The Toad's Burrow

      Look, Hamilton is kind of peak musical to me so forgive me if this entire article just sounds like me gushing over it. It's just that this really is what made me fall in love with musicals in the first place, and can you blame me? Look, I was in grade 9 and just exploring my unrealized passion for theater, and this musical was the perfect starting point. It didn't sound too theatrical, and it was about a historical character I legitimately knew nothing about. Not to mention, unlike other musicals, the story is entirely within the songs, so it was easy to listen along and visualize it all, sort of like a deluxe audiobook.     And well, this run of Hamilton  has been pretty much everything I could have wanted or expected when I was originally supposed to see a live version of this show. From the lighting, to the songs, to the energy, I can say with confidence that 14 year old me would have been absolutely ecstatic to have known he would have been able t...

      If I told you that someone made a musical rendition of the classic bible story involving Joseph and his twelve brothers filled with humour packed to the brim, your first thought would instantly go to  VeggieTales , the Christian animated series involving a loveable cast of vegetables. Now, before you start raising pitchforks, keep in mind that I actually think the comparison between VeggieTales  and  Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is quite apt, and frankly high praise considering I loved VeggieTales  as a kid, because I think  Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat  brings the same family fun with a lot more flare.     To be honest, when I first heard of this musical, I was a bit skeptical, I mean as someone who grew up in a religious household, I've seen religion shoehorned in quite possibly all facets of life, from odd plates, to conventions and even poorly made animated films (not VeggieTales ), so ...

      It has been about 3, almost 4 years since I first was graced with the legendary Riverdale episode known as "Big Fun". Little did I know at that time, I would be absolutely entranced with the Heathers musical, secretly pining for it for years, hoping that one day it would show up in Toronto, or I'd be lucky enough to be graced with a pro-shot version. While it's not the Off-Broadway version I'm so familiar with on Spotify, this West-End rendition of highly acclaimed musical is still damn good.     Throughout this review, I'm going to be drawing many comparisons between Off-Broadway and West-End versions of the musical, and for good reason because the singing in the Off-Broadway version is simply immaculate. I'm not saying the singing is wildly inferior, and absolutely appalling in the Off-Broadway version, but its very clear they're trying to suppress their British accents, and when it randomly comes out it is absolutely jarring. Moreover, another...

      As someone who became a theatre kid at a fairly late age, I had always heard of A Streetcar Named Desire, and understood that both it, and by extension Tennessee Williams, had some important role in the history of theatre. Specifically, I first remember hearing it in the Panic! At the Disco song, Memories, and since then I began to grow this idea that perhaps it was a love story, an overall sad one, but one for the ages, and with a cute name to boot. Sadly, or perhaps happily depending on your point of view, I have to report that my assumptions were wrong, and I couldn't have been more impressed by this play if it tried.     Personally, as someone who had to read a lot of plays during high school I think something that many plays lacked was the ability to be read as a play rather than performed. Like if one were to ask high school students what they enjoyed least, it would be Shakespeare, and for good reason, as it was meant to be performed, and without ma...