Don Giovanni is a man hungry for what he wants most in the world: women. And he goes to great lengths to get what he wants. Photo by Yves Renaud
Don Giovanni brings the story of a womanizer’s crusade to Place des Arts
Don Giovanni is no gentleman. He is a smooth-talking womanizer on a crusade to bed as many women as he can, be they young, old, married or even unwilling.
Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Don Giovanni premiered in Prague at the National Theater in 1787. The opera is sung in Italian with English and French surtitles, and lasts three hours. It tells the story of a man obsessed with loving as many women as he can, unrepentant and unaware of the path of destruction he leaves behind.
The opera starts with Don Giovanni (Gordon Bintner) attempting to force himself on Donna Anna (Emily Dorn). Desperate, Donna Anna cries for help. Her father, the Commendatore (Alain Coulombe) comes rushing in. Drawing his sword, he challenges Don Giovanni, who pulls out a gun and shoots the Commendatore point blank in the chest, murdering him. Upon seeing her father’s body, Donna Anna swears to get revenge on her assailant.
This opening scene sets the tone for the rest of the opera. Don Giovanni is a ruthless womanizer, using his charm to get what he wants. He doesn’t care about class, weight, height or looks. So long as they are women, he is attracted to them. His assistant, Leporello (Daniel Okulitch), keeps a detailed notebook of his conquests: 1,003 women in Spain alone.
While Don Giovanni might like to bed women, he certainly doesn’t keep in touch. While lounging around a café, he spies a woman angrily searching for the lover who scorned her. Sauntering over, he tells Leporello he wishes to ‘console’ her, to which Leporello scoffs. He’s clearly done this trick before. The woman, however, is Donna Elvira and the lover she is looking for is Don Giovanni. She reprimands him for leaving her broken-hearted and pregnant.
For the rest of the opera, Don Giovanni continues on his quest for conquests, instructing Leporello to keep the notebook handy—but ultimately, not even Don Giovanni can outrun his sins forever. While he is busy chasing every woman he meets, a group, led by Donna Anna, is plotting Giovanni’s downfall.
The opera is a cautionary tale, in that it warns sinners that eventually their crimes will catch up to them. After years of lying, cheating and abusing women, Don Giovanni’s injustices finally catch up with him, as the Commendatore comes back from the grave and asks him to repent. Upon Don Giovanni’s refusal, the Commendatore claims his soul and casts him into the depths of hell.
The opera deals with very real and serious topics: revenge, murder and sexual abuse. The serious nature, however, is offset slightly by Leporello and his interactions with other characters. His wit and innocent charm, as well as his dejected nature towards his master’s activities, counter-balance the heaviness of the rest of the opera.
Don Giovanni will be performed at Place des Arts on Nov. 17 and 19 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at just under $60 for the show and are available on the Place des Arts website.
Trendy Cuban restaurant is serving mucho mojitos and impressive dishes
Quebecers love Cuba. It is a known fact. According to the Toronto Star, 1.2 million Canadians travel to Cuba, annually. The link between our province and the beloved communist state is so prominent that Cubans affectionately call us “Tabarnacos” and “Jean Coutus.”
That connection is what the staff at La Habanera restaurant wanted to bring to Montreal. “We wanted to create a nice vibe from Cuba,” manager Louis-Philippe Rouleau told The Concordian. Rouleau said the idea was to create “something that you couldn’t get in Montreal.”
Photo by Shakti Langlois Ortega
La Habanera is unique. Inspired by the vibrant colours of Cuban culture, the restaurant’s DIY-style décor is probably the most charming aspect of the downtown restaurant. Its vintage look recreates the antique charm of Old Havana. About 30 tables occupy the small space, and along the back wall sits a turquoise banquette. Dozens of strategically scattered picture frames filled with vintage Cuban portraits, maps and photos cover the walls, giving the space a relaxed feel. Some may even consider it the perfect Instagram-worthy backdrop to any photo.
Walking into La Habanera feels like stepping into a closet-sized version of Cuba. If you are up to it, you can even test your Spanish skills with the staff, since most of them speak it fluently.
No Cuban-inspired restaurant would be complete without a salsa playlist and this place offers one that will have you dancing in your seat. If you dare, get up between bites and show off your dance moves.
