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A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, Avon Theatre, 2009 Directed by Des McAnuff Choreographed by Wayne Cilento Musical Director, Franklin Brazs
"The ever inventive Dow has to be a national treasure. In one of the roles he was surely born to play, he mugs delightfully, kicks up his heels, sings wonderfully and generally takes charge." Robert Crew, The Toronto Star
"At the center of the musical, which is set in ancient Rome, is a conniving slave named Pseudolus. He's sort of a master of ceremonies for all the plot complications that are to follow. Pseudolus is played by the delightfully cherubic Bruce Dow, who resembles a naughty little boy, the kind of lad who always has his hand caught in the cookie jar." Michael Kuchwara, Associated Press
"Whoever plays Pseudolus is always the star of "A Funny Thing," and Dow is an irrepressible, one-man riot. But the truth is that top billing here really should be shared with one of Stratford's great veteran actors, Stephen Ouimette, in the hilarious role of Hysterium -- a more sober, higher ranking slave in Hero's home who gets conned into helping Pseudolus win the girl." Laurence B. Johnson -- Detroit News
"Bruce Dow is just dandy."
Lynn Slotkin, The Slotkin Letter
"A cast of seasoned comic players, including the genial Bruce Dow (a Canadian Nathan Lane, only sweeter) and the hilarious “Slings and Arrows” star Stephen Ouimette, race from gag to gag." Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
"And presiding over these boisterous proceedings is Dow - a comic whirlwind of cunning and lechery - in the pivotal role of that wily slave Pseudolus whose conniving is all pointed to one end - to win his freedom. Yet, it's a surprisingly nuanced characterization, far more human than the in-your face aggressiveness of Zero Mostel who created the role on Broadway." Jamie Portman, CanWest Media
"Great performances by Bruce Dow and Stephen Ouimette." James Reaney, London Free Press
"But if kudos are really deserved, it's for the wild collection of Stratford vets and newcomers who imbue these one-dimensional caricatures with enough quirky passion to transcend the play's artificial premise and establish Forum as a guilty pleasure for those who would normally crinkle their noses at such madcap frivolity. And where would we be without Bruce Dow as the fleshy charlatan who dominates the action -- often hilariously so -- in a role most famously inhabited by the late Zero Mostel." Joel Rubinoff, The Record
"With gifted singer-comedian Bruce Dow leading the charge as the wily slave, Pseudolus, the vaudevillian tone is set. There’s nary a weak comedic link in the cast. Save this one for dessert. Bruce Dow, too, as Pseudolus, owns that wonderful ability to sell a song. Plus he's hysterically funny." Pat Donnelly, Montréal Gazette
"What truly made this production was the exceptional cast headed by Bruce Dow as Pseudolus. Dow is a truly skilled comedian where every joke is on point and every laugh he has worked hard to provide. Last year in Cabaret, and the previous year in Comedy of Errors, Dow shows his talent, but as one patron of Forum pointed out, Dow gets even better with each new performance he brings to Stratford. Dow helmed the Forum ship incredibly well and is perpetually an asset to the comedy at the Stratford Festival."
