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King Solomon would’ve loved Schwartz’s: The Musical

April, 2011

“For lo, the winter is past. The rain is over and gone … The time of the singing of the birds is come and the voice of the turtle dove is heard in the land.” —Song of Songs

King Solomon, who liked spices, would have loved Schwartz’s: The Musical. Based on Gazette columnist Bill Brownstein’s best-selling book Schwartz’s Hebrew Delicatessen: The Story, this show is an all- dressed tasty plate including music and lyrics by Bowser and Blue, deft direction by Centaur head Roy Surette; a clever set by the award-winning John Dinning; 10 top actors including my favourite funny people, Gordon Masten and Felicia Shulman; a plot including bad guys from Toronto, and the pastrami debate. So what’s not to like?

At Centaur till April 24. 514-288-3161.

Religion, sex, and horses: not so funny

In contrast to the frivolity of Schwartz’s, theatre-goers should not miss Village Scene Productions’ classic drama Equus. This play is about the psycho-religious-sexual confusion of a troubled teenage lad who blinds six horses.

While blinding is not new in fictional theatre— Oedipus, King Lear, The Lieutenant of Inishmore —Equus is based on a real event in England. It was dramatized in 1973 by Sir Peter Shaffer, who has written 18 plays, including Amadeus.

The New York production of Equus won the 1975 Tony for Best Play and became a controversial 1977 Sidney Lumet film starring Richard Burton. This version is directed by Paul Van Dyck, fresh from Paradise Lost in New York. The psychiatrist is played by Noel Burton.

At Rialto Theatre April 13-24. 514-285-4545.

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