The Pastor Phelps Project

THE PASTOR PHELPS PROJECT ****
Written and directed by Alistair Newton. Featuring Raffaele Ciampaglia, Carey William Wass, Evalyn Parry. Presented by Ecce Homo. Thu-Sat 8pm; Sun 3pm. The Cameron House, 408 Queen W.

The most practical response to the world’s most famous fag-hater is just to ignore him. That’s what the religious right does. But then we wouldn’t have this cheeky, crowd-pleasing production. Sure, it’s preaching to the converted — but with such style! From a raucous singin’-and-dancin’ chorus emerges a kaleidoscope of caricatures: Fred Phelps himself, his family, an Anglican bishop, rightwing blowhards Ann Coulter and Bill O’Reilly and a hair-flipping Tyra Banks. Except for the final scene — a racy interpretation of the Bible story of King David — all the dialogue comes from real-life sources. Clever, if, as Phelps himself is often described, heavy-handed. PAUL GALLANT

IF WE WERE BIRDS *****
Written by Erin Shields. Directed by Alan Dilworth. Featuring Philippa Domville, Tara Rosling, David Fox. Presented by Groundwater Productions. Fri 4:30pm; Sun 8:30pm. Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace, 16 Ryerson Ave.

Ovid’s tale of King Tereus and sisters Philomela and Procne is grisly and very, very Roman. Handed Procne as his reward for success in battle, Tereus later realizes his lust for Philomela. He rapes her, cuts out her tongue and locks her away. This harrowing and splendidly poetic retelling hangs modern flesh on ancient bones. One of its many innovations is a chorus of damaged women whose fragmented stories draw through-lines from past to present, from war to male violence to sex. The cast is great, especially Tara Rosling, whose early impetuousness makes Philomela’s later downfall all the more moving. PG

A SOLDIER’S STORY/L’HISTOIRE DU SOLDAT ****
Written by Igor Stravinsky (music) and C.F. Ramuz (libretto), translated by Jeremy Sams. Featuring Vanessa AvRuskin, Colin Doyle and Christopher Sawchyn. Directed by Anita La Selva. Presented by Flaming Mamie Productions. Fri 4:30pm; Sat 8:30pm. Factory Theatre Mainspace, 125 Bathurst St.

As in life, the devil gets all the best moves in this buoyant production of Igor Stravinsky’s 1918 work. The modernist score, played by a seven-person mini-orchestra, alternates with a rhyming fable about a young soldier whose dealings with the devil (a fiddle is involved, à la Daniel Webster) sets him on an unexpected life path that may end with a princess or eternal damnation. The dance-ish performances are what bind the music and the story together and, while Colin Doyle is adorable as the stiff ingénue of a soldier, the glue’s key ingredient is Christopher Sawchyn’s diabolical physicality. PG

KHALIDA ***
Written by David Fancy. Directed by Alexandra Seay. Featuring Jason Jazrawy. Thu 6pm; Fri 8pm; Sat 2pm. Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace, 16 Ryerson.
An emotionally extreme but uneven piece, Khalida centres on an Arab acting student's flight from and return to his homeland and his ensuing struggle with the purpose of his art. Jason Jazrawy gives an impressively physical performance, especially in the final, violent torture sequence, though his apparent inclusion of odd moments of biomechanics — a training technique developed by Stanislavski's protégée V.E. Meyerhold — seems tacked on. Heavy on despair and the disturbing, the show realizes itself best during isolated moments rather than as a continuous work. There is great reliance on lighting and sound, which, while sometimes effective, can be overbearing. BYRON LAVIOLETTE

FOTO ****
Written by Andrew Kushnir. Directed by Adam Pettle. Featuring Dawn Greenhalgh, Daniel Briere and Astrid Van Wieren. Presented by the Orange Company. Wed 8pm; Fri 6pm; Sun 2pm. Factory Studio Theatre, 125 Bathurst.

In Foto’s opening image, a young man develops photos while telling a children’s story. Jeremy, played with melancholy by Daniel Briere, later confronts a family with memories that do not fit the narrative they’ve invented for themselves. Misleadingly billed as a “Ukrainian-Canadian folktale,” the play is more like a kitchen-sink drama painted in the colours of a Ukrainian Easter egg: suppressed anger builds until it bursts. Playwright Andrew Kushnir has a fantastic ear for dialogue; listening to Astrid Van Wieran play long-suffering daughter to Dawn Greenhalgh’s loopy mom is like overhearing the people next door. Indeed, Foto’s exploration of self-denial and secrecy extends beyond the boundaries of any particular ethnic community. PG

MARLA’S PARTY ***
Written by Darrah Teitel. Directed by Kate Lushington. Featuring Valerie Buhagiar, Natasha Greenblatt, Susanna Fournier. Presented by Rabiayshna Productions. Thu & Sun 8pm; Fri 10pm. Factory Studio Theatre, 125 Bathurst St.

Marla is a self-absorbed mom who exploits her apocalyptic vision to get closer to her two wayward daughters, and it would certainly take the world’s end to bring the various themes of Orthodox Judaism, closeted sexuality, psychiatric abuse, suicide, abortion, dubious refugee claims, martyrdom, pleasure, truth and love together in the same scenes. No wonder the six characters in Marla’s Party frequently find themselves drugged, knocked out or debilitated by nausea — they need some downtime from the strained zaniness of Darrah Teitel’s script. It’s a testament to the cast and direction that they keep all the plates spinning with good humour and zing. PG

PELEE ****
Written by Erin Brandenburg and Lauren Taylor. Directed by Lauren Taylor. With Gord Bolan, Erin Brandenburg, Dave McEathron. Presented by The Pelee Project. Sat 5pm; Sun 1pm. Theatre Centre, 100-1087 Queen W.

Clever and charming, Pelee presents a slice of Canadian history that is accessible and enjoyably educational. Sharing the stories surrounding Pelee Island in Southern Ontario, the players combine facts from recorded history with oral extrapolations, visual projections and maps with appropriately old timey music and songs, fuelled by The Sunparlour Players’ Andrew Penner. While slightly awkward during some of the transitions from one tale to another, lead performer Erin Brandenburg keeps the show open and honest. The inclusion of First Nations in Pelee’s narrative is apt and respectful, dovetailing well with the piece's free-flowing style BL