Tag: Ottawa Little Theatre 2018

OLT’s Cliffhanger sparing in its entertainment value

OLT’s Cliffhanger sparing in its entertainment value

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Image thanks to OLT

 

 

Cliffhanger by James Yaffe. Directed by Joe O’Brien. Playing at the  Ottawa Little Theatre to Nov. 3

Cliffhanger is at best an indifferent play, and whatever strengths it does possess are not well-served by Ottawa Little Theatre’s current production.

Playwright James Yaffe’s apparent intention was to write a dark comedy-thriller about the world of academia while also attempting to bolster it with the more serious intent of examining the true meaning of ethical conduct. …

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C for Cliffhanger in academic murder at the O.L.T.

C for Cliffhanger in academic murder at the O.L.T.

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Image thanks to OLT

Cliffhanger   By James Yaffe Ottawa Little Theatre  Directed by Joe O’Brien

As the plot of Cliffhanger unfolds gently, it seems that playwright James Yaffe — a respected humanities professor like his protagonist — is presenting wishful thinking about the fate of an unpleasant, incompetent department head and a particularly nasty failing student.

The “Mr. Chips” type prof has plenty of time (too much) to philosophize about ethics through the 1985 comedy, which never makes it to mystery thriller status. In the current Ottawa Little Theatre production, the leisurely pace is partly attributable to the writing and partly to the directing style of Joe O’Brien. …

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Two paws up for Sylvia

Two paws up for Sylvia

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Sylvia Photo Maria Vartanova

 

Sylvia By A.R. Gurney,  Ottawa Little Theatre

Directed by Chantale Plante

Full disclosure first: The bookcase by my window has a full row of dog books with a day-by-day dog calendar on top. My dog is sitting on a chair beside me as I write and, of course, I talk to her (and to my cat – fairness in all things) all the time.

So, I have no trouble accepting A.R. Gurney’s premise in his 1995 play Sylvia that the other woman in Greg’s life has four legs. …

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Dead Accounts: this dark at times jarring comedy moves swiftly under Geoff Gruson’s direction

Dead Accounts: this dark at times jarring comedy moves swiftly under Geoff Gruson’s direction

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Dead Accounts. Photo. Maria Vartanova

Dead Accounts by Theresa Gruson, An Ottawa Little Theatre production directed by Geoff Gruson

If someone were to comb through the annals of theatre in search of truly irritating characters, Theresa Rebeck’s play, Dead Accounts, would provide a prize specimen.

The name of the guy is Jack and in Ottawa Little Theatre’s current production he’s been brought to manic, over-the-top life by cast member Phillip Merriman. …

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Dead Accounts: a good production of a mildly entertaining script

Dead Accounts: a good production of a mildly entertaining script

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Dead Accounts.   Photo: Maria Vartanova

Dead Accounts By Theresa Rebeck, an Ottawa Little Theatre production, directed by Geoff Gruson

From the outset, there’s little doubt that Dead Accounts is the work of a playwright used to writing for television. And Theresa Rebeck, a writer for such TV series as NYPD Blue, Law & Order and Criminal Intent, regularly resorts to short scenes, detailed visuals and blackouts TV-style in Dead Accounts. This is not necessarily a problem, though the choppy format does become somewhat repetitive. Rather, it is an indication that this dark comedy, premiered in 2012, is more concerned with immediate response than resolution (as clearly shown in the open-ended conclusion). …

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