Kindah Mardam Bey, A ’n E Vibe
"The cast captures each sequence as if it was their birth right to do so. Dow doesn't need to say a word when he steps on stage before the applause starts. In the opening number, "Comedy Tonight," there's an immediate sense he's internalized the part of Pseudolus that to the point where his animated antics can lead the story in one direction with his co-stars willingly tagging along for the fun." Steven Berketo, Theatremania.com
"Dow does a superb job of acting his part" John Colbourn, Sun Media
"Dow has excellent comic delivery"
J. Kelly Nestruck, The Globe and Mail
CABARET, Avon Theatre, 2008 Directed by Amanda Dehnert Choreographed by Kelly Devine Musical Director, and new orchestrations and arrangements by, Rick Fox
"Meanwhile, Dow's casting is inspired. He has the courage and the talent to break all the moulds, creating an all-new character that blends androgeny and sensuality with the haunting asexuality of a spoiled child." John Coulbourn, Toronto Sun
"Our guide, of course, is the Emcee, radically reinterpreted here by Bruce Dow... Dow is like a silent movie clown on acid: all seeing, all knowing, all leering. At the end of the show, he'll prove to have a heart, but by then it's too late for anyone. Until then, Dow is superbly confident and delivers his songs with all his old panache, but with a new and frightening edge." Richard Ouzounian, The Toronto Star
"The production is anchored by Bruce Dow who plays the Emcee as a sad, sinister, prescient, vaudevillian clown on familiar terms with evil." Robert Reid, Kitchener Waterloo Record
"As the emcee, Dow is different from either Alan Cumming's sexual imp or Joel Grey's dapper mannequin from the film... A curiously gentle master of ceremonies, Dow gives sympathetic looks from the side of the stage." Kelly Nestruck, The Globe and Mail
"Bruce Dow does the honours here and he presents a corpulent, bisexual master of ceremonies who is acutely attuned to all that’s happening around him. Decorated in some outrageous outfits by costume designer David Boechler, Mr. Dow’s Emcee is obviously in his element at the Kit Kat Klub where cross-dressing and other sexual deviations/experiments are the norm.And it’s an effective bit of staging that has the Emcee and lusty Klub entertainers frozen in place as ghostly witnesses to the unfolding of other lives when they’re not actually performing as dancers." Donal O’Connor, The Beacon Herald
"the wonderful Bruce Dow delivers as the leering, insinuating master of ceremonies, a creature with no illusions about the society which sustains him."
Jamie Portman, Canwest Media
"Sometime in the not-too-distant future, some enterprising soul is going to devise an ingenious method of packaging or bottling the essence of the multi-talented Bruce Dow. Or simply let him loose in a no-holds-barred one-person show. Until that moment in time, audiences will just have to savour his singing, acting and comic skills utilized to perfection this season in the role of the garish emcee in the Stratford Shakespeare’s production of Cabaret. What Dow brings to the play, in addition to those aforementioned talents, is sheer presence. The moment the eccentric master of ceremonies at Berlin’s decadent Kit Kat Klub appears, the audience catches its first glimpse of a larger-than-life performance unfolding – a characterization encompassing the tumultuous, uneasy and often cheeky (literally) scenarios preceding the frightening global phenomena of the Third Reich. All the while Dow’s mercurial emcee – whether prancing about in boisterous numbers like Money, slyly examining social issues while dishing out the double edged humour of If You Could See Her or simply observing others from the theatrical wings – is the central figure amidst the ruins." Geoff Dale, London NOW
"The production is anchored by Bruce Dow who plays the Emcee as a sad, sinister, prescient, vaudevillian clown on familiar terms with evil." Robert Reid, Kitchener/Waterloo Record
"That brings us to Bruce Dow's leering MC. Dow melts before our eyes, suggesting a warm and vulnerable heart, hiding behind a desperate desire to survive. It is the most fully fleshed MC ever. When Dow stands in his long red coat, doffing his battered top hat with a nod of the head, he is every clown who ever cried when the circus left town. When he sings I Don't Care Much, your heart will melt, your brain go numb and your eyes water. Brilliant."
Gary Smith, Hamilton Spectator
"Bruce Dow’s Emcee may look like and overgrown cherub with a mini-mohawk, but he is definitely in the line of Mendes’ pansexual Emcee. Outrageous, vulgar, unrestrained, he makes Joel Grey’s interpretation in the film look straight-laced by comparison. His two best moments are in the songs “Two Ladies” which he hilariously acts out by himself, for too short a time, with two small rag dolls and the song “I Don’t Care Much”, where we finally get to hear the real strength of his voice and feel the character’s underlying bitterness."
