Deck The Halls

Friday night was the 3rd installment of The Big Sound wherein some 20-odd local musicians join forces to play some Motown. The Great Hall on Queen was once again packed to the rafters with dancers who at the end of the night were dripping with sweat.

The singers were better prepared and less reliant on lyrics sheet than last time, except for a female singer who substituted for Tanika Charles who was away because of a family emergency. However, there were a few songs where the band missed their cues and stopped raggedly. There were a couple of regular singers who have been lackadaisical at every performance, though they have great pipes, and need to step up their game.

The two stand-outs were Todd (Rod) Skimmins who threw down the gauntlet with a thrilling "Shotgun" and my favourite singer Maylee Todd. It looks like they are starting to recognize her stage presence and gave her 4 songs to sing including the opening number and the 2 encores. But truthfully, she wasn't quite up to her usual standard when she started the show with a tepid rendition of the less familiar "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)". But she and Todd got the groove on with "You're All I Need To Get By". She also closed off the night with two great songs: "I Want You Back" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough".

The night was filled with Motown favourites such as "Dancing In The Streets", "You Can't Hurry Love", "Stop In The Name of Love", "Tears of a Clown", and "Mickey's Monkey". For the next show, I might have to abandon the front row. As much fun as it is, I have to wonder if I'm missing out on some subtlety. The horns, singers, and guitars came through fine. But I really couldn't hear the strings, percussions, or glockenspiel. But they wouldn't be on stage if they couldn't be heard right?

Galinhasana

After two back-to-back yoga classes at the West End YMCA on my day off, I crossed the street to local diner Hadley's for brunch. This used to be a long-time Portuguese watering hole but as gentrification comes to the College/Dovercourt area, a hipper spot took over. They have more brunch selections on the week-end but their signature dish The Remedy ($14) as well as regular experiments with French Toast ($14) are always available.

Having just detoxified myself, I didn't want such a heavy brunch. So I ordered The Club ($10) and some salad. The sandwich comprised of toasted bread (still mostly soft), roasted chicken breast, house-made smoky bacon, and cheddar. The salad was similar to Libretto's with the addition of roasted nuts, but whereas the latter benefited from rich cheese and crisp apple slices, the raw onions overpowered the former.

The club was a goodly portion but it was a bit bland. Chicken breast is a lean meat and the sandwich could have used some more seasoning. A saltier bacon or a stronger cheese would have added that needed punch.

That's Dandy, Andy

Andy Kim

Andy Kim is a Canadian whose long career included the 60s hits "Sugar, Sugar" and "Rock Me Gently". For the past 6 years, he has enlisted other Canadian musicians to sing in a Christmas charity show. This year, it promised to be the largest yet. The recipient of the 7th annual Andy Kim's XMas show is Juliette's House, a women's shelter.

I won two tickets to the show by retweeting a message from a local music promoter. But I found out that I was actually one of the 700 who made it on the guest list. Only about 400 paid beforehand for a total of 1100 who crammed into the Phoenix. Of course, everyone was encouraged to contribute something for the charitable cause. I wasn't willing to stand in the long line for long, but luckily it moved fairly rapidly. I got inside as Andy Kim was a few songs in.

Emma Lee

This was the most professional show I've seen at the Phoenix lately. There were lots of lights and effects, multiple camera men, and speedy roadies who set up and tear down equipment with blazing speed (a necessity as each singer sang no more than 2 or 3 songs). I was resigned to staying at the back but noticing gaps here and there, especially along the bar areas, I was able to sidle forward until I was right at the front.

Over the next 2-3 hours a disparate number of Canadian acts came on, most accompanied by the "house band". Most sang a Christmas-related cover, though not necessarily a "classic" such as Silent Night. A number of TV/Radio personalities including Dave Gilmour, Jian Gomeshi, and Steve Anthony kept up the banter throughout the evening.

After Andy Kim, Emma Lee sang 2 acoustic numbers, followed by Dru who got the audience dancing to his RnB. Buck 65 did a terrible "Baby, It's Cold Outside" with Meaghan Smith (because he can't sing). He was on firmer ground with his own rap-sing "Wicked and Weird". Up-and-comer Lights sang 2 songs including "In The Air Tonight".  The 80s vibe will continue all night. Members of Finger 11 did country tunes. Their "Honky-Tonk Santa" is almost as catchy as "Little Red Cup". 80s hair band Honeymoon Suite followed, which got cheers from the middle-aged segment.

Sarah Harmer

New band The Arkells came up next and showed why you got to be hungry to play rock music. They were the best act of the night, taking the stage with a blistering take on their song "Whistleblower". One song and I'm already a fan. The youngsters showed the old-timer how it's done when they and Lights covered "You Make My Dreams Come True". In fact, they had the most time on stage, also doing "Do You Hear What I Hear" with Sarah Harmer, and "My Girl" with Amanda Zelina (The Coppertone) and Brendan Canning (Broken Social Scene).

