Review Archive

Stunning Script Meets Design Simplicity in ‘Sea Wall’
- Kick & Push Festival
- Review
- TK Fringe
Alex (Craig Norton) works as a photographer for British Home Stores, he gets to travel regularly to his father in law’s villa in the south of France, he has a loving wife and an eight year old daughter named Lucy. It would seem Alex has it all, but suddenly everything begins to slip from his grasp. After playing in July as a part of the Domino One-Act Play Festival, Sea […]

Sisters, Sanity, and Sad History Collide in ‘Madness Lies’
- Kick & Push Festival
- Review
- TK Fringe
Madness Lies is Chloë Whitehorn’s contribution to this year’s TK Fringe Festival. Described as “Hamlet meets Girl, Interrupted,” the play follows the story of Lettie (Shannon Donnelly) and Leah (Jennifer Verardi), two sisters who find themselves in a psych ward after the death of their father. Judging by that description alone, I was not expecting the amount of levity and humour that Whitehorn’s script delivers. Darkness aside, the banter between […]

Dungeons Without Dragons in ‘Father, Forgive Me’
- Kick & Push Festival
- Review
- TK Fringe
There is just something so exciting about attending a show where the performer knows almost as little as you do about what will unfold in the next forty minutes. For it being my first time ever seeing an improv show and also my first time watching someone play Dungeons & Dragons, I was pleasantly surprised at how easily I could follow Father, Forgive Me from start to finish. The story […]

Tall Mark Does Not Come Up Short: ‘Eat It Anyway’
- Kick & Push Festival
- Review
- TK Fringe
The first ever Fringe Festival was established in 1947 by a bunch of artists who were not included in the Edinburgh International Festival, eventually earning its title because it was “on the fringes.” The Edinburgh Fringe festival ended up being a monumental hit and has grown to be the largest performing arts festival in the world; the concept has been adapted globally with literally hundreds of Fringe festivals popping up across […]

‘The Turing Test:’ A Pertinent Commentary on Technophobia
- Festival
- Review
- TK Fringe
Artificial Intelligence has long been a fictional harbinger of the apocalypse, but in recent years this dystopian trope has become all too real. The issue threatens millions of jobs, especially those of artists, so understandably the arts community is grappling with these concerns through their respective mediums. Now playing at the TK Fringe: Studio Reflection presents The Turing Test, translated by Yuriy Popov and Yana Menov from the Russian play […]

‘Oh Mother F#@%*!’ Brings Laughs and Feels to the Fringe
- Kick & Push Festival
- Review
- TK Fringe
Andrea Superstein, like many women before her, was told that becoming a mother would be the single best experience of her life. But when it felt hard, and when it didn’t feel magical all the time, she started to wonder if anyone else felt the same way. So, she went looking for answers. She interviewed other mothers, wrote songs, and turned those songs into an album. Now, that album has […]

‘Snow White’ and the One Overworked Dwarf
- County Stage
- Review
Snow White (Breanna Maloney) is excited to tell her story to new people by acting out the parts with her seven friends… but six of those friends failed to arrive today. It’s up to Snow White and Number 4 (Lindsey Middleton) to tell the story on behalf of the entire fairy tale’s cast of characters, including all seven dwarves, the evil queen, the huntsman, the prince, and many more! County […]

‘Merrily We Roll Along’ Is a Palpable Hit!
- Blue Canoe Productions
- Review
Merrily We Roll Along feels like opening a row of bottled memories. With each bottle opened, we travel further into the past, back to a time when people were more ambitious and more hopeful. The story progresses, not forwards, but backwards, revealing just how strong the bonds of love and friendship can be when nurtured, and how easily they can go awry when dreams take priority. When the musical (lyrics […]

Immersion & Interaction at Pop-Up Installations
- Festival
- Kick & Push Festival
- Review
Metamorphosing Spaces into Stories Today, clothing only lasts as long as the trend does, meaning it gets worn once, and then tossed into landfills. This normalization of fast-fashion is making modern day sustainability more important than ever. Fiber Artist Leisa Rich stitches together pieces of felt, sequins, glittery mesh, wigs, feathers, and even reusable Metro bags to create colorful, immersive, and diverse art experiences while keeping sustainability in mind. Rich’s […]

A Skirmish of Wits Makes a Visit to Kingston
- Festival
- Kick & Push Festival
- Review
- St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival
When I first arrived in Kingston in 2021, there was a severe lack of Shakespeare in the city, but over the past few years it has been refreshing to see numerous community and student groups bring some of his plays to life. The Domino Theatre with As You Like It, Two Rabbits One Hat with Macbeth, and Blue Canoe with Twelfth Night, to name a few. It is evident that […]

Still Kicking, Still Pushing: Local Theatre Festival Launches its 11th Year
- Festival
- Kick & Push Festival
- Review
If there’s one thing to learn from attending theatre events, it is that live theatre is unpredictable and that’s just part of its charm. The Kick & Push Festival kicked off its 11th year with a launch event at the amphitheater by Springer Market Square. Fittingly, the opening event reflected both the spirit and the name of the festival. (A quick history lesson: “Kick and Push” comes from a nickname […]

All Aboard the ‘Providence’ Express
- Festival
- Kick & Push Festival
- Review
For those who have watched Back to the Future and thought, “I wish I could visit the past!” this is the show for you. Start by finding the entrance to the K&P Trail near Hagerman Avenue where you’ll be surrounded by the buzzing of cicadas and live fiddle tunes played by Jan Leclair on the accordion and Karma Tomm on the violin. You’ll know you’ve arrived when you see an […]