Theatre & Book Reviews | Raymond Helkio

The Reading Salon

The Art Of Reference.

Have you ever wanted to own a Picasso or a Tom Thomson? These are just ...
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December 3, 2022 / Review

Vivek Shraya: Next Time There’s A Pandemic

We’ve had pandemics before this one, and by most accounts there will be another in ...
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November 14, 2022 / Books, Review

Zom-Fam

Kama La Mackerel is a Montreal-based, Mauritian-Canadian multi-disciplinary artist whose recent one person show at ...
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November 3, 2022 / Review

Courtney Act’s Autobiography

Note: Shane Jenek uses the pronouns he/him, his alter ego Courtney Act uses she/her. This ...
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September 20, 2022 / Drag Interviews, Review

Bergmanesque Double Feature

Ingmar Bergman and Paul Bellini both have a propensity for producing a large volume of ...
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September 10, 2022 / Review

Who’s Afraid Of Titus?

“Art is to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.” -Cesar A. Cruz Sky regularly ...
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September 3, 2022 / Review

Around The Globe With Bianca Del Rio

If Joan Rivers and Elton John had offspring it’d probably look a lot like Bianca ...
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August 4, 2022 / Celebrity Interview, Drag Interviews, Review

A Nice Day In The Park by Sky Gilbert

Sky Gilbert’s latest play “A Nice Day In The Park”, showcased for two nights at ...
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March 10, 2020 / Buddies In Bad Times Theatre, Chez Bonbon, Drag Interviews, Harrison Browne, Peter Lynch, Review, Sky Gilbert

Second City: solid, funny sketch comedy

Second City has consistently been putting on great shows in Toronto for 47 years, and ...
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February 4, 2020 / Review, Second City, The Second City Totally Likes You

Bungalow

Playwright Sky Gilbert’s most recent work Bungalow showing at the Hamilton Fringe Festival is set ...
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July 20, 2019 / Review

Diamonds on Plastic

Playwright Philip Cairns recent mounting of Diamonds on Plastic at the Hamilton Fringe Festival is ...
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July 20, 2019 / Review

Hamilton Fringe Festival: Sky Gilbert + Philip Cairns

Toronto queer playwrights Sky Gilbert and Philip Cairnes are just two of the reasons Hamilton ...
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July 4, 2019 / Review

Extravaganza Eleganza: Funnier Than (Gay) Hell!

Funnier than gay hell (and believe me, a gay hell would be hysterical!) Extravaganza Eleganza ...
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May 31, 2019 / Extravaganza Eleganza, Review, Tom Hearn

Hand To God

Nice Never Got Me Anything I wasn’t sure what to think when a puppet stuck ...
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May 8, 2019 / Review

Shove It Down My Throat – A Theme and Variations

Shove a couple of bus tokens into your pocket and go down to Buddies to ...
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April 11, 2019 / #buddies #queertheatre #johnniewalker, Review

Vivek Shraya: I’m Afraid Of Men

Sharp, thoughtful and to the point writing that paints a vivid portrait of Vivek’s Shraya’s ...
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March 12, 2019 / Books, I’m Afraid Of Men, Raymond Helkio, Review, Vivek’s Shraya

Irshad Manji, Don’t Label Me

“We rally for diversity of appearance but flake on diversity of viewpoint.” -Irshad Manji, Don’t ...
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March 5, 2019 / Audre Lorde, Ben Franklin, Bruce Lee, diversity, Don't Label Me, Irshad Manji, Politically Correct, Review

A Trouble of Queers: The Bricks and Glitter Cabaret

Questions answered by Brock Hessel, Vince Rozario, Kumari Giles, and Mikiki There’s always lots of ...
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February 15, 2019 / Review

THE FATHER

“I can manage very well on my own”. This early line from Coal Mine Theatre’s ...
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February 14, 2019 / Coal Mine Theatre, Review, The Father

GA TING

GA TING An immigrant Chinese couple invite their son’s caucasian boyfriend to visit, in order ...
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January 20, 2019 / Review

We Are Not Alone

The four-time Dora Award winner Damien Atkins has numerous credits to his name as a ...
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January 13, 2019 / Crow's Theatre, Damien Atkins, Review

The Waverly Gallery

Waverly Place is a little street that humbly leads from Greenwich Village, across 6th Avenue ...
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December 16, 2018 / Elaine May, Lila Neugebauer, Lucas Hedges, Michael Cera, Review

The Tricky Part

Main photo by Joan Marcus. The Tricky Part written and performed by Martin Moran had ...
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December 15, 2018 / Martin Moran, Review, The Barrow Group, The Tricky Part