Sean Cullen channeled a slightly deranged Bing Crosby. Sam Roberts came on with Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene) for "Little Drummer Boy" and "Don't Walk Away Eileen". Ron Sexsmith covered the melancholic "Driving Home For Christmas" but finished with his more uplifting "Love Shines". Finally, Andy Kim closed out the evening with "Sugar, Sugar" and brought everyone on stage for "Rock Me Gently". It was a fun night of music that raised at least $50,000, since it was announced halfway through the show that a local bigwig has donated $50K for the cause.

Art of Craft

City of Craft

The local arts and craft showcase at The Great Hall on Saturday would fit into one row at the much larger One of A Kind show that took place a few weeks ago. Nevertheless, the people jostling cheek to jowl were happy to support small artisans. I ended up making a few Christmas purchases. Leaving aside whether something should be considered art or crafts, let us consider that there is an art to craft itself. That is, the ability to complete a piece of work instead of endless tinkering.

This was on my mind when later on that evening, I went down to the El Mocambo to see 3 bands: Paper Lions (PEI), The Elwins (Toronto), and The Love Machine (Ottawa). I actually did not end up seeing head-liner Paper Lions because their set was pushed back way past their 12 am start, probably because the relatively sparse crowd made the owner push out the set times to encourage more drinking (and more late comers). In any case, the first two bands suffer from a sort of musical ADD.

15-foot Santa at the Elmo

I first saw The Love Machine earlier this year at the Lovely Killbots' CD release. They write upbeat tunes with catchy choruses that are easy for a new crowd to pick up. But they simply have to change tempo and melody 3 or 4 times every song. Add to this a propensity to segue into the next song, and someone unfamiliar with their music would have no idea what's what. Although that is better than their other tendency, which is to trail off and then abruptly end the tune.

This was my 3rd exposure to The Elwins. I do find myself enjoying their music more now but they have the same issue: shifting melodically numerous times in a song. OK, maybe both bands are trying to add something new to the pop landscape. But the truth is that the Tin Pan Alley structure of a pop song is a very restrictive and relatively unsophisticated form. There's only so much you can do with a kazoo. So why abandon its strengths for failed experimentation? Anyway, that came off more dismissive than warranted. In their favour, The Elwins have excellent stage presence and was able to engage the typically stand-offish Toronto crowd.

Temple of Tone-Deaf?

Spanish Harlem Orchestra

When the new concert venue of the Royal Musical Conservatory opened, everyone agreed that Koerner Hall was beautifully built and had wonderful acoustics. I have yet to attend a concert there and so was excited to see the Spanish Harlem Orchestra Friday night. It is a beautiful venue but the verdict on that acoustics is mixed for me based on this one show.

The glass enclosure that left exposed the brick walls of the adjacent older buildings is a better meld than the ROM's Crystal monstrosity. I enjoyed looking at the antique instruments on display along the walls and the concert hall itself is beautiful and quite cozy; I had expected something of Massey Hall proportions. My seat was in a balcony row that wrapped around behind the stage itself. This generally would not be ideal at most venues but here afforded a great close-up view of the performers.

The Spanish Harlem Orchestra played toe-tapping Latin music all night. Although both the venue's director during the introduction and the singers throughout most of the evening exhorted the crowd to get up and dance (in the aisle), most people stayed seated though they did clap along and cheered every song. The orchestra's director claimed that they are trying to show that it wasn't just about music you can dance too. Although I admire their musicianship, especially the poly-rhythmic percussions, that was a hard sell. Every song had that infectious salsa, cha-cha-cha, and other Latin rhythms. Efforts at more classical arrangements such as Joy To the World and Winter Wonderland were awkward fusion that were less effusively received.

Heavyweights Brass Band

My main issue was the sound. The amps seemed underpowered, perhaps the sound guys were relying on the room's natural acoustics to amplify more. The singers' voices were muffled as well as some of the instruments. So a lesson learned: for amplified performances in this hall, with speakers facing the main audience, don't buy seats behind the stage. However, during the second half, I moved to the left-side of the balcony section in front of the speakers and things didn't improve much. The singers sounded much better. But the trombones and saxes were still barely audible, even during solos, and the piano was non-existent except for very quiet passages. Perhaps I need to get my hearing checked. Or given that the singers had mic troubles all night, perhaps tthe sound engineers at this vaunted concert hall got the mix wrong or had equipment issues all night.

After the concert, The Heavyweights Brass Band entertained in the main lobby.