Although delicious and beautifully prepared, the food served at La Habanera is nothing like the typical food found in traditional Cuban households. On the menu, you will find a variety of creative and tasteful small, tapas-style plates inspired by authentic Cuban ingredients, such as plantain and seafood. The restaurant basically takes traditional ingredients to make non-traditional or gourmet dishes.
Plantain cups filled with rum, coconut, and garlic dulce de leche shrimps. Photo by Shakti Langlois Ortega
One of the restaurant’s signature dishes, rum, coconut and garlic dulce de leche shrimps served in plantain cups, is a perfect example of that.
To recreate the open and heart-warming Cuban atmosphere and experience, La Habanera encourages clients to order several plates to share. The spot also offers a special tasting menu for groups, which is a surprise menu picked and designed by the chefs.
You can seat yourself either at the beautiful turquoise banquette, in one of the cozy diner-style booths or at the bar, while a bartender concocts one of the spot’s exotic house cocktails, like the Bloody Maria Con Lychee. The drink translates to a cherry tomato and lychee Bloody Mary.
With more than 20 different types of rum, the Cuban liquor of choice, La Habanera offers an exclusive selection of mouth-watering mojitos made with fresh fruits and herbs.
Designed for millennials, with its trendy yet unpretentious vibe, La Habanera can be your go-to spot for anything from a promising Tinder date to an unforgettable birthday dinner.
La Habanera is the latest restaurant from a team of people who are also behind Montreal’s Mexican restaurants La Cerveceria and Escondite, and the Japanese fusion spot, Biiru. The team will also opening a Hawaiian poke takeout restaurant soon.
La Habanera is located at 1216 Avenue Union, Montréal, QC H3B 3C4.
The spot is open Tuesday to Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Cinderella brought magical comedy to Place des arts for four showings.
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella offers a fresh take on a beloved story
When you think of a knight in shining armour, it typically doesn’t mean an actual knight in sparkly armour—but that’s exactly what Prince Topher (Hayden Stanes) wore as he strutted on stage. Not long after his entrance, he began to fight a gigantic monster while simultaneously looking rather dashing.
Rodger and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, the 2013 Tony award-winning Broadway musical, was at Place des Arts last week for a limited showing. Featuring a talented cast of singers and dancers, the magical show had a hopeful lightheartedness about it—while also featuring very real, self-reflective moments of social commentary.
The show recounted the fabled and beloved story of Cinderella (Tatyana Lubov)—a handmaid-turned-princess who wins the heart of the dashing prince with the help of her fairy godmother, a pumpkin carriage and a handful of white mice-turned-horses.
Although the plot focused on the prince’s search for his princess, Cinderella was so much more than just a love story about two characters destined to find each other. While keeping the classic essence and framework of the fairy tale, the Broadway musical brought a witty and comedic twist to it and delved into the characters’ hopes, dreams and fears.
Beneath the traditional romance lies the story of a lost prince who must rule his kingdom while keeping his parent’s legacy alive; of a bureaucrat trying to ensure the prince’s comfort and way of life at the expense of the citizens; of a mother who wants the best for her daughters; and of a hopelessly unromantic guy who just wants to take the girl of his dreams out on a date to serve soup at the soup kitchen.
Cinderella is hopeful, despite being used and abused by her stepmother and stepsisters. She is a young woman trying to find herself in a world that keeps putting her down, and she maintains an overt optimism and kind spirit despite her plight.
Prince Topher has just returned from university and wants to rule his kingdom as his parents did before him—in a just and fair manner. His associate makes it easy: hand over the signet ring and he’ll take care of the boring, dreary paperwork. The prince’s naïve trust for his advisor, Sebastian (Ryan M. Hunt), leads to political corruption—unbeknownst to the prince. After a lifetime of being molded by the people around him, he is eager to try and find himself.
The cast included a multitude of zany characters, including the passionate political activist Jean-Michel (Chris Woods) and Marie, a sometimes crazy and eclectic friend who ends up being Cinderella’s fairy godmother (Leslie Jackson). The characters’ witty dialogue and funny interactions all added to the comedic element of the show.
The strong cast, relatable characters and fantastic quips and dialogue were all brought together by the incredible set design. Without missing a beat, the stage transformed from a forest to a town square to the interior of a palace. These switches were so well executed that they were almost invisible—as if by magic.
Be sure to check out Place des Arts’ website for updates and information about other upcoming shows.