Christopher Hoile, Stage Door
"Don’t go into this Stratford production (and I’m talking in particular to fans of the film) with any preconceptions. Except for emcee Bruce Dow’s girth, this version is leaner and meaner. The brilliant Dow, who watches over the characters’ every move, has a large, menacing presence." Susan G. Cole, NOW Magazine
"....how could we forget the Emcee? Bruce Dow, as the Emcee was so delightful. Sorry Joel Gray, I think this role was actually made for the likes of Dow. In his ninth season at Stratford, Dow has become to Stratford what Mickey is to Disneyland; why would you go to Disneyland and not see Mickey, conversely, who would dream of going to Stratford and not see Bruce Dow? Possibly, this is Dow's greatest performance to date, and well worth the cost of the ticket stub alone." Kindah Mardam Bey, anevibe.com
"Dehnert’s take is that the Emcee, played magnificently by Bruce Dow, is the conscience of Germany. His woeful expression as he watches every scene telegraphs the horrors to come. Trish Lindström’s Sally Bowles is a full-throttle portrait of a woman with no moral compass, beautifully balanced by Sean Arbuckle’s passive but honourable Clifford Bradshaw. Nora McLellan and Frank Moore are wonderfully poignant as the elderly mismatched lovers, while Cory O’Brien is perfect as a New World Order Nazi."
Paula Citron, Classical963fm.com
"Bruce Dow is perfectly cast for this Emcee: an oversized baby, a monster of polymorphous perversity. Two numbers center on the Emcee: “Two Ladies” and the untitled number at the top of Act II, and in both the Emcee steals our hearts – I can’t believe I’m writing that phrase – with his unabashed neediness. How could you hate this creature, the production seems to be saying? He’s harmless? He’s hopeless, yes; he’s ridiculous, yes; but he’s harmless! And now all his beautiful, hopeless, ridiculous but harmless friends are burnt to dust . . . Dow is a phenomenal performer, and with a lesser actor I could see this interpretation not working at all, but he makes this disturbing and strangely adorable Emcee utterly believable as a character, and utterly central to the play (as, in this interpretation, it is)."
noah millman, theamericanscene.com
Bruce accomplished something I didn’t think possible: he made the character of Emcee in Cabaret more sexually twisted, bizarre and emotionally dazzling than even the great Alan Cumming.
Randall Shirley -- Outlooks.ca
Christopher Plummer generates star power in Stratford's 'Caesar and Cleopatra'
By MICHAEL KUCHWARA
STRATFORD, Ontario (AP) _ Is there anything Christopher Plummer can't do?
Maybe walk on water, although I wouldn't be surprised to see the man skimming the surface of the Avon River that snakes through the heart of this bucolic town housing the largest repertory theater in North America.
Plummer is the obvious reason the Stratford Shakespeare Festival has expanded its theatrical horizons this season to include "Caesar and Cleopatra" by George Bernard Shaw, a playwright primarily showcased at that other picturesque temple of Canadian theater, the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Long a star in the Stratford firmament, the Toronto-born, Quebec-raised Plummer has an innate rapport with the spoken word. He makes acting look and sound easy, the most natural thing in the world to stand center stage and declaim. Whether playing Clarence Darrow in "Inherit the Wind" on Broadway or Shaw's craggy, world-weary ruler of the Roman Empire, there is an accessibility to his performances that is enormously appealing.
"Caesar and Cleopatra" (in rep through Nov. 8) is a peculiar and, even for Shaw, a windy play. It's one that doesn't quite rank with such top-drawer efforts as "Major Barbara," ''Pygmalion," ''Man and Superman" and "Heartbreak House."
Fortunately, director Des McAnuff has nicely trimmed this revival and given it a glitzy, Technicolor production. You kind of expect Joan Collins and Jack Hawkins from Howard Hawks' "Land of the Pharaohs" to be floating around somewhere — only with a little more intellectual heft. The vivid costumes are by Paul Tazewell and Robert Brill did the majestic, gold-encrusted settings, often dappled in shadows by Robert Thomson's evocative lighting.
McAnuff wisely keeps the focus primarily on the combative relationship between Caesar and the young queen of Egypt. Plummer's Caesar is a savvy old coot, a man cognizant of his advancing years yet filled with a paternal interest in the neophyte Egyptian ruler. It's the old story of practical teacher and impetuous pupil.
