Rating: NNNNN
Night moves
Corpus Theatre’s middle name is playful, a fact that artistic directors Sylvie Bouchard and David Danzon prove again in Nuit Blanche. A look at sleeplessness, dreamy reveries and the occasional nightmare, the show — created with the performers — presents six silk-pyjama-clad sleepers going through various nighttime scenarios. Much of the mime and dance work is charmingly whimsical, though the group material sometimes goes on longer than necessary. The standout? Anand Rajaram’s solo as a pair of macho guys competing in a bar setting — all done with traditional East Indian dance movements that supply a delightfully delicate counterpoint to the narrative’s testosterone contest.
Opera action
The acting in Brecht and Weill’s Threepenny Opera, George Brown Theatre’s season opener, speaks more eloquently than the singing. The adaptation by Robert MacDonald and Jeremy Sams, updating the show to the near future, catches the original’s cynicism and nastiness. Though voices sometimes wander off key, all the performers throw themselves enthusiastically into their parts under Mark Wilson’s direction, especially Brian Bisson as a flippant Macheath, Christopher Darroch as a suave Tiger Brown and Brent Buchanan as an energetic Matt. Athena Lamarre’s bitter Jenny, who delivers the Mack The Knife and Pirate Jenny songs, uses a smoky voice and chilling, emotionless expression to nail her part with ice-pick perfection. See listings for details.
jonkap@nowtoronto.com
glenns@nowtoronto.com