Zachary Creatchman, who plays Jerome, is the only actor who did not play multiple roles.
Jerome of Sandy Cove crawls from a Nova Scotia bay to Mainline Theatre
Persephone Productions is bringing its brand new play, Jerome of Sandy Cove, to the Mainline Theatre from Oct. 6 to 16. Based on the true Canadian story of a man named Jerome, who mysteriously washed up on the shores of a Nova Scotia town back in the 1800s, the play examines the man’s life and origins.
Written and directed by Persephone Productions’ artistic director, Christopher Moore, the play features many talented actors including Concordia graduate Natasha Perry-Fagant.
While the performance was engaging, figuring out the plotline without a synopsis is not an easy task. I spent most of the play wondering, “Who was that person supposed to be?” and “Why is this happening?”
The play alternated between a chronological story about Jerome’s life after washing up on shore and various short scenes that depicted his possible life before the incident. The play begins with multiple scenes where the dialogue is solely in Italian. At times, it was easy to follow along, however, I feel like I missed many important pieces of information altogether.
Spoiler alert: the Italian man who I presumed to be Jerome is quite suddenly, and I really mean suddenly, being chased by a police officer and must flee on a ship. While the officers did seem to be explaining his crime, it was in Italian and I was left utterly confused. There were scenes with pirates, confederate soldiers and a random cowboy, all of whom seemed to be random. There was never any solid connection to Jerome in any of the scenes as they were just all speculations. To top it off, almost the entire cast played multiple roles. The plotline wasn’t extremely coherent throughout.
The play did have its upsides though, mostly due to the cast of talented actors. The scenes of Jerome’s life in Nova Scotia featured intriguing interactions between lead actor Zachary Creatchman (Jerome) and the rest of the cast, particularly the female actors. Any scenes with Creatchman and Dawson theatre graduate Dominique Noel were particularly captivating—they drew the audience in with their chemistry. Creatchman is a true artist and, though he did not talk, for Jerome had lost his ability to speak, his eyes and facial expressions captivated the audience with their depth and intrigue.
The music throughout the show was performed live by Sarah Segal-Lazar, and all of the songs and lyrics were written and composed by Segal-Lazar herself. It gave the show a more folksy and intimate feel, and made me feel more at home as an audience member.
While this play featured great acting and did have many heartfelt and humorous moments, it fell short in the plot department, and viewers should definitely read a synopsis before heading into the theatre. The show runs until Oct. 16 at the Mainline Theatre on St Laurent.
Tickets are $20 for students and $25 for the general public. To learn more about the production, visit their website.
The spot offers breakfast, lunch, specialty coffees and a variety of desserts. Photo by Danielle Gasher
New Plateau business creates a hybrid of the classic dépanneur and café
It’s common knowledge that dépanneurs are meant to be convenient. However, François Ste-Marie, a young Montreal entrepreneur, thinks they should be so much more.
On Sept. 9, Ste-Marie opened the dépanneur he’s been longing to see in the city. The result, frankly, is impressive.
Dépanneur Fancé is located close to the corner of avenue Des Pins and Saint-Dominique street. Photo by Danielle Gasher
Located in Plateau Mont-Royal, just a few blocks away from Montreal’s iconic Schwartz’s Deli, Dépanneur Fancé is a one-of-a-kind spot.
At first glance, the quaint shop stands out on the residential street close to St-Laurent Boulevard. The street doesn’t have much hustle and bustle. However, once inside Fancé, the street’s quietness becomes a forgettable detail as you are immediately faced with a colourful array of carefully chosen products. Vegetable chips, locally-produced soda drinks, kombucha and craft beers share the shelves with high-quality household basics, such as organic juices and cereals. The shop also sells meals and desserts made in store, available for take-out. Most importantly, behind the counter is Ste-Marie, the owner and sole employee of Fancé, ready to serve you like he would a friend.
The store sells mostly local products. Photo by Danielle Gasher
Although Fancé offers typical “convenience” products, it is also appealing as a place to satisfy your gourmet appetite. Fancé’s tasteful creamy and nutty lattes are delicious, especially coupled with their croissants, or homemade cookies. The spot also has a breakfast and lunch menu. The breakfast menu includes classics with a twist. You can choose toast on artisanal bread with your choice of spread, or an iranian breakfast which consists of toast with feta cheese and nuts. The lunch menu includes items such as feta and watermelon salad, homemade sandwiches made with fresh, local ingredients, and salads.