Much has been made of the similarities between "Caesar and Cleopatra" and "Pygmalion," in which Professor Henry Higgins transforms a Cockney flower girl into a genteel woman. "Pygmalion," of course, later gave birth to "My Fair Lady" while "Caesar and Cleopatra" wasn't as lucky in its musical-theater reincarnation. It was turned into the wildly unsuccessful "Her First Roman," starring Richard Kiley and Leslie Uggams, that had a two-week Broadway run in 1968.
After watching "Caesar and Cleopatra," you can see why the musical bombed. The play offers few opportunities for the characters to sing, although Nikki M. James probably could handle any song thrown at her. James, who was Dorothy in McAnuff's revival of "The Wiz" at California's La Jolla Playhouse, manages to hold her own against the formidable Plummer.
And she's a sterling example of how acting in rep can help a performer gain confidence. The actress seemed vocally pallid earlier this summer at Stratford in McAnuff's production of "Romeo and Juliet." No such problem here. Her delivery is robust and full of a spitfire.
With such intense focus on the two leads, it's hard for any of the supporting players to make much of an impression. The one exception is Steven Sutcliffe as Britannus, Caesar's very proper, incongruously British secretary. Shaw, with malicious glee, takes aim at every English stereotype, and Sutcliffe (loved his carefully coifed, Oscar Wilde hairdo) encompasses them with unerring and hilarious accuracy.
One of the problems with "Caesar and Cleopatra" is that its best scene — the first meeting of the title characters before a moonlit Sphinx — comes right at the top of the play. There's a playfulness to their dialogue, an almost banter on Caesar's part and a childlike inquisitiveness from Cleopatra.
Nothing else in the evening quite matches their initial interaction. The play gets bogged down in Egyptian and Roman politics as well as chatter about the moral and practical obligations of being a ruler. Yet with Plummer's golden tones detailing Shaw's thoughts on these subjects, the discussion becomes an invigorating theatrical sermon by an extraordinary actor.
"Caesar and Cleopatra" wasn't the only mid-August opening at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, which began its season back in April and included more than a dozen productions. The other two new ones: an adaptation of "Moby-Dick" by Morris Panych and the world premiere of "Palmer Park" by Joanna McClelland Glass.
It may have been foolhardy for Panych to try and compress Herman Melville's gargantuan novel into a nearly two-hour performance piece that is more dance than theater. Make than more movement than dance, performed to swirling, fraught-with-anxiety melodies by Claude Debussy.
Melville's words are kept to a minimum, almost incomprehensible voiceover snippets of observation by Shaun Smyth, who portrays Ishmael, the novel's narrator. Despite the necessary condensation, there are some striking images in the piece, seen at the festival's small, 200-seat Studio Theatre (through Oct. 18).
Panych, one of Canada's most celebrated dramatists, is working here with what is called in the theater program "creative associates": Wendy Gorling for movement and Shaun Amyot for choreography. And, yes, there are some stunning visual moments — particularly one in which Captain Ahab's ship, the Pequod, comes to life, using only a couple of ladders and the flowing white shirts of the company to create its billowing sails.
But despite this inventiveness, the piece remains sketchy, unable to get much beyond these striking pictures. Melville's mammoth tale has been reduced to an outline, the barest of summaries on which some theatrical images have been hung.
Theatricality is what's missing in Stratford's third August production, Glass' "Palmer Park" (playing through Sept. 21). It's a tale of white flight from an upper middle-class section of Detroit known as Palmer Park after the riots of 1967.
At times, "Palmer Park" has the earnestness of a classroom lecture. For much of the evening, its story is told directly to the audience. The large cast — 10 actors play 13 roles — plow their way through facts and figures about the city and its history as well as rattle off significant cultural and political highlights of the era.
What gradually emerges is the story of two married couples — one white, the other black — who refuse to flee and instead stay to fight for their neighborhood and the school their daughters attend. Eventually, their efforts are overwhelmed.