Sincerest Flattery

On Thursday night at the Comedy Bar, they had a charity fund-raiser called Other People's Stuff where local comedians did other comics' material instead of their own since comics are always being accused of stealing material. Only two did a straight up comedy routine: a Woody Allen bit that did not fare well, and some Chris Rock jokes that got some of its humour by being delivered by a short white man (Paul Bellini of Kids In the Hall's "Touch Paul Bellini"). A variation was mock routines that pay tribute to the performer: Russell Peters "jokes" that were straight up racist if not spoken by Peters himself and a kitschy Phillippe-Andre Gagnon (one of the funniest bit).

There were also a few re-imaginings: Abbott and Costello's Who's On First as done by Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter; Albert Brooks' Comedy Minus One with "Colin Mochrie". There were also tributes to kids comics: Christian cartoon Davey and Goliath; and a real-life Hagar The Horrible (the premise being a terribly unfunny newspaper comic will be just as unfunny acted out).

The most successful routines were from TV: Monty Pythons' Oscar Wilde sketch, The Frantics' A Piece of Pie, Second City's Gump (a painfully unfunny re-enactment), and Mitchell and Webb Look's Old Holmes. The night also included a few musical numbers: an original song that used all of Rob Ford's inflammatory and bone-headed remarks over his political career; one of the Frantics showed up to sing the hilariously witty I've Seen Pubic Hair (MacClean and MacClean); Dennis Leary's Asshole. The night ended with the uplifting song Because We're Kids from the live-action Dr. Seuss movie The 5000 fingers of Dr. T (1953).

Once More, With Feeling

On Saturday night I went to the last performance of Ride The Cyclone. For those keeping track, this would be the 4th time including 2 during their Summerworks debut. But I wanted to see it at a night-time setting in a sold-out venue knowing that the audience vibe would be quite different than a 2 pm show. Though I don't think I was the most dedicated Cyclone-ite there. Last Saturday, at the Frank and Lily show, I talked to an older gentleman who claimed to have gone every night that week. That would be 5 times in a row. I saw him again tonight and if he was serious about it, this would be his 6th performance ... or possibly 10th.

The actors performed with extra verve and emotion tonight. The songs were even more energetic and the pathos were keener. Kelly Hudson as Constance Blackwood could not restrained her tears during her monologue about the lonely life of a fat teenager. The audience rewarded the cast with 3 enthusiastic curtain calls at the end. During the show, every solo got extended cheers and claps, the longest of which was for Rielle Braid's Ocean O'Donnell. After her electric "gospel" number, the sustained applause went on for a minute or more, forcing Matthew Coulson (Misha) to have several aborted starts before he was able to continue with his lines.

This was a wonderful way to end a 3-week (and completely sold-out) run for this show. For the final bow, you can see how much joy the cast experienced for their hard work. But I'm still waiting for that soundtrack.

End of An Era

L Con

Friday night, one of my favourite local band, Hooded Fang, played their last show. Ok. That was a bit too dramatic. Over the years, this large group has lost one of its original singers, a backup singer/trombonist, and a change of drummer. But this show would see the end of Lorna Wright (singer/glockenspiel/miscellani) and Nick Hune-Brown (singer/piano). They were an essential part of the group's upbeat pop sound. But in recent songs, including those off the sophomore Tosta Mista, the lead Daniel Lee has taken Hooded Fang into more rock territories. With his extracurricular dabbling in punk (Tonkapuma) and other sounds (Hut), it wasn't clear about the group's future. Also, Lorna and Nick had made in-roads into other areas. I didn't know that they had written Ross Petty's Christmas pantomines for 2 years running (last year's Beauty and the Beast and this year's The Wizard of Oz.) Lamenting the pre and post transition of a local indie band? I have turned into a card-carrying hipster.

Speaking of hipster culture, the first band L Con is steeped in it. The 6-member band (3 singers, bass, cello, and violin) wore red make-up and played dreamy slow music that reminds me of Bjork's Homogenic sound. Their percussive beats were not generated by a synthesizer or drum machine but some sort of 80s analog musical device and a bulky cassette player. That's right, they played their backing track not from a Mac but a tape.

The second band Army Girls did the Julie Doiron reverse-White Stripes setup where the guitarist was the woman and the drummer was the dude. The singer was a tiny dynamo (first time I saw her was with jazzy Donlands & Mortimer) playing lots of catchy, driving chords. She had a number of songs that got people to dance, or at least bop along. The only problem was a sameness to her guitar sound that palled near the end.

By the time Hooded Fang came on, the Horseshoe was packed. They played almost everything from their debut album and also a few songs from Tosta Mista though none from their EP. Cuff The Duke came on to sing backup for the final number Den of Love. The old songs got the biggest cheers because of Lorna and Nick. They played one of their first songs, a unrecorded track 95% of their fans have never heard, and several new numbers. The crowd danced and sang to every tune, some of them a little too zealously from the combination of excessive alcohol and marijuana. Called back for an encore, Hooded Fang played their two biggest "hits" Highway Steam and Laughing.