Martin Moran: The Tricky Part

Main photo by Joan Marcus. The Tricky Part written and performed by Martin Moran had ...
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December 15, 2018 / Martin Moran, Review, The Barrow Group, The Tricky Part

The New One

At one point, Michael Birbiglia is telling the story of being caught by a friend ...
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December 8, 2018 / Michael Birbiglia, Review

Consumption

It’s a chilly night in Brooklyn so I’m walking with a quick step down the ...
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December 1, 2018 / Review

The Play That Goes Wrong

Imagine Faulty Towers at its craziest. Then mix in broken props, collapsing scenery, forgotten lines, ...
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November 28, 2018 / Review

Love Song To Lavender Menace

On the surface, Love Song To Lavender Menace is about the struggle for acceptance which ...
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November 24, 2018 / Love Song To Lavender Menace, Review

LURED

Sometimes theatre is tough. As I sat watching the first, and then second ‘luring’ scenes, ...
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November 17, 2018 / Review

Sherry Vine, Joey Arias at The Laurie Beechman Theater

You really shouldn’t visit New York without trying to catch a Sherry Vine show. More ...
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November 15, 2018 / Drag Interviews, Review

Love Labour’s Lost

This is not dinner theatre, it’s way better, it’s theatre dinner. When I hear the ...
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November 15, 2018 / Review

Trainspotting Live

First, there was the book, then the play, then the movie, and now tweaking at ...
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November 14, 2018 / Review

Daniel’s Husband

Do we marry for love or is it something else? It’s this very question that’s ...
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November 7, 2018 / Daniel’s Husband, Leland Wheeler, Lou Liberatore, Matthew Montelongo, Review, Ryan Spahn, Westside Theatre

Small Craft Warnings

Tennessee Williams wrote many notable plays but it’s his earlier works like The Glass Menagerie, ...
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November 3, 2018 / Barnaby Edwards, Christian Musto, George A Morafetis, Jason Pintar, Jenne Vath, Marcus Gualberto, Nicole Greevy, Review, Robert Maisonett, Small Craft Warnings

Gertrude & Alice

The remount of Gertrude & Alice kicked off Buddies In Bad Times Theatre’s 40th season ...
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September 22, 2018 / Review

Cluster Fucked

What started out as a low-tech whimsical romp through a marketer's backroom quickly turned into ...
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July 13, 2018 / Cluster Fucked, David John Phillips Joanna Decc Andrew Gabourey Damien Gulde Brock Hessel Jillian Rees-Brown Alisha Stranges Heather Abrams Ryan Bannon Oliver Jane, Review

CHERI: Theresa Tova Seduces!

From her off-stage opening line to her brilliant closing line at the piano, Theresa Tova ...
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July 13, 2018 / CHERI, Review, Sky Gilbert, Theresa Tova

The Two of Us

From acclaimed Croatian playwright Tena Štivicic and directed by the award-winning Svjetlana Jaklenec, The Two ...
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July 8, 2018 / Beatriz Yuste, Deborah Grover, John Blackwood, Review, Shannon Currie, Svjetlana Jaklenec, Tena Štivicic, The Two of Us, Theatre Passe Muraille

LULU v.7: aspects of a femme fatale

About the He Said, He Said reviewers: Stewart Borden is film and theatre musician, culinary ...
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May 2, 2018 / Review

Love and Information

Let me give you an information tidbit: love and information is a crazy ride…. a ...
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April 29, 2018 / Review

A Five Star ‘Category E’ Hits Toronto!

Edmonton continues to birth artistic masterpieces and Category E is no exception. On until the ...
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April 20, 2018 / Review

Dancing Alone Together

Originally published on theBUZZ Alone Together is a double bill consisting of There she was ...
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April 12, 2018 / Review

I Cook, He Does The Dishes

Originally published through The BUZZ, April 3, 2018 Written and directed by Sky Gilbert, I ...
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April 3, 2018 / Review

THE MONUMENT

If you’re looking for an Ed Mirvish happy fun musical theatre evening, The Monument is ...
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March 19, 2018 / Review

You Love That I’m Not Your Wife

“Black box theater in New York is an amazing experience but very so often productions ...
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November 16, 2017 / Blake Boyd, Frankie Gallucci, Freya Lund, Genevieve Coovrey, Jennifer Silverman, Jeremy Bright, Joanne Mosconi-Piano, Miguel Carlos Alves, Review, Sarah Voigt and Dr. Mike, Silvia Morigi, Staffan Edelholm, Steve and Marie Sgouros Theatre, The Players Theatre, You Love That I’m Not Your Wife

The House on Poe Street

When twin sisters inherit the house where Poe composed The Raven, their lives take twisted ...
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November 9, 2017 / Review

The Box Show

The Box Show by Dominique Salerno and directed by Sash Bischoff is a clever, fast-paced ...
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November 8, 2017 / Review

Molly’s World?