Ste-Marie is an ardent supporter of local ingredients and products. Most of his products are Canadian. The coffee he sells comes from Montreal’s trendy Café Saint-Henri and Calgary’s Café Phil & Sebastian, and he buys his chips and cereals from two British Columbia-based companies.
Prior to opening his own business, Ste-Marie worked as a manager at a clothing retailer in downtown Montreal. “My dad had a dépanneur when I was young,” he said. “I’ve always fancied the idea of having mine, but with the products I’d like to find. I love good food, good beer and good coffee. I wanted to appropriate the concept.”
Photo by Danielle Gasher
Ste-Marie filled his shop with just that—you can tell right away by his small inventory that he only sells his carefully chosen, and high-quality favourites.
Fancé, Ste-Marie’s Québécois spelling of “Fancy,” is sure to become the new Plateau hotspot to grab some beer and snacks for a night in, or your go-to café to enjoy a velvety latte to help you get through a study session.
The spot’s seating consists of a stylish and sleek bar with five chairs along the large window of the shop. The bar, made of concrete, features only a few computer outlets. Wifi is also available.
For now, Dépanneur Fancé is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m, however, Ste-Marie said the opening hours are subject to change as Fancé gets a feel for the neighbourhood.
Dépanneur Fancé is located at 3764 St-Dominique Street.
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone’s chemistry will make you believe in the old magic of cinema again
Somewhere along the way, the film industry forgot how to inspire hope, or decided it was no longer necessary. It used to be that, as the world grew gloomier, the movies grew happier. This was a natural counterbalance to the uncertainty and unquietness of real life.
Today, as the world approaches pre-WW2 levels of tension and confusion, the big screen is not being a source of comfort—gritty is still the new cool, and some like to speculate that cinema is altogether dead, with Netflix offering the hip alternative. This present context is what makes Damien Chazelle’s La La Land all the more significant, meaningful and timeless. The film will not be released until December of this year, but it already has the feel of an established classic.
The mood is set with a virtuoso opening dance sequence that takes place on a Los Angeles highway. You watch as dozens of people are kept waiting in a traffic jam, when suddenly magic happens, and irresistible joy is breathed into the most ordinary of proceedings. It is during this opening dance sequence that a chance encounter occurs between Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a struggling musician, and Mia (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress.
They are two dreamers in a city that couldn’t care less about them, and yet it inspires in them visions of love and enchantment, of star-bathed backgrounds and lushly coloured skies. Life circumstances ensure that they continuously cross paths—they meet again and again. First they dislike each other, then like each other, and finally they fall in love. All that jazz. The duo have a chemistry so pure that you know it is fate that brings them together, and not a team of screenwriters.
Sebastian (Gosling) and Mia (Stone) are two happy-go-lucky dreamers in a world that forgot how to dream.
What a strange concept it is to make an old-school musical in our day and age—but it works, both as an ode to dreams and to the power of cinema. Gosling and Stone are not professional dancers or singers, but the film doesn’t require them to be. The music by Justin Hurwitz—a key collaborator of Chazelle’s—is out of this world, written to emphasize tenderness and melancholy over vocal prowess.
The film is made with such nostalgia, and Chazelle—known for the 2014 sensation Whiplash—has such love for the history of music and cinema, that you almost expect the characters to make a wrong turn and be transported a century back, like in Midnight in Paris (2011).
The way La La Land confronts cinema’s dying past in a largely indifferent present recalls Sylvain Chomet’s animated L’illusioniste (2010)—although the latter mourned the retirement of magic, while Chazelle’s film all but screams that magic is still possible, even though it may not always offer a path to happiness. La La Land packs in all the pleasures of a musical, while offering a depth of emotion and a richness of form. It is a triumphant, generous masterpiece that feels bound for serious Oscar glory. You are right to be excited for it. Until the next time I see it, my heart will beat to the tune of Hurwitz’ songs.
Each of the ten episodes of the miniseries loosely revolves around
one of the Ten Commandments.
A Polish masterwork makes a stop by Montreal’s Cinéma du Parc
This September, Cinéma du Parc will be showcasing Krzysztof Kieślowski’s newly restored 1989 Polish TV drama Dekalog, a miniseries which presents a timeless look into ageless aspects of the human condition. Janus Films has finally delivered a restoration to this masterwork that will now be screened for a month at Cinéma du Parc in collaboration with the Festival du nouveau cinéma.
