Massive layoffs and mediocrity: How Cirque du Soleil tied itself in knots - The Globe and Mail by J. Kelly Nestruck

Call it Cirque du Soleil's quarter-life crisis. Back in 2008, the Canadian circus conglomerate " known for its animal-free thrills and aesthetic "was enjoying a completely charmed existen…

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 10:01am on January 17, 2013☆⚑

Stratford's Cymbeline: Like Game of Thrones, but slower by J. Kelly Nestruck

Antoni Cimolino’s production is a well-acted ensemble piece but lacks standout performances

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 5:00pm on June 1, 2012☆⚑

Charlie Brown: The Original Snoop dog preferred jazz by J. Kelly Nestruck

The first in a series of kids’ plays, Stratford’s Charlie Brown boasts a stellar cast

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 5:00pm on May 31, 2012☆⚑

Tarragon show, B.C. musical win big at Toronto theatre awards by J. Kelly Nestruck

Toronto reviewers present second-annual awards to honour the best of the city’s 2011-2012 theatre productions

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 12:01am on May 31, 2012☆⚑

42nd Street: One giant wink and some tip-top tap by J. Kelly Nestruck

42nd Street is all about hoofing, and not so much about plot

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 6:00pm on May 30, 2012☆⚑

French Without Tears - and many laughs by J. Kelly Nestruck

This could be an enjoyable romp, but it misses the comedic mark

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 5:45pm on May 29, 2012☆⚑

Stratford opening: Much ado about Deborah Hay by J. Kelly Nestruck

In her turn as Beatrice, Hay finds an aching balance between sass and longing

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 2:47pm on May 29, 2012☆⚑

Misalliance: A 'superabundance' of comic talent by J. Kelly Nestruck

Thom Marriott’s performance as John Tarleton, one of Shaw’s most inspired blowhards, is unmissable

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 2:24pm on May 28, 2012☆⚑

A Man and Some Woman: Enjoy the claustrophobia by J. Kelly Nestruck

Alisa Palmer’s hard-to-categorize play a fascinating look at family conflict

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 5:00pm on May 27, 2012☆⚑

A 'Ragtime' sapped of modern day relevance by J. Kelly Nestruck

Jackie Maxwell’s ambitious pageant about America, both the place and the idea, slightly out of tune

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 4:45pm on May 27, 2012☆⚑

Gilbert and Sullivan: They are the very model of a modern music art form by J. Kelly Nestruck

It’s easy to pooh-pooh Gilbert and Sullivan as dusty English relics, but as The Globe’s theatre critic observes, the operetta-writing duo are not only surprisingly influential but …

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 5:00pm on May 25, 2012☆⚑

Present Laughter: A production that needs to come out of the closet by J. Kelly Nestruck

The central character in the Shaw Festival’s 2012 season opener suggests a homosexual lothario in disguise, though the rest of the characters seem entirely oblivious

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 3:44pm on May 24, 2012☆⚑

Terence Rattigan: master of middle-class emotions by J. Kelly Nestruck

Contrary to popular belief, Terence Rattigan’s plays are works of substance and sexual frisson

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 5:00pm on May 18, 2012☆⚑

Stockholm: A lively voyage into relationship hell by J. Kelly Nestruck

As spring arrives, Toronto theatre turns to thoughts of love - in dark and disturbing tones

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 5:00pm on May 16, 2012☆⚑

'You see me here, you gods, a poor old man,' said King Lear. But the audience needs strength by J. Kelly Nestruck

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SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 3:02pm on May 13, 2012☆⚑

West Side Story: Alarmingly charming, stumbles aside by J. Kelly Nestruck

It’s not perfect, but this West Side Story scratches the itch one gets every couple of years for this classic American musical

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 3:27pm on May 11, 2012☆⚑

Des Femmes: Oration versus naked mud wrestling by J. Kelly Nestruck

A Sophocles-a-thon that gets the ratio off

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 2:18pm on May 11, 2012☆⚑

The Shipment turns identity politics on its head by J. Kelly Nestruck

Watching an all-black cast skewer African-American stereotypes is unsettling but the awkwardness is part of the appeal

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 5:31pm on May 10, 2012☆⚑

NAC's all-aboriginal King Lear begins to take shape by J. Kelly Nestruck

Set in Shakespeare’s time but relocated to the Algonquin nation of what would become Canada, an ambitious new production of the playwright’s greatest tragedy tackles themes of patr…

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 5:00pm on May 6, 2012☆⚑

Impressive introduction to an up-and-coming U.S. playwright by J. Kelly Nestruck

With Gruesome Playground Injuries, BirdLand Theatre presents the Canadian premiere of a 2009 play by Ravij Joseph, and audiences should try to catch it while they can

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 4:30pm on May 4, 2012☆⚑

Time for theatre to get past the first stage of grief: denial by J. Kelly Nestruck

In the wake of the demise of the Vancouver Playhouse and Dancap productions, we should be asking some serious questions

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 4:00pm on May 4, 2012☆⚑

From harrowing to alienating: Two plays, different results by J. Kelly Nestruck

Two plays take audiences on two very different trips

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 2:30pm on May 4, 2012☆⚑

Two Tony nods for Stratford's Jesus Christ Superstar by J. Kelly Nestruck

Broadway transfer gets morale and probable financial boost, and chance to showcase one of its songs on live Tony broadcast

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 5:30pm on May 1, 2012☆⚑

Stratford's Jesus Christ Superstar gets two Tony noms by J. Kelly Nestruck

Musical that transferred to Broadway up for best musical revival

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 10:00am on May 1, 2012☆⚑

Dated, yes, but delightfully performed by J. Kelly Nestruck

The 1936 Hart and Kaufman play is an early prototype of the wacky family comedy genre

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 4:30pm on April 27, 2012☆⚑