Andrea Alton is magnificent as her alter ego “Molly ‘Equity’ Dykeman” in Molly’s World, a ...
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October 13, 2017 / llen Degeneres, Molly ‘Equity’ Dykeman, molly's world, nyc, Review, Rosanne Barr, Trailer Park Boys

Street Theatre at The Eagle

The Eagle in New York City is a gay leather bar located in Chelsea. Normally ...
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October 1, 2017 / Chris Anderson, Doric Wilson, Jeremy Lawrence, Michael Lynch, Review, Stonewall Inn, Street Theatre, The Eagle, TOSOS

Damaged Goods

Combine Who Framed Roger Rabbit with a gay South Park you’d end up close to ...
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March 3, 2017 / Casey Weaver, Damaged Goods, Elizabeth Bell, Jamie Heinlein, Karen Stanion, Review, TOSOS, Virginia Baeta

Introducing Mr Wilde or Work is the Curse of the Drinking Class

Written and performed by Neil Titley, “Introducing Mr Wilde, or Work is the Curse of ...
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January 13, 2017 / Neil Titley, Oscar Wilde, Red Sandcastle Theatre, Review, The Wilde Festival

Street Children

Street Children by Pia Scala-Zankel is pure unadulterated street realness. Unsettling at times, Street Children ...
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December 10, 2016 / #StreetChildren #NoShade, Pia Scala-Zankel, Review, Street Children, Ted Alcorn

Black Boys

As provocative as it is entertaining, Black Boys is a camp adventure into queer male ...
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November 25, 2016 / Review

Hosanna

Hosanna’s Higher Self If Requiem For A Dream, Moulin Rouge and Carrie had a rendezvous ...
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October 5, 2016 / Carrie, Damien Atkins, Elizabeth Taylor, Hosanna, Jason Cadieux, LGBT, Michael Trembly, Moulin Rouge, Requiem For A Dream, Review

Blind Date: The Nose Knows

Blind Date is a raw, intimate and honest portrayal of what it means to put ...
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September 30, 2016 / , Buddies In Bad Times Theatre, David Bateman, David Benjamin Tomlinson, Julie Orton, Mark Aikman, , Rebecca Northan, Review

Sky Gilbert Does Toller Cranston (Again)

“The love that dare not speak its name has become the love that won’t shut ...
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July 15, 2016 / Closet Case, Closet Case, Review

Julie Andrews is the Devil

Julie Andrews is the Devil is a funny and charming love story about Tabitha, played ...
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April 27, 2016 / Andrea Alton, Dublin Gay Theatre Festival, Ed Valentine, Julie Andrews, Julie Andrews is the Devil, Review, Sesame Street, Sound of Music, TOSOS, UNDER St. Marks

Lady Bunny in Trans-Jester!

Trans-Jester is a fitly, potty-mouthed, politically incorrect, mean spirited show and the most fun I've ...
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April 16, 2016 / Beryl Mendelbaum, Drag Interviews, Lady Bunny, Review, Shirley U. Jest, Stonewall Inn, Trans-Jester

Line

Israel Horovitz’s Line is an authentic New York theatre experience in part because at 45 ...
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April 12, 2016 / Christopher Augustin, Hector Brito, Israel Horovitz, Line, Marcus Brandon, Review, Tony Del Bono, Women of Color Productions

I Will Look Forward To This Later

I Will Look Forward To This Later is the story of author Wyatt Holloway who ...
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April 5, 2016 / A Naked Lunch, Ben Beckley, Edward Bauer, Fantasy Island, Henry Kane, I Will Look Forward To This Later, James Himelsbach, Poltergeist, Review, Ricardo Montalban, William Boroughs

Fuerza Bruta

Seriously, WTF was that?! The Fuerza Bruta experience was like watching the MOMA have sex ...
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April 3, 2016 / AGO, Fuerza Bruta, Government Nightclub, MOMA, Review

Dying Like Ignacio

An actor and his best friend, a New York police officer, have tickets to see ...
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March 31, 2016 / Review