There's a poignant quality to "Palmer Park" that crystalizes in the second half of the evening, when Glass finally allows several of her characters to become people and not just reciters of their own resumes. Paradise has been lost and the dreams of integration die with a mournful realization that life will never be the same.
So much information has been packed into Glass' play that it is hard for individual actors to make much of an impression, which is unusual for Stratford. One of the joys of the festival is seeing its large contingent of actors in a variety of roles, both large and supporting.
Stratford's long season ends in November, so there is time to catch some outstanding performances. Check the theater's performance schedule, but among the portraits still on stage to be savored are:
—Martha Henry as a fierce, defiant Hecuba in an affecting version of "The Trojan Women."
—Evan Buliung as a lustily unapologetic Petruchio in "The Taming of the Shrew."
—Stephen Ouimette as the harried father of two eligible daughters in that same "Shrew."
—Geraint Wyn Davies as a most sympathetic Polonius in "Hamlet."
—Bruce Dow as the naughty master of ceremonies in a delightfully decadent "Cabaret."
—Sean Arbuckle as a front-row observer of all that debauchery in "Cabaret."
—Leah Oster as a spirited Marian the librarian in "The Music Man."
Plummer may the big gun at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival this year but he is acting in remarkably good company.
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FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 2008
TERRIFIC CABARET -- IN BOTH SENSES OF THE WORD
Cabaret
Book by Joe Masteroff
Based on the play by John Van Druten and Stories by Christopher Isherwood
Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Directed by Amanda Denhert
Featuring Bruce Dow, Trish Lindström, Sean Arbuckle, Nora McClellan and Frank Moore
by Robyn Godfrey
The story: Struggling American novelist Cliff Bradshaw arrives in Berlin, New Year’s Eve, 1929. It’s a time of hedonistic attitudes, fully embraced by the members of the Kit Kat Klub, a cabaret where Cliff meets English chanteuse Sally Bowles, and where the enigmatic Emcee holds court. Cliff and Sally have a great time partying while their landlady Fräulein Schneider grows close to her friend Herr Shultz. However the creeping presence of the Nazi party gradually makes itself felt, putting all their lives - and their way of life - in danger.
From the very first glimpse of the set you realize this is not your grandmother’s musical. Broken windows, crumbling stone, rusted iron stairs the set designed by Douglas Paraschuk looks like a tetanus infection waiting to happen. Yet the characters that live in this seedy world do so – for a while – to the fullest, grabbing at love and life where they can. No wonder Cliff becomes seduced by this life.
The audience can share his enthusiasm – director Amanda Dehnert brings to life a production that is tantalizing, comical, seductive, horrific and sad – all in a good way. It has two hearts, Bruce Dow as the Emcee and Sean Arbuckle as Cliff Bradshaw. The Emcee and his company lure Cliff into their world, and watch as his own story unfolds. As Cliff becomes aware of the political situation in Germany, he also becomes aware of the watchful Emcee, and this development is fascinating to view from the floor.
But the audience does audience is not protected behind the fourth wall for this show. An actor swings out over the front rows, Kit Kat dancers appear in the aisles, the Emcee speaks directly to us and when Nazi sympathizers suddenly rise out of the audience to join in a grotesque parody of the formerly sweet ballad “Tomorrow Belongs to Me” in their loud, harsh voices, we become as trapped and helpless as the characters on stage. It is a heart-thumping moment: only Cliff acts to kill the lights with a sharp clang, plunging all of us into darkness and stunned silence.
The performances are as dazzling as the direction. Known for his jollier roles, Bruce Dow evolves his version of the Emcee from a cheekily sinister imp into a sort of chorus, and then into a sort of muse, intent on drawing Cliff nearer to fulfilling both their needs, to remember and write about the life of the Cabaret. Sean Arbuckle paints Cliff as a perceptive and realistic optimist, and is and movingly expressive when he sings “Don’t Go”. Trish Lindström brings the appropriate joie de vivre to the appealingly selfish Sally Bowles, and shows a hard, glittering defiance in the title number as she makes her self-destructive choice. Nora McClellan and Frank Moore are unforgettable as they bring wistful tenderness to their roles as the pragmatic Fräulein Schneider and the Jewish Herr Shultz who refuses to comprehend the growing danger that the Nazis represent.
