Category Archives: Reviews

Reviews of operas, plays, movies, etc. that I have seen.

The Last Confession in Review

Posted on April 24, 2014 by Edward Brain

Last night I attended a performance of Roger Crane’s The Last Confession starring David Suchet as Cardinal Benelli.  The performance also starred Sam Perks (Father Lorenzi), Phillip Craig (the Confessor), David Ferry (Monsignor Magee), Richard O’Callaghan (Cardinal Albino Luciani/Pope John … Continue reading →

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Hercules at the Canadian Opera

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Edward Brain

Director Peter Sellars, whose Tristan und Isolde for the COC last season was a huge success, has returned to Toronto for a production of Handel’s Hercules.  The production stars Eric Owens as Hercules, Alice Coote as Dejanira (Hercules’ wife), Richard … Continue reading →

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Monuments Men Review

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Edward Brain

I’d to share my thought about the movie Monuments Men which I have recently watched at my local Cineplex.  The movie is based on The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History, by Robert … Continue reading →

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Canadian Opera Company’s Un Ballo in Maschera

Posted on February 15, 2014 by Edward Brain

Four Seasons Centre (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Last night I attended a performance of the Canadian Opera Company‘s (COC) production of Un Ballo in Mashera (A Masked Ball) by Guiseppe Verdi.  It starred Adrianne Pieczonka (Amelia), Dimitri Pittas (Riccardo), Elena Manistina … Continue reading →

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Don Pasquale at the U of T Opera

Posted on November 29, 2013 by Edward Brain

Last night I attended the opening performance of the University of Toronto Opera’s first production of Gaetano Donizetti’s comic opera Don Pasquale.  The production is directed by Michael Patrick Albano and conducted by Sandra Horst.  The cast starred Dylan Wright … Continue reading →

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‘I Love Lucy’ Live on Stage Review

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Edward Brain

Last night I attended the last performance of ‘I Love Lucy’ Live on Stage at the Royal Alexandra Theatre (‘Royal Alex’) starring Sirena Irwin (Lucy), Bill Mendieta (Ricky), Kevin Remington (Fred), and Joanna Daniels (Ethel.) This is essentially a play … Continue reading →

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Peter Grimes at the C.O.C.

Posted on October 12, 2013 by Edward Brain

I attended the October 11th performance of Peter Grimes by the Canadian Opera Company (C.O.C.)  The production is directed by Neil Armfield starring Ben Heppner (Peter Grimes), Ileana Montalbetti (Ellen Orford), Alan Held (Captain Balstrode), Jill Grove (Auntie), and Thomas … Continue reading →

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Bugs Bunny at the Symphony

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Edward Brain

Last night I attended a performance of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts.  The performance was entitled “Bugs Bunny at the Symphony.”  Many Looney Tunes episodes deal with music, and as such an idea was … Continue reading →

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Parsifal Live in HD

Posted on March 3, 2013 by Edward Brain

The Metropolitan Opera (‘the Met’) has offered the world a new Parsifal in 2013 directed by Françios Girard.  This producion, in partnership with the Canadian Opera Company (COC) and Opéra National de Lyon, premièred in Lyon last year.  It was … Continue reading →

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Tristan Und Isolde at the C.O.C.

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Edward Brain

The Canadian Opera Company (C.O.C.) production of the Wagner’s Tristan Und Isolde is indeed splendid.  While I normally concerned about ‘new’ productions nowadays, this Tristan rises to the occasion, espcecially thanks to its cast which included Ben Heppner (Tristan), Melanie … Continue reading →

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