What A Gem

Wednesday night, I made my way to Queen and Broadview for dinner. I don't spend much time in the East end so I was surprised by the amount of gentrification on this stretch, though the Opera House and Jilly's are still around. Ruby Watchco, a dark wood-accented bistro enlivened by a glittering Ruby Watchco sign,  is owned by celebrity chef Lynn Crawford. Although not an open kitchen, there is a partial view into the kitchen in the back. The waitstaff is attentive but unobstrusive. Your only choice is a daily prix fixe menu of $49.

On this night, it comprised of Walnut Hill Ham & Bosc Pear Salad, Ruby's Brick Chicken with Truffle Leek Sauce, Naramata Bench by Poplar Grove Cheese, and a Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie. The salad was hit and miss. The heirloom tomatoes, pear vinaigrette and blue haze complemented one another. But the romaine was strictly filler (most salad isn't worth the effort of chewing) and the salty ham was not a good contrast.

Luckily, The brick chicken was excellent: tender brussel sprouts with smoky bacon lardons, the roasted rutabagas gave off bursts of sweetness with each bite (reminiscent of sucking on eucalyptus candy on a winter day) and the apple mustard chutney tasted more like caramelized pineapple. Lentils is lentils, but drenching them in brown butter was quite appetizing. The brick chicken was soft and tender. I'm not usually a fan of non-crispy chicken skin but Ruby's was tasty without that gelatinous fatty taste. A large and filling main dish, there was enough for the next day's lunch.
After that chicken, I was done. But there were 2 more dishes. I enjoyed the brandied cherries, not too sweet, but the cheese should have been sharper for balance. The pecan pie with vanilla cream was held back by the chocolate base which subdued the nuttiness.

How was the chicken the next day? Microwaved chicken is a foul-smelling and barely edible food but this was superb. In fact, having a night to soak in all the different sauces, the rutabagas, brussel sprouts, and lentils were divine. This was possibly the best packed lunch I've ever had. So not only is the prix fixe a great deal for the quality and portion, but Ms. Crawford should consider adding a pret-a-porter lunch counter because that was some good eating.

Story of Whoa

Sunday afternoon, I attended the last show of The National Ballet's new Romeo and Juliet. Previous performances of this ballet used Cranko's choreography which dates to the 60s. Recently, Karen Kain commissioned hot-shot Russian choreographer Alexei Ratmansky to produce a new version of this ballet, including sets and costumes.

The story takes place in an almost abstract modernist Verona. The staging had gigantic buildings, beds, and hallways that dwarf the dancers. Everything seems skewed, as if you are inside a painting that used perspective drawing, which would of course look 3 dimensional as a flat canvas but one that would seem strange if it actually had a 3rd dimension. In contrast, the dancers with the exception of the two main leads wore sumptuous and evocative costumes. It was a wonder that they could dance in some of the more voluminous garbs.

And they had to dance. One of the changes from Cranko's version is that the corps and all the secondary casts were called upon to dance a lot more. The choreography was a fusion of classical ballet with touches of contemporary steps, most notably the Carnival Men who joked around to the amusement of the town folk and the rhythmic clapping and stomping done by the latter.

The characters had distinctive dance steps. A standout was Benvolio, as a rakish devil-may-care. His extended death scene was played for laughs to highlight this attitude, until it became obvious his injury was grave. The sword fights were wild and exciting, combining actual sword-play with balletic leaps and twirls. The famous Montague procession became ominous instead of typically grandiose as the men brandished their blades while the women flowed around the outside.

The main beneficiary of the new choreography was undoubtedly Juliet. She had several beautiful pas-de-deux and pas-de-trois with her nurse, her parents, Tybalt, Paris, and Romeo: full of tension and passion. Romeo did not fare as well. His antics with Mercutio and Benvolio were pedestrian. His interactions with Juliet could have used a little more fire.

The casting for this run was a topic of conversation as the opening night slot (and print advertisement) went to first soloist Elena Lobsanova instead of one of the principal dancers. For this final performance, the casting was even more unusual. Second soloist Chelsy Meiss danced as Juliet and Romeo was corps de ballet dancer Brendan Saye. Supposedly, Ratmansky hand-picked them for the roles. If true, that would be real life imitating art (or Hollywood cliche): the talented ingenue plucked from the obscurity of the chorus line to shine in the limelight.

Frankly Silly

Lily

I liked the musical Ride The Cyclone so I decided to check out the Saturday night cabaret after-party at Theatre Passe Muraille involving some cast members from the show. There was some twitter buzz that there may be several acts, but at the show there was just two.