Filmed in 10 separate hour-long segments, Dekalog is a quintessential European epic in cinephile circles alongside the likes of Sátántangó(1994) and Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980).
But rest assured it does not demand to be viewed like a regular TV show. Despite being a television series, it functions as 10 individual short films. Each part is connected by theme only, not by linear narrative structure. At Cinéma du Parc, each ‘episode’ is screened during five two-hour blocks over the span of three weeks.
The miniseries’ director is two-time Oscar nominee Krzysztof Kieślowski.
It is also worth noting that while the series is themed around the Ten Commandments, a strong or weak connection to religion is not required to enjoy these works. The themes serve only as inspiration to 10 intimate portrayals of everyday life.
A two-time Oscar nominee, the late Kieślowski is a giant in Polish cinema. He holds the distinction of being one of the most revered directors of his time, with Sight and Soundnaming him the second greatest director of the modern day in 2002. Kieślowski’s prime years were in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s in which he directed, in addition to Dekalog, the Three Colors Trilogy films (1993-1994) and The Double Life of Veronique(1991). Despite being remembered for his narrative works, Kieślowski cut his teeth in the field with 21 documentary credits to his name before his transition into auteur cinema.
The screenings should serve as a welcomed alternative to those starved for an art house cinema fix in the wake of the summer blockbuster season. It also presents a great introduction to the style of European Art Cinema and even post-Cold War Eastern European Cinema as many of the episodes, such as Part V: Thou Shalt not Kill (1990), feature allusions to anxieties of a post-Cold War society.
Cinéma du Parc will be releasing their scheduled list of screenings each week on their website.
Maybe my tastes are too singular, but this fifty shades of sucked
Full of self-loathing and holding our heads low, my date and I sauntered into the AMC on Valentine’s night to join the throngs of bored vanilla couples and gaggles of barely-legal girls going to see Fifty Shades of Grey.
We were off to a bad start before the preview reels even began: the theatre, packed to the brim, had seats left in only the three front rows—not the ideal viewing spot for anybody, as you’re forced to crane your neck and stare into the distorted giant faces of the cast, but even less so for a farsighted individual like myself. I never thought I’d feel so intimately connected with every little bump on Dakota Johnson’s nipples.
Then the film started, with a long establishing shot showing Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey, putzing around his millionaire’s walk-in-closet, going for a jog, and generally setting him up as a filthy-rich, put-together, virile-type person.
Then we see Johnson as Anastasia Steele, looking doe-eyed and waif-like as we would expect, in an ill-fitting cardigan and wispy bangs. Because, as everybody knows, all virgins must wear glorified sacks and gratuitous floral prints (and white underwear as we will soon see). Luckily, once she’s deflowered her wardrobe is no longer highly dependant on florals.
I came into the theatre with very low expectations. I’d read excerpts of the novel and enough reviews of both the books and the movie to know to keep an eye out for the psychological manipulation and emotionally abusive tendencies of Grey, the misrepresentation of BDSM practices, and the overall lack of chemistry between the two leads who have more than once openly admitted to despising each other.
I expected, however, despite my own reservations about the plotline and relationship between the characters, to be at least slightly tantalized if not semi-aroused throughout most of the film. This was being billed as softcore erotica, after all, and if nothing else I expected delivery on that front.
Sadly, even my most meagre of expectations were not met. Of the four or five sex scenes in the film, two were decently hot, and really only because it’s pretty hard not to get at least a quarter-arousal going when there’s an attractive woman writhing around, bound-up and suspended from ropes while the now-infamous slower, deeper, headier version of Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love” swells in the background. Unfortunately, that was about one minute of pleasure out of 122 minutes of cringeworthy pain.
Now, let’s just skip past the whole psychological abuse thing, Grey’s unhealthy tendency to stalk Steele like she’s his prey, and his obsession with owning her and controlling her (see her confession of being a virgin, to which he responds “Where have you been?” as if this is the greatest gift he’s ever been given; also buying her a new wardrobe, computer, and car; and setting up quarters in his home for her. Strangely though, he does not replace her ‘90s throwback flip phone).
