Gananoque Archives - Capital Critics' Circle / Le cercle des critiques de la capitale

the Canadian : a clever and very funny farce at the 1 000 *Islands’ Playhouse. !

By Natasha Lomonossoff | August 9, 2018

The Canadian, Photo thanks to the 1000 Islands Playhouse, Gananoque.

A new work by expatriate playwright Jason Hall, The Canadian, deftly mixes together classic elements of farce with uniquely Canadian themes (some relating to the town of Gananoque itself) to great comedic effect. The strength of the script is much enhanced in this production, under Rob Kempson’s direction, which takes place in the Springer Theatre. The expertly choreographed falls and trips, constant slamming of doors in people’s faces, and funny soundtrack, to name a few, each further contribute to the hilarious spectacle. …

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Driving Miss Daisy at the 1000 Islands Playhouse.An Impeccably Beautiful Production.

By Alvina Ruprecht | June 1, 2014

Nicola Lipman and Walter Borden

Photo. 1000Islands Playhouse. Driving Miss Daisy by Alfred Uhry won the Pulitzer Prize in 1988 and the film adaptation won the Oscar for best picture and best actress (Jessica Tandy) in 1990. How can you go wrong with this one? In fact the Thousand Islands Playhouse kept the tradition and produced a most moving version of this heartwarming and emotionally complex play that worked perfectly from every perspective. Nicola Lipman as Daisy Werthan and Walter Borden as Hoke Colburn, created a sense of complicity as their relationship evolved from its uneasy beginnings to a deep feeling of trust as these two characters bonded over the 25 years that Hoke worked as Miss Daisy’s chauffeur. Following along on the journey was Brian Linds as Boolie, Daisy’s business man son, usually at his wits end around his stubborn mother but who loves her greatly and manages to convince us of that throughout all his emotional upheavals created by his mother’s bossy behaviour.

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The Clockmaker: Romantic Mystery with Kafkaesque overtones makes for powerful summer theatre.

By Capital Critics Circle | August 11, 2012

Photo: Kaufmann Photography

Stephen Massicotte, author of the award-winning play THE CLOCKMAKER, has become one of my favorite contemporary playwrights. If you’ve seen either of his earlier plays, MARY’S WEDDING or THE OXFORD ROOF CLIMBER’S REBELLION, you can understand why. This time THE CLOCKMAKER tackles some heavy questions with both insight and humor.

This romantic mystery begins with the Kafkaesque interrogation of clockmaker Heinrich Mann by the rather threatening Pierre, whose function remains obscure till near the end of the play. Heinrich is then asked to repair a smashed clock by the mysterious Frieda and we begin to learn of her abusive husband Adolphus. Threaded through the complex unraveling of the story is the pervasive way smells trigger memory and the idea that what we remember is a choice.

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Amelia, The Girl Who Wants to Fly: A perfect fit for the 1000 Islands playhouse summer theatre.

By Capital Critics Circle | June 30, 2012

Eliza-Jane Scott as Amelia. Photo: Michael Grills Photography. Having seen and enjoyed this production of Amelia, The Girl Who Wants to fly at the GCTC last fall, I was looking forward to a second viewing. Written by John Gray, who also wrote Billy Bishop Goes to War and Rock and Roll, it’s a perfect fit for the 1000 Islands Playhouse’s Firehall. If anything, it seems to have gotten even stronger.A co-production with the Festival Players of Prince Edward County, this fascinating fact-based three-character musical explores the life and times of Amelia Earhart during the 1930s, the Golden Age of Flight. As the playwright has said, “It seems to me like a musical with competing narrators, all of them unreliable.”

There are three of them, (narrators that is), all strong actors and singers. Midge, Amelia’s sister, is played by Karin Randoja in a subtly layered performance, who settles for what she considers a “safe” life. Her Act II solo, “The Man Who Is Not There,” is very powerful.

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