First up was Slut Revolver, a female duo (with cast member Kelly Hudson) who sang humorous and often raunchy songs. They remind a little bit of the Youtube-famous pairing of Garfunkel and Oates, though Slut Revolver is smuttier. The songs were amusing, but sometimes crossed the line between crude (but funny) into unnecessarily offensive.

Hank

The main act was Hank and Lily. Hank was the bass-playing rat Virgil in the musical. Now he was some sort of disco king with his disco queen. Kelly Hudson and Sarah Pelzer acted as back-up singers with appearances by Rielle Braid as a sexy lady-cop, Elliott Goran as a dancing robot, and Matthew Coulson as David Hasselhoff. All of the songs were jokey but none really transcended into true humour. The dance beats were fun but the under-powered sound system at Passe Muraille was too anemic to get the blood pumping. Most of the crowd were friends of the cast so it had very much an in-crowd feel.

Porco Rosso

Conch fritter

Deluxe is a Cuban-French restaurant that was one of the first trendy restaurants to open on the hot Ossington strip. Foregoing the typical Latin-American restaurant decor, the bourgeois dark chocolate look with plush seats would infuriate Fidel and his revolutionaries.

I stopped by for lunch on a pleasant November morning. The conch fritters ($8) were 5 pieces of deep-fried puree conch. There was only a hint of seafood in each bite, but the fried batter went well with the rich, aioli-like dipping sauce. The fried green plantain ($3) arrived out lumpy and starchy. I prefer the crisp, chip-like variation at La Bella Manuaga. No complaints about the fried ripe plantain ($3): slightly sweet, hot and tasty.

Pressed Cubano & fried plantain

My main dish was the pressed Cubano ($10), a variation on the ham and cheese. This version was loaded with ham, roasted pork, and dijon mustard. The bread was crispy and deliciously greasy. But this sandwich suffers the same deficiency as the tosta mista  (Portuguese ham and cheese) by Sky Blue Sky sandwich shop: a monotony of flavour. With so much meat and no other toppings, after a couple of bites, the lack of additional flavour or texture equals a diminishing enjoyment. This is best shared with others, leaving you room to sample other dishes. Lunch ended with coffee and donuts ($6). This sugary over-sized cousin to the timbit made a great dessert.

Corner Bore

On the south side of the Rusholme and College jog, there used to be a mirrored scene. Two tiny convenience stores face each other across the narrow street, each flanked by a neighbouring building painted entirely black. That symmetry broke when one of them closed after many years, to be replaced by an arts and craft store, which lasted for only a few months.

At first, it would seem that another convenience store has returned, with a name of Dépanneur (convenience store in Quebec French), promising ice cream, coffee, and other items. Although there are such goods for sale, it is actually a small brunch place.

Shelves with home-made baked goods, small tables where you will bump elbows with fellow diners, knick knacks in nooks, a large antique map of Quebec, a painting of the Virgin Mary, two ovens, pans hung from racks, and and a bus-your-own-food ethos, it has the warm ambience of a friend's inviting and well-stocked kitchen. The owner chats warmly with regulars. I would bet from his mannerism and cadence that he is a transplanted Montreal anglo.

Too bad the rest of the experience is not as enjoyable. Water doesn't appear until you ask. Orders get mixed up, 3 breakfast plates preceded mine though they ordered after myself. At least I wasn't the poor schmuck before me who got his bacon and eggs 15 minutes after his girlfriend's. The quality is utilitarian; anyone with kitchen experience can make it. For $12 (before tip), I got an autumn omelette (2 organic eggs, gorgonzola, butternut squash, onion, sage and thyme) with some organic mixed greens. Bacon and toast would have cost an extra $3 each! A full breakfast at a greasy diner would have cost less than half, even a trendier brunch spot would give you a little more for your buck. Apparently, convenience store prices don't just apply to milk, pop, and chips.

As a side note, the owner also runs the Rusholme Park Supper Club. For $40, local cooks will host a dinner party with 3-4 dishes. Looking over upcoming menus, these also seem to be pricier than expected.

Two Princes

Chicken yakitori

Prince Japanese Steakhouse is a Japanese sushi/teppanyaki restaurant near Eglinton and Spectrum Way. The Teppanyaki side consists of large U-shaped tables flanking two surface grills manned by chefs busy cooking fish, steak, scallop and other mains. The highlight of the show is a flaming onion volcano. They are less flashy than other Japanese steakhouses. There's not much to be said for it: a reasonably cheap lunch, fairly large portions, but average food. Some observations:

• If you order a vegetarian teppanyaki combo, they will finish it before starting the other dishes. This is probably due to fact that the same cooking implements are used for all orders, which would contaminate the vegetarian dishes.
• A prodigious amount of oil and butter/margarine are added to everything: meats, seafood, vegetables and bean sprouts.
• They cook the fried rice right on the large grill. I wonder how it compares to the traditional Chinese method of using a very hot wok.
• The fans do suck up most of the smoke, but enough will cling to your clothes to give you that fragrant stale cooking oil smell. I wouldn't recommend it as a winter outing.