We can also look past the fact that Steele never did sign that contract agreeing to be his submissive, despite them engaging in a dominant/submissive relationship throughout the film—a relationship that she was skeptical of, if not outright terrified to partake in (and was quite vocal about these reservations throughout the film). And hey, I guess it also isn’t a big deal that there were no instances of aftercare, even after Grey goes too far and leaves Steele crying on the floor as he whips her and, when she confronts him about it, responds that he’s “fifty shades of fucked up” so, I guess it’s not his fault. Nobody understands him, poor baby.
All these things are fine though, because he’s like so intense and like so hot and she just loooves him so much. And how can he be blamed when she has the audacity to bite her lip like that in front of him because she knows what that does to him.
Yes, perhaps all these slight details could be ignored if the actors had even an ounce of chemistry between them, or said their lines with any sort of inflection or feeling. The script, which was no winner to begin with, completely flatlined under the monotone delivery of both Dornan and Johnson. It was like they were speaking at each other the whole time, and were bored doing it. The hatred between them was palpable, and not in a hot, tense, Ryan Gosling-and-Rachel McAdams-hatred-for-each-other-circa-The Notebook-type-way, but rather in an “I’m completely bored and disgusted to have to be in the same room as you let alone have to simulate sex with you”-type way.
Moments that were presumably meant to be fraught with tension were so cringeworthy that the entire theatre alternately laughed and groaned out loud pretty much every time Grey revealed a new kink or made a new request, and likewise every time Johnson seemed to be climaxing before Grey even began to touch her.
The entire film came off like a bad spoof. It was so incredibly awful that I have to wonder if director Sam Taylor-Johnson perhaps intended it to be that way. Maybe the film is actually meant to be a meta-experience of sadistic pain, masquerading as pleasure, for the audience itself. Maybe we’re all Steele, wanting so hard to feel something that we’ll accept any kind of horseshit that hits us first.
In the end, I cannot possibly do justice to this spectacle in words, and I urge you all to arm yourselves with a bottle or two your poison of choice, and illegally download (for the love of God don’t make the same mistake I did and actually pay for it) this shipwreck to see for yourselves.
And hey, maybe I do have more masochistic tendencies than I gave myself credit for, because a deep, dark part of me can’t wait for the sequel.
How to get fifty shades of fucked up for Fifty Shades of Grey (which is really the only way to experience it):
You will need:
an alcoholic beverage of your choice, perhaps Fifty Shades of Grey wine?
a receptacle for said beverage
a liver of Steele (see what I did there?)
Rules:
Take a sip when…
there is a gratuitous shot of Dakota Johnson’s boobs
she bites her lip
Christian Grey appears topless
Anastasia is naked while Christian is clothed
There’s a shot of a full bush
There is phallic imagery (skyscrapers, pencils being sucked etc.)
He buys her something
They stare into each other’s eyes
She rolls her eyes
He threatens to punish her
She appears innocent and virginal
She tries to assert herself by sassing him
he plays piano
she cooks
he alludes to being psychologically damaged
he recoils at her touch
she whines about their sleeping arrangements
someone makes an astute observation (ex.: is that a car? do you play piano?)
Chug throughout any sex scenes (these are fewer and farther between than you’d think)
The Cheese Stealer’s Handbook, set in Montreal, tackles alcoholism and drug addiction
In his novella The Cheese Stealer’s Handbook, Shoshaku Jushaku treats his readers to a glimpse into the life of an alcoholic drug addict who just can’t seem to get anything right. The story begins in our very own Montreal and follows the narrator, Acky, through his journey to become an author.
This, coupled with his struggle as an addict, makes for a confusing and sombre yet wildly interesting read. We also get a glimpse into his love life, catching the tail end of one relationship and witnessing him dive headfirst into another. The storyline jumps around quite a bit, but only in order to keep up with Acky’s sporadic nature.
You could easily read through this book in one sitting without feeling like you’ve rushed through it. If you’re someone who needs to have all of your questions answered by the end of your read, I could not suggest a book more contrary than this. If, on the other hand, you like being left more in the dark than when you first picked the book up, this one’s for you! The best books are the ones that shake you up a little and make you ask yourself all kinds of questions that you most likely never would have asked otherwise. This is undoubtedly one of those books.
Worthy of mention is the way in which the chapters are separated within the novella. Each is accompanied by a quote that ties in absolutely perfectly with that chapter. Finding a book that uses quotations and references philosophers in a humorous, yet accurate way is a rare treasure and adds a lot to this story.
