Nuit Blanche

So half of my family was out and about with our posses for Nuit Blanche and, no surprise, we didn't run into each other. With the press of crowds in some locations we could have been two feet apart and not known it.

Kicked off the evening at the Cocktail Generator Gala. Pick you primary taste, secondary aftertaste and finish and the mixologists will put it together for you - a different drink every time. There were some hits and a few misses.

Wandering up Queen, from Bathurst to City Hall, we passed several installations. Had a nice pit stop at the Yellow Tail tent, where we enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine while being entertained by various circus performers.

Checked out the installations around City Hall, in particular the Ai Weiwei bicycles and observed the phenomenon that was a one hour line-up at Starbucks - I guess these people really had all night!

Ended the evening at Wychwood Barns to check out a flaming musical instrument and the Artscape Glass and Pottery show. Some really great finds at the show.

Saw lots of groups of young teens (my son was somewhere out there with his friends), taking in the opportunity to stay out late and enjoy the city in a new way.

I didn't last all night, but certainly enjoyed the event, and outlasted my son ......... 

Mirvish - Les Miserables

Wow - what a amazing cast and set of pipes! The actors playing Jean Valjean, the inspector and Eponine were particularly powerful. Its hard not to be moved by the passion, romance and struggles of the poor in pre-revolutionary France. The relentless pursuit of Valjean by the inspector with a very hard heart is beautifully and tragically portrayed. The staging is really creative and the transitions are very cool.

Canstage - The Flood Thereafter

Based on the mythological story of Odysseus and the lure of the siren, the story starts with a woman so beautiful she makes men cry and a narrator who takes us back and fills in the details. The maid is indeed beautiful and the narrator is superb. Some nudity and crass language, so this is not for the faint of heart. An interesting, but somehow not quite compelling play.

Soulpepper - The Norman Conquets - Table Manners

Side-splitting funny - this show is witty, crazy and fun. Reminds me a little of my family - I remember that Thanksgiving when the milk jug careened off my brother's head and drenched my sister and I. Ah, the scenes and words that only siblings will subject each other to. A great start to the trilogy, featuring some of our favourite Soulpepper artists and a stellar cast. A really intriguing approach - 3 plays, same characters and event, 3 different perspectives. Each can stand alone, yet fills in the mystery from another ....

TIFF - Watermark

A favourite at the festival, this documentary, featuring Edward Burtynsky's awesome landscape photography, this film is beautiful and provoking. As you witness the impact of man's efforts to control water, the environmental devastation is distressing. Left with more questions than answers, this film leaves you feeling more than a little concerned about how we are depleting this most precious and life-giving resource. Good film to absorb with your teenagers, as this is the earth they are inheriting .......

Mirvish - Cats

It doesn't get much lighter than this. The plot is so thin it is almost translucent - sort of like the body hugging costumes, second skin actually ..... The music is fun and cheery and the dancing and antics of the "cats" is a pleasure to watch. The cast did a wonderful job of creating a cat culture on the stage, with their movements, gestures and attitudes being distinctly feline. Anyone who owns a cat will almost expect their's to talk to them when they get home. My teenage daughter loved this show. It's great fun for a night out with your kids.

Soulpepper - Angels in America (Part 2) - Perestroika

Awesome, awesome, awesome performance !!

Poignant, funny, touching, brutal, tender, innocent, jaded - the best and the worst of human behavior. Stellar acting across the board.

You must go see this show.