Miso soup and salad

Sirloin and Scallop

After Life

When Ride The Cyclone, a musical from Victoria's Atomic Vaudeville, played at Summerworks 2010, I was blown away by the talent of the cast, the catchy music, the humour but also the underlying sadness. With their return for a 3.5 weeks run at Theatre Passe Muraille, I was eager to revisit this macabre production.

I was not disappointed. The tale of 6 dead teenagers, high-school choristers from small town Uranium, Saskatchewan, tragically killed in a roller coaster accident retains all its charm. Brought back for 1 last performance by the Amazing Karnak, a mechanical fortune-teller, they sing out their accomplishments and regrets. Ocean O'Donnell Rosenberg (Rielle Braid): ambitious over-achiever who never got to reach for the brass ring; Misha Bachinsky (Matthew Coulson): transplanted Ukrainian who hides his cultural isolation in gangster rap and internet romance; Constance Blackwood (Kelly Hudson): the fat mousy girl who is always overlooked; Ricky Potts (Elliott Goran): socially awkward nerd with a boundless imagination; Noel Gruber (Kholby Wardell): only gay teenager who longs for a life of passion and drama; and Jane Doe (Sarah Pelzer): an unknown headless girl who poses the most existential question of all: What is a life that is unremembered?

All performers have strong voices that sell the toe-tapping music: whether it's a soul number, a torch song, or over-the-top glam rock. But they are also deft actors, adding pathos to their roles as confused teenagers: the jokes can't hide their bewilderment and sadness with lives cut too short. The set is sturdier (with a bit more razzle dazzle) than last year, where it had to be quickly struck for the next Summerworks play. But with the cheesy props and snarky choreography, every song still has that "high-school production" vibe. This is a strength, not a fault; we don't lose sight of the fact that they are teenagers who like to "dress up" and put on a show because it's fun. Special mention should also go to James Insell as Karnak and Hank Pine as Virgil, the bass-playing rat.

I was lucky to get preview tickets before the reviews came in. With all the major dailies and various online sites giving Ride The Cyclone top marks, tickets became much harder to come afterwards.

No Reservation

The Rez Sisters is a play written by Aboriginal playwright Tomson Highway. 25 years ago, it gave voice to the concerns of a marginalized minority that was not represented in the arts. This year, to celebrate its 25th anniversary, Factory Theatre remounted it. For this staging, there was additional interests because of the decision to cast some non-Aboriginal actors. I attended a preview screening Saturday night.

The play opened up with a house partially sticking out of the ground. A black winding path loops around the abode, dividing the stage in half. It was clear that we are looking down at the scene when a ladder appeared and Pelajia Patchnose (Jani Lauzon) climbed up on her roof. She effected some repairs and lamented her dead-end situation on the reservation, located in Northern Ontario on Manitoulin Island, with Philomena Moosetail (Kyra Harper). Eventually the rest of the women appeared: mentally disabled Zhaboonigan Peterson (Cara Gee), excitable Annie Cook (Djennie Laguerre), stoic Marie-Adele Starblanket (Pamela Sinha), butch Emily Dictionary (Michaela Washburn), and prissy Veronique St. Pierre (Jean Yoon). They all have hard-luck stories, bickered, fought, and gossiped. Circling the scene is Nanabush (Billy Merasty), the Trickster.

The impetus for the play was the news that The Biggest Bingo In the World will take place in Toronto. Each woman envisioned a different and better life for herself with the winnings. It was then a matter of raising enough money in various activities for the trip down to Southern Ontario.

I found the play unconvincing because of the open casting. I had no problem with using non-Aboriginal actors, in this case Asian, Black, and Caucasian, but rather that most did not fully inhabit their character. As an aside, Tomson Highway has stated he did not want to keep his plays limited to only native actors. But for me, the pressing issues are whitewashing: casting of Caucasian actors in originally ethnic roles (e.g., Desperate Measures, 21, The Last Avatar) or the more insidious practice of defaulting roles to Caucasian actors with minorities being only cast in roles that call explicitly for an "ethnic" character. In other words, it makes no sense to fight over a slice when somebody else keeps the whole cake.

Natives on a reservation in the 80s has such specificity in mannerism, speech, and accent that some attempt must be made to invoke that milieu. Unfortunately, most of the women used the standard, urban voice. One had a hard time keeping out her French accent. Some contemporary mannerisms unconsciously crept in such as the distracting head-wagging "you go girl" of current times. So they seemed more like the Desperate Housewives of Scarborough. A few of the women used a rural Ontario accent, which is to be applauded, but since not everyone did so, it made the mix on stage that much more surreal.