In my mind, this novella will stick with you in a strange way. You’ll remember little snippets of it and they won’t seem to make any sense, but I think that is how Jushaku is so successful at putting you into the scene. Anyone can relate to Acky’s scattered mind because of its honesty and how well it reflects human nature. Acky knows that he quite literally never makes the right choice and the easy solution, as a reader, would be to remain frustrated with him for being so blatantly idiotic. The story is centered on addiction, and I think Jushaku might have been trying to show what being so deeply addicted can do to someone who otherwise has the potential to be great. You can tell how intelligent Acky is, but he just cannot function properly in society. The reason it speaks to human nature, as a whole, is how everyone has demons they will simply never be able to overcome.
This novella is nothing short of a great little piece of work, and has so much depth packed into only 112 pages. It’s a great example of fiction writing in which the main character is developed in such a short timeframe, allowing the reader to form a strong opinion on him. I think the text merits at least two reads in order to mull over Acky’s jumpy narrative, but it is a book definitely worth carving some time out to read.
Actor Kevin Costner gives insight into the social complexities of Disney’s new film
McFarland, USA, a new Walt Disney film set to release on Feb. 20, is based on the true success of McFarland High School’s cross country team in 1987. The team was created by coach Jim White, played in the film by Kevin Costner, after he spotted potential in a group of students from Hispanic farmworker families. The narrative follows White’s character as he creates the team and proceeds to train the group to achieve athletic success. That may sound like one of the biggest clichés in Hollywood, but the social commentary presented in this film proves it to be one that’s worth risking cinematic redundancy for.
“I’m looking for kids that have a desire to do something better,” said the real Jim White when asked in a conference call what inspired him to start the cross country team. “These boys didn’t slack off and jog and walk like everybody else was doing, they actually loved to run— and so you try to look for things like this in young people.”
To Costner, this goes even further. “What it is, is a combination of young men and a man with a level of wisdom, a level of desire, to come together with one goal in mind, and through work they achieved that.” He also added his insight on another facet of the film: commentary on education: “Coaching is not always about the finish line, coaching is about the big picture which is how [the boys are] going to be as men.”
Costner stated that before this project was even conceptualized, he had read a story about McFarland in Sports Illustrated some years before. “I actually played against this community,” said Costner, who grew up in nearby Compton, California. “I played McFarland in baseball.”
Coach White spoke about his portrayal in the movie by stating that the character, “truly shows a love for the kids and a love for the town and the community. I think that you’re going to get that feeling when you see it and that’s a wonderful feeling.”
Costner went on to speak about his efforts to portray White accurately: “I think he’s quintessentially ‘what you see is what you get’ and I fought to try to make no more of that other than the passion that he had to have running deep inside him everyday when he went to coach these kids.”
White emphasized the film’s focus on the migrant field workers of McFarland saying, “the hardships that the kids have to go through working in the fields, that is so, so important to understand.”
“Seeing these people first-hand, up-close, in these fields … they’re simply working these incredible hours through very difficult weather conditions everyday of their lives,” said Costner. “The American Dream in McFarland is alive and well, there’s nothing more American than a parent trying to make their life better for their children.”
The film follows the classic sports drama narrative, but such Hollywood formulas can often hold both objective and subjective worth. Whether it’s in the variations, details, aesthetics, or thoughts provoked.
“Films are emotional experiences: they’re not intellectual, they’re emotional,” said Costner, “When movies are working at their very best, they become about moments that you’ll never ever forget and we carry the moments of films throughout our whole lives.”
Brandon Schwartz stars as Frank Abagnale in an underwhelming musical adaptation at the Segal Centre
The production hits more lows than highs despite a tremendous effort from the ensemble
There’s only so much a talented and dedicated cast can do with a sinking ship. The Côte Saint-Luc Dramatic Society’s amateur production of Catch Me If You Can: The Musical is proof that all the enthusiasm in the world can’t disguise a boring piece of theatre.
While lead actor Brandon Schwartz is a trained jazz singer with a voice comparable to a young Josh Groban, the show’s music, written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, isn’t quite toe-tapping.