With its gritty costumes and memorable music, this production of Cabaret is terrific in both senses of the word -- it evokes the terror of the era but superbly so. Every second is nail-bitingly tense or sad and there isn’t a single moment when you can really relax. Parents considering bringing their children or teens should be prepared to answer questions afterward – the play contains themes important to our collective history and memory, but they are explored a very dark and sometimes explicit manner.
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AN IDEAL HUSBAND, Festival Theatre, 2007 Directed by Richard Monette
"David Snelgrove is ... quite perfect as the flippant, dashing Lord Arthur Goring, especially in the wonderful banter he has with the delightful Bruce Dow, as the perfect butler."
Richard Ouzounian, The Toronto Star
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THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, Festival Theatre, 2007 Directed by Richard Rose
“Usually playing a role in a Stratford musical, Bruce Dow demonstrates his flexibility here, dominating his scenes as Solanio, one of Antonio’s friends.”
Sharon Malvern, The Beacon Herald
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THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, Avon Theatre, 2007 Directed by Richard Monette
“For the record, Bruce Dow is very, very funny as the more hysterical of the two Dromios; Tom McCamus scores points by playing Antipholus of Ephesus with an elusive touch of class and Brigit Wilson works the minor role of the courtesan for all it's worth.”
Richard Ouzounian, The Toronto Star
“The actors are sufficiently funny, especially Bruce Dow and Steve Ross as the twin servants, both named Dromio. Dow and Ross, who also sing, would likely have been at home in vaudeville.”
Martin F. Kohn, Detroit Free Press
“It is they who provide much of the comedy, especially the rubber-faced Dromio of Syracuse (Bruce Dow), who really soars in the brilliant improv-like shtick describing the fat woman who thinks he's her husband. Steve Ross makes a very effective twin, such that it really is hard to tell them apart.”
Christopher Rawson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“As for the cast, they all appear to be having a great time and happily, their bonhommie occasionally spills over into the audience, thanks to the proven comedic skills of performers like Dow, Ross and McCamus supported by Walter Borden, Chick Reid, Brigit Wilson, Allegra Fulton and a host of others, all backed to the max by the set design of Michael Gianfrancesco and costume designer Dana Osborne.”
John Coulbourn, Toronto Sun
“Bruce Dow hams it up with reckless abandon as Dromio of Syracuse”
Colin Hunter, K/W Record
“Only Bruce Dow (Dromio of Syracuse) is in his native environment here, camping it up to the audience and running off on textual tangents such as segue into Gone with the Wind. Steve Ross (Dromio of Ephesus) is to be commended for managing to keep pace. Lawrence Haegert deserves a particular mention for his well-crafted, stoner Balthasar who captured even the director’s imagination enough to give him his very own psychedelic exit, complete with go-go dancers and mood lights.”
Tanya Gough, playshakespeare.com
“The Dromios, Steve Ross and Bruce Dow, who actually look like twins, are subjected to much physical and verbal abuse as they try to please their masters in this chaotic situation. Both give great comic value to their roles. Bruce Dow throws himself into slapstick mode, especially in a memorable speech about the geographical attributes of the amorous kitchen wench, Luce.”
Sharon Malvern, Beacon Herald
“The main advantage of casting Bruce Dow as Dromio of Syracuse and Steve Ross as Dromio of Ephesus is that they look so much alike we do actually become confused about which is which. Both Dow and Ross are very funny.”