Ultimately, since I could not convincingly immerse myself because of these technical hiccups, the women never became real to me. So I did not care about their situation which seemed soap opera-ish, maudlin, and even exploitative. Without that truthful foundation, pathos became pastiche.

Be True To Old School

There are lots of new Japanese eateries in Toronto that offer more than sushi. Some offer specialty dishes such as the cheap diner Manpuku and the Ramen shop Kenzo Ramen. The remaining restaurants do Izakaya, traditionally food to accompany booze, including lively Guu and the more laid-back but upscale Fin Izakaya.

Salted tofu	Sashimi dinner

Rikishi is an 25+ year-old restaurant that can compete with those new kids on the block, but with its scruffy carpet and faded menu it isn't much of a destination place. But I have also heard that Ematei, tucked discreetly on tiny St. Patrick between Queen St. and Dundas St., is a hidden gem. So I head down there Thursday night to check it out.

Soft-shell crab maki

Pan-fried beef & burdock

My visit to Ematei confirms it. The cozy hideaway with dark wooden tables and discreet waitstaff serve excellent izakaya and sushi dishes at quite reasonable prices. After the tasty complimentary tofu appetizer, the sashimi ($27) plate contains a great selection of flavourful seafood along with miso soup and a salad. The pan-fried beef with burdock root ($7) is chewy but not overcooked. It is a bit salty and goes best with some rice. The soft-shell crab maki ($13) may seem expensive, until it arrives on the table. Then the large chunks of delicious crab says: "This is a great deal." The chicken yakatori skewers ($1.50/each) basted with BBQ sauce are nicely grilled and the grilled smelt ($5 for 3!) can be fully eaten head, body, and tail. The large scoops of green tea ice cream finish off a great meal.

Chicken yakitori

Grilled smelt

This is well-made, no-fuss, old-school Japanese dining. It offers tastier fares than some of the newer upstarts and possibly cheaper too. Now I'm eyeing that cheap $48 omakase option with anticipation.

5 Becomes 1

Sheezer

Friday night at Lee's Palace, there was a Halloween show hosted by Sheezer. Since they were competing on the same night with heavyweights like Death From Above 1979 and Dan Mangan, it was a smaller crowd than previous shows.

First up  was Donlands & Mortimer, an indie-rock band backed by a sax and trombone duo. The singing duty was split even between the drummer and the female guitar lead (Carmen Elle of Army Girls). They had a jazzy sound to their repertoire, sometimes sounding funky/Motown, sometimes avant-garde with discordant harmonies. I took to this band right away with their great tunes.

Donlands & Mortimer

This was my second encounter with The Elwins, a hipster-esque twee indie pop band. They certainly seem to enjoy performing on stage and engaging their fans. These fans were also cut from the same mold. I have nothing against hipsters - they're young, so go ahead and have fun. But I did snicker when the craggy bartender fixed his gimlet eyes on a fuzz-face lad inquiring for a PBR and spat out: "Never stocked 'em, never will!" Though they have clever hooks and lyrics, it's not coming together for me.

Sheezer came on stage dressed as the Spice Girls: Baby (Robin), Ginger (Laura), Scary (Alysha), Posh (Magali), and Sporty (Dana). They didn't chat much except to remark about some mic troubles early on. With 20 songs from Blue and Pinkerton, they had to split it up into 2 sets, which deflated the evening's energy somewhat. But the hard-core Weezer fans were unfazed and sang along to every song. As a casual Weezer listener, I felt some of tunes could be cut. Just gimme the good stuff! The first set ended with the upbeat The Good Life and the second set ended with the jammy Only In Dreams. They came back for an acoustic encore. Aside from the mic glitches (and a too quiet mix for the lead guitar) in the first few songs, it was probably the best sound mix I've heard recently (a testament to Lee's longevity) with all instruments and vocals shining through.

Too Much

Looking for a quick bite to eat Wednesday along St. Clair near Oakwood, I stumbled upon a restaurant with the odd name Much Me. They offered a selection of $4 beer and the tagline "And Much More at Much Me". I ordered a chicken sandwich ($8.99) and a salad as my side.

Before the sandwich came, the waiter brought a complementary bruschetta. It was crispy and was a good start. The arugula salad was the mildest arugula I've ever tasted. Is that a good thing? The chicken was nicely spiced though I wanted the melted goat cheese to have more bite. The caramelized onions, however, tasted like onion rings. Overall, a good enough meal for the price.