Based on the 2002 Dreamworks film of the same name, Catch Me If You Can follows the true story of a young con artist of the 1960s, named Frank Abagnale Jr., who manages to impersonate a pilot, doctor and lawyer all before his 19th birthday. While the film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, is fast-paced and charming, the musical adaptation relies too heavily on corny jokes, meta self-awareness and extended jazzy dance routines better suited to a Broadway stage than a black box theatre.
Running long at two hours and 45 minutes, the dialogue and space between songs seemed to drag on and on. The ensemble of just over a dozen extremely dedicated dancers should be commended for their sustained energy and use of the small space in the Segal Centre’s intimate studio.
Brandon Schwartz stars as Frank Abagnale in an underwhelming musical adaptation at the Segal Centre
The chorus clearly spent many hours rehearsing many complicated choreographies created by Alexia Gourd that ultimately worked to their credit.
Actor Mike Melino, who played avid FBI detective Carl Hanratty, was a highlight. Melino’s gruff manners, thick moustache and steadfast commitment to his performance deserve special note. His lead songs, “Don’t Break The Rules” and “Little Boy Be A Man,” were a refreshing break from the often-repetitive melodies and routines.
Matthew McKeown and Marieve Guerin, who played Frank’s father and mother respectively, also deserve credit for lending their substantial talent to the production.
Despite the disappointing elements of the show, the production quality was surprisingly good. Many of the costumes were painstakingly handmade and what the space lacked in elaborate scenery, it made up for in the presence and playing of the live band.
While the story of Catch Me If You Can is light and fun, the musical fails in its presentation of any emotional depth. While Schwartz’s acting is partially responsible, the musical’s original reception on Broadway, closing after only 170 regular performances in 2011, says perhaps more.
Ultimately, the musical numbers, especially those given to female characters, fail to amaze and the choppy narration by Frank, paired with the self-aware framework of the show, seems like lazy writing more than anything else.
Delicacy concluded its run as part of the Wildside festival on Jan 17
Salacious play examines the sexual awakening of an older couple
If you enjoy watching theatre that’s sexy, fresh and funny, then Kat Sandler’s Delicacy might have been just what you were after. The 90-minute one-act play was one of several in the 18th annual Wildside Theatre Festival. The show, presented by Theatre Brouhaha of Toronto, played at the Centaur Theatre until Jan. 17.
Delicacy takes place over one evening in a wealthy couple’s living room. The couple, Tanya and Mark, have invited another couple over who they just met a few weeks prior.
As the show begins, it’s immediately evident that Tanya and Mark take a lot of pride in their appearances and in their home. The condo setting is contemporary and simplistic. Almost every piece of furniture and décor is a bright, clean white. Large canvases splattered with modern art adorn the back wall of the set.
As Tanya and Mark are waiting for the other couple to arrive, Tanya, who is tall and slender, looks very reserved and formal. She circles the living room, fluffing pillows and cleaning specks of dirt off the furniture. Mark is more laid back and almost indifferent to the upcoming evening. He blunders his way through a typical “does this dress make me look fat?” discussion with Tanya, and the two consider calling off the engagement altogether when another woman lets herself into their condo.
Delicacy concluded its run as part of the Wildside festival on Jan 17
Colby is a sudden burst of energy on stage, floating around and examining the condo, which is clearly a different world from the one she’s used to. Colby has a free, hippie-ish look to her. She is very open and says everything that comes to her mind. After a short while, her cool and stylish husband Len enters the scene.
It is slowly revealed that the two couples met each other at a swingers club, where they switched partners for the evening. Tanya and Mark then invited Colby and Len over for a second experience.
The first half of the show is fast, witty and sharp. Sexual puns, accidental racial remarks and generally awkward exchanges take place as the two couples’ lifestyles clash. Tanya is determined to host a mature and sophisticated evening, but despite her attempts, many things go awry.
Towards the end of the show, things dissolve quickly from fun and games into sharing intimate secrets, arguments, and bringing hidden emotions to the surface. Each character discovers something about their partner that they didn’t know before.
By the end of the play, things are left unresolved. The show unearths deep issues in the characters that one would never guess had existed, from looking at them in the beginning.
Sandler wrote and directed the show, and she did some great work with the characters’ movements across the stage. Despite being restricted to the confines of a single room, the scene never felt stale—someone was always moving.
The actors strung everything together with a phenomenal amount of energy, and a fantastic sense of timing and pace. Overall, Delicacy was a finely crafted piece of theatre that offered a fascinating look at the secret lives of married couples.