House Rules

A clever play about forgiveness, House Rules is a smartly layered story about two Filipino ...
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March 29, 2016 / Conrad Schott, Here Theatre, House Rules, James Yaegashi, Jeffrey Omura, Jojo Gonzalez, Mia Katigbak, Ralph B. Peña, Review, Rey Pamatmat, Tiffany Villarin, Tina Chilip

Golden Boy by The Instigators

Golden Boy by Clifford Odets is about Joe Bonaparte whose gives up on his dream of becoming ...
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March 24, 2016 / Alexandra Allwine, Brian Dunlop, Bryan Hamilton, Elizabeth Seldin, Fergus Scully, Golden Boy, Hunter Hoffman, Joe Bonaparte, Kazu Imafuku, Lillian Meredith, Malachy Silva, Mark Couchot, Review, Taylor Petracek, Tucker Lewis

The Snail

A native of Italy, Fabio Zito has a history of work that has continually been ...
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March 24, 2016 / Amy Pearl, Arianna Luzi, Boy, Buddies In Bad Times Theatre, Fabio Zito, MDLSX, Modern Family, Review, Rhubarb Festival, Sky Gilbert, Wild Project

Boy

"THE BLINDING POWER OF LOVE, THE ENIGMA OF GENDER, AND THE COMPLICATED MYSTERY OF HOW ...
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March 10, 2016 / ANNA ZIEGLER, BOBBY STEGGERT, HEIDI ARMBRUSTER, Keen Company, LINSAY FIRMAN, PAUL NIEBANCK, REBECCA RITTENHOUSE, Review, TED KOCH, The Clurman Theatre at Theatre Row

10 Reasons To See “A Broad Abroad”

(10) To hear her secret(s) to a happy life (9) Because you love Paris in ...
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February 16, 2016 / A Broad Abroad, Dayan Forest, Eric Cornfield, Review, Richard Danley

Adults Only

#CoreAdultsOnly | Directed by Alex Correia, Adults Only is comprised of seven one-act plays by ...
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February 13, 2016 / Adults Only, Alex Correia, Dean Imperial, Nate Rollins, Review, Shane Allen, TBG Theatre

Tea in the Afternoon

When Elizabeth, portrayed by the illustrious Tayler Beth Anderson, discovers that her grandmother has died ...
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February 3, 2016 / Alice Spvvak, Nick Corley, Review, Tayler Beth Anderson, Tea in the Afternoon, The Studio Theatre, Theatre Row Studios, Vanessa Shealy

Key Change

Key Change is a raw and illuminating portrayal of prison life created by inmates from ...
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January 17, 2016 / 4th Street Theatre, Kelly: Christina Berriman Dawson, Key Change, Key Change won the Carol Tambor 'Best of Edinburgh' Award 2015. Cast: Angie: Jessica Johnson, Kim: Judi Earl and Lorraine: Victoria Copeland, Laura Lindow, Lucy: Cheryl Dixon, nyc, Review, written by Catrina McHugh

MDLSX

The needed change is so profound that we call it impossible, so deep that we ...
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January 9, 2016 / Daniela Nicolo, Dresden Dolls and The Cramps, Enrico Casagrande, LGBT, Marilyn Manson, MDLSX, MIKA, Motus, Review, Silvia Calderoni, Stuck In The Middle, The Beautiful People, The Smiths, Trans

39 Steps: Union Square Theatre

REVIEW | The Reading Salon, Raymond Helkio | The two-time Tony Award-winning 39 Steps is ...
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December 29, 2015 / 39 Steps, Brittany Vicars, Cameron Pow, Maria Aitken and starring Billy Carter, Review, Robert Petkoff, Union Square Theatre

It Runs In The Family

Pictured above: Larry Gutman, Michael Hardart* and Leonardo Altafini, photo by Bella Muccari. Set in ...
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December 18, 2015 / Adrian Rifat, Coronation Street and Are You Being Served?, Dominic Cuskern, Dr. David Mortimore, Dr. Mike Connolly, Faulty Towers, It Runs In The Family, Joseph Cases, Noelle McGrath, Review, Sir Willoughby Drake, The Gallery Players

Ophelia

Ophelia is a comedy about a hot male movie star who gets cast as Ophelia ...
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December 17, 2015 / Andrea Edgerson, Clay von Carlowitz, Gotham Dance Theater, Justin M. Schlabach, Kevin Tydlaska, Marc Andrew Nuñez, Marc Andrew Nunez with Malia Abayon, Mitchell Van Landingham, NY Standard ToyKraft, Ophelia, Ophelia The Tank @ Standard Toykraft Brooklyn, Review, Stefin Woolever, Tyler Crozier