The name wasn't the only odd thing about this place, the decoration was quite the head-scratcher. It looked like somebody knew of Interior Design, but only in theory (in a different language). All the elements were strange, and none of them worked together. The pub seats and tables clashed with the booths. The sparse set-up made the restaurant looked only half-furnished. The room was divided into 2 areas by a partition mounted with rustic wooden squares. Sawed-off wooden bar seats were arrayed on the walls in rows like tombstones (or perhaps wooden dentures). A tabletop was turned into a wine rack and mounted (the only element that worked). Paintings had picture frames made from the sort of tiles you find in a kitchen back-splash. Most strangely, strips of laminated wood were glued randomly to various walls (and above the bar), sometimes making a crude picture like a ladder, or the outline of a house, but mostly at random angles and orientation.

Wasabi

Wasabi is a Japanese(ish) buffet house in Mississauga. Like most establishments in this suburban city, it is huge. There are 6-7 rooms with tables for 50-60 people per room. The main area contains the buffet with 2 live stations. One station has chefs preparing various sushi plates. Sushi is available in most Chinese buffet nowadays but there is more variety here. The second station makes yakitori (meat skewers) and other grilled dishes. The remaining buffet contains a mix of Asian and Canadian dishes such as noodles, onion rings, chicken fingers, and so on, all of which are deeply fried except for the salad and dessert bars.

It's typical buffet food though there is more Japanese food than at other Asian buffets. But all the sushi seem oddly sweet, and not just the mango and goat cheese maki. The grilled meat is reasonable tasty. The rest of the dishes are what you would expect for $16 at lunch-time, if you can ignore the feeling that you are clogging up your arteries with each mouthful. There is a fair variety of dessert include cheese cake, tiramisu, chocolate cake, and other baked goods.

Hurry Soft

Rustic decor

At this year's company Curling event, I did better than last year though everyone was still mostly a bunch of stumbling amateurs. For one thing, I didn't bruise up my knee blue and green slamming it into the ice. For another, I scored a couple of points to help our team to victory.

On my way home, I noticed that the strip plaza at 1310 Dundas St. E (Mississauga) had a tiny Korean restaurant named Soft Tofu. Upon entering, I found out it was actually called Song's Cook and was significantly bigger on the inside. The large space was divided into smaller rooms with wooden frames and room dividers. Fake support beams suggest a rustic tavern.

The clientele was exclusively Korean which was a good sign. There were numerous dishes that I've never seen at Korean restaurants as well as the typical Bi Bim Bap. But since they were mostly fried I opted for the healthier grilled spanish mackerel appetizer ($6) and a bowl of seafood soon tofu ($6) with a side of rice ($2). The mackerel was a 2 large pieces of fish nicely grilled. In fact, it and the rice dish (plus complementary kim chi) would have been sufficient. The tofu soup had generous amount of seafood for $6: 5 clams, 1 oysters, 1 large unshelled shrimp, and several pieces of squid and regular shrimp. The tofu itself was only average, but it was a filling main.

Spanish Mackerel

Seafood Tofu

This restaurant has lots of interesting dishes, most of which are reasonably priced. It would make a good lunch spot or a quick bite after work. There is another location in North York.

No Mo

I've heard a lot about mole sauce which uses cacao as one of the ingredients. I decided to order the Mole Al Verde at El Jacal. It turns out I didn't like this incarnation. The mole was slightly sweet, which was an interesting taste for an entree. But with so much of it slopped onto the dish, I could not taste very much the chicken or the cheese. Only the rice held its own. Perhaps there is a better version somewhere else in Toronto.

The service was rather poor tonight. It took 20 min. before my order of a Coke arrived. The mole took even longer but I'm more sympathetic that the kitchen service is out of the hands of the waitstaff.

Hall of Sound

Tanika Charles

This Friday, it was another edition of The Big Sound at The Great Hall (Queen and Dovercourt). The Big Sound is a 20-piece Motown band composed of musicians from all genres who get together every 2 months to play.

Like before, the night started slowly with a DJ spinning Motown hits. Eventually, by the time the band took to the stage just after midnight, the venue was full with everybody dancing and shimmying. A great cheer greeted the first singer and it never stopped. I didn't realize how much dancing was going on until Tanika Charles singing Heatwave (Martha and the Vandellas). I stopped for a breather and wondered why I was still moving? Because the entire floor was shaking and undulating from 400+ people dancing.

Maylee Todd

Every singer had two songs and I was disappointed not seeing Maylee Todd taking the lead until her duet on You're All I Need To Get By (Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell). The male singer's visibly pregnant wife came on stage and it became a personal serenade. You can feel the whole place exhaled an "awww".

Their short set, only 10 songs, caught people by surprised. For myself, I thought Maylee should do more than 1 song as she was clearly the most dynamic singer on stage. To chants of "one more song", the band conferred quickly (probably didn't expect an encore), and came back to loud cheers. I was happy to see Maylee take the mike, and boy, did she ever blow the roof off the place with her high-octane rendition of the Jackson 5's ABC.