ERMAGHERD! STRERTFERD!

Before I post photos and reviews from fun times at Stratford, I’d just like to apologize to everyone for having this as my new favourite meme and deriving inordinate amusement from using the ERMAGHERD voice aloud. Especially for using it aloud so often that the “ER” sound in ordinary words like “sister” and “learn” and “words’ is a trigger for me to be obnoxious.

ERMAGHERD!

Theartre
The Berst Brerthers (**** – liked)
Wernderlerst (**** – liked)
Yer a Gerd Mern, Cherler Brern (*** – enjoyed)

Rersterernts
the Yerk Strert Kertchern (*** – enjoyed)
Ferster’s Ern (***** – loved)
Skerpers (**** – liked)
Ther Ber Dern Ther Strert (** – had fun, nothing bad, but probably wouldn’t go back)
Hernry Tern Sherllerng (**** – liked)

Erther Sterff
Querk Serp (**** – liked)

The Best Brothers by Daniel MacIvor, directed by Dean Gabourie (play) – I love the way Daniel MacIvor plays with theatricality in his one-man shows, and I was pleased that this two-man show was in a similar style. Two brothers with contrasting personalities must cope with the tragic death of their mother, and along the way, they learn about themselves. No matter how far away from the main thread the play got, I trusted MacIvor to tie up everything in a satisfying, meaningful way, and I wasn’t disappointed.

Wanderlust by Morris Panych and Marek Norman, directed by Morris Panych (musical) – I was the only one in the group who enjoyed this musical (read: who didn’t outright hate it), and I think it’s because I was also the only one who came to the show familiar with the works of Robert Service. I thought the dialogue was snappy and the metafictional story of our protagonist Service as a poet-cum-bank-employee who worries that writing about adventures is just a coward’s substitute for not having any was ambitious and worked hard to avoid cliché. The songs were forgettable, though beautifully choreographed, and though the story did go off the rails now and then, it was a pleasure to watch something that tried to innovate with moderate success instead of the striving-for-adequacy I’ve seen so often at Stratford.

You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown by Clark Gessner, directed by Donna Feore (musical) – This was an excellent translation of the Peanuts comic strips to the stage. That said, I’m utterly baffled by why one would do such a thing: it seemed to gain nothing from the transposition, and I’ll never understand why the musical features a Snoopy who can talk and who seems to favour trippy fantasy scenes. I’m also just a little skeeved out by the turn the multi-cultural casting (yay!) took (Asian guy as a nerdy, intellectual Linus and Black guy as a spiritual, musical Schroeder): the actors were great, but the casting still felt like it drew on uncomfortable stereotypes.

York Street Kitchen – New location! Same menu! Maybe it was just the fact that we were in a rush (or that my expectations were unreasonably high, or just that we lucked out and hit the dull period of the day, which meant we got our orders almost immediately), but I didn’t enjoy my sandwich as much as I did in previous years.

Foster’s Inn – We spent a while in this reasonably priced bar after our shows on Friday night, and its wide variety of drinks had something for everyone, from fancy cocktails to Shirley Temples. The food was great: pommes frites with a Gorgonzola/cream sauce and delicious desserts like cinnamon, ginger, and berry ice creams in a hot fudge brownie sundae. They were also pretty nice about letting us hang out there for the first hour or so while we waited for the other show to let out and for our last comrade to make it to the city.

 

 

Scoopers – I like this ice cream place less because it’s supposedly Justin Bieber’s favourite, but it did have a great selection and, well, it’s ice cream. They let me have mint chocolate chip with Nerds. What more do you want?

The Bar Down the Street – After Foster’s Inn, this place was disappointing. Although they offered all the standard drinks, including homemade lemonade, their selection felt limited, and their menu of snacks had little that appealed. Overall, the bar was too noisy to talk, and the prices felt too high.

Henry Ten Shilling – On the other hand, the prices at this tea shop were so low, I thought they’d made a mistake on my bill: five dollars for a pot of hand-blended tea and a cream scone. Each of us got his or her own little teapot — I chose their house Earl Grey — and a delicate china cup. The only thing that could have been better was the scone, which, though delicious, tasted a bit microwaved-y.

Quark Soup – I’ve been to this science toy store before, and though it’s somewhat small, it still has an astounding selection. The owner is friendly and has plenty of advice about the products. I was tempted to get a bag of just-add-water expanding fake snow, but don’t worry, I didn’t.

Thanks to JB, ML, Sarah, Emily, Kathryn, Liz, Lauren, Sheila, and Ryan for an awesome weekend, and thanks especially to our drivers Kathryn, Ryan, and Emily! You’re all fantastic!

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