and in the concurrence with the dance.