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Marianne Ackerman

THEATRE

Double Bling Bang Bard

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The Comedy of Errors, Centaur Theatre

by Marianne Ackerman
10.03.2010

So here’s the situation: a stranger comes to town and finds himself mysteriously drawn into somebody else’s life-in-progress. Meanwhile, a guy who’s dug in and married money discovers himself locked out of the house and his calls bounced. Kafka or farce? Peter Hinton’s Comedy of Errors pursues both options.

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NOTEBOOK

Riding The Wave To MECCA

Montreal English Critics Circle Awards

by Marianne Ackerman
09.03.2010

Is it just me, or are Montreal theatre artists riding a new wave of excellence? The Montreal English Critics Circle Awards (MECCA) seems to indicate as much, with plays by Montreal writers Bruce M. Smith (at Infinitheatre) and Bryden MacDonald (Centaur) sweeping the awards announced on Monday.

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NOTEBOOK

The Olympics, ACT III

by Marianne Ackerman
01.03.2010

Mulling over David Mamet’s Three Uses of the Knife while watching the 2010 Olympics, I was reminded of why sports competitions have enjoyed such an important role in the history of western civilization, because sport obeys dramatic principles. Or is it vice versa?
If this galvanizing event we’ve just witnessed does turn out to be – [...]

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NOTEBOOK

Olympic Optics

by Marianne Ackerman
24.02.2010

So it turns out winning medals isn’t it after all. What really makes the Olympic Games an extraordinary public event is the drama of gods versus ordinary mortals. Elite athletes backed by money and hope, up against mortality, weather, fate.

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NOTEBOOK

In Praise of Winning

by Marianne Ackerman
19.02.2010

Until Alexandre Bilodeau snared the gold, I didn’t give a damn about the Olympics. Went out of my way to avoid advance hype, missed the famously un-French opening on purpose.

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NOTEBOOK

Vive la Gazette libre!

by Marianne Ackerman
07.02.2010

Alex Norris has a great idea. During a panel discussion on the future of newspapers, namely The Gazette – currently bankrupt and for sale – the former journalist turned Mile End councillor called on wealthy citizens of Quebec to pool their resources and buy the damn thing. Rescue our community newspaper from the clutches of [...]

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THEATRE

A Night to Remember

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Michel & ti-Jean, Centaur Theatre

by Marianne Ackerman
06.02.2010

For the record, a young Michel Tremblay never went stateside to track down the legendary beat writer Jack Kerouac, though watching George Rideout’s brilliant new play inspired by What if … you’ll be tempted to believe he did. Michel & ti-Jean’s invitation to suspend disbelief is easy to accept.

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THEATRE

Please, Rock the Boat

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The Daily Miracle, Infinitheatre

by Marianne Ackerman
30.01.2010

Whatever else can be said about The Gazette, she has proven herself a worthy muse. Brian Moore’s novel The Luck of Ginger Coffey and William Weintraub’s Why Rock the Boat? both pillaged newsroom antics for material in the early Sixties. Now a former copy editor has taken another kick at the old girl, on her imagined [...]

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NOTEBOOK

Who Owns The Gazette?

by Marianne Ackerman
26.01.2010

For three weeks over the holidays,The Gazette slipped in and out of bankruptcy protection. Freelancers were informed we won’t be paid for invoices filed between December 15 and early January. Meaning … I own the Gazette. And so do you.

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