Christopher Hoile, www.stage-door.org
Comedy Of Errors
By: William Shakespeare
Stratford Festival Canada
Avon Theatre
Runs May 17 to October 26
Director: Richard Monette
4 Stars
Reviewed By: Kindah Mardam Bey
Snobs dislike Shakespeare’s lighter side, but those who appreciate his depth of storytelling, intelligent plotlines and wit are able to see his comedies and tragedies on an equal balance. So it comes as no surprise that Richard Monette, for his final season as Artistic Director of the Canadian Stratford Festival would aptly choose The Comedy Of Errors as his swan song. Omitting pomp and galour, Monette seems to have enjoyed jest and cheek as a way to say goodbye. For as the Academy Awards has yet to grasp, comedy can often be harder to master than dramatics; people are much more discriminate as to what they will laugh about than what they will be moved by.
Comedy Of Errors is a Noises Off for the Elizabethan era; a case of mistaken identities and outrageous plotlines can only allow for hilarity to ensue. Two men, master and servant, descend upon Ephesus, where two men of the same names as master and servant already live; mistaken identities and fallacies veiled in truths makes up much of this play which intends to be entertainment at its wittiest. Monette and his cast for this particular production of The Comedy Of Errors seemed to comprehend the essence of the play, and much of the play aspired to the likes of Pantomime, Cabaret, and Slapstick, all of which Shakespeare himself would have used, had those forms been invented in his lifetime.
All the actors seemed to impart a strong level of commitment to their performances, making the production no less gripping because it is in the realm of comedy. Particular accolades for performances would go to the two Dromio`s (Bruce Dow and Steve Ross) , the two Antipholus (David Snelgrave and Tom McManus) and Balthasar played by Lawrence Haegert who always seemed to get a laugh for his hippie-druggie persona from the audience at his mere presence on stage. Standouts were Brigit Wilson as the Courtesan and an absolutely well cast and illuminating Sophia Walker as Luciana. Tom McManus who is also playing Sir Robert Chiltern in this years` An Ideal Husband at the Stratford Festival did a superb job of the plays synopsis three quarters of the way through; a difficult and confusing speech for any performer, McManus seemed to take charge and swilled the drunken outpouring of confusion with a highly seasoned command of the stage.
Possibly the most delightful part of this Comedy Of Errors was the pop culture references so aptly placed within the plays confines, which served the plays intentions as well as adding more laughter to an already hilarious story. With references to Scarlet O’Hara’s `as God as my witness I’ll never go hungry again,` Dorothy’s `I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore` and homage to Marilyn Monroe, the hippie generation, and 1920s Cabaret were high points for the audience, who laughed uproariously at all the pop culture insertions. The only distraction that felt a little overdone (and I don’t criticize any Artistic Director for doing this) was the `shameless plug` for other productions at the Festival this year thrown into the play. It was funny the first and second time, but the third time I half expected a donation bowl to be handed around as if I were in Church. Of course what farcical would be complete without the traditional Elizabethan dog and cat trick, which was well executed in this production.
Overall, Comedy Of Errors at this years` Stratford Festival was a pleasant experience that set out to make the audience laugh and leave in a better mood then when they entered the theatre. So to those snobs who think Shakespeare has to be dowsed in over analysis, hang up your cerebral boxing gloves for the night and simply sit back and enjoy this one!
I considered this an apt salute to Richard Monette as an Artistic Director at the end of his tenure as this production shows he doesn’t take himself too seriously and like any good actor, exited the stage with whimsy and class.
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OLIVER! Festival Theatre, 2006 Directed by Donna Feore
“One of the show's structural problems is that it spends a lot of time near the start with some comic characters we hardly ever see again. However, with Bruce Dow as the lovably outsized Mr. Bumble and Mary Ellen Mahoney as the amusingly shrewish widow Corney, you can hardly complain.”
Richard Ouzounian, The Toronto Star
“For those who prefer their talents a little more on the mature side, this production offers plenty of those too, not the least of which is Colm Feore's oddly-WASPish Fagin, Bruce Dow's Mr. Bumble, Mary Ellen Mahoney's Widow Corney and Brad Rudy's glowering Bill Sykes.”
John Colbourn, Toronto Sun
“In a strong cast there was no shortage of strong performances. Bruce Dow as Mr. Bumble was no slouch in the vocal department and made the most of a rotund figure.”
Bravo!News
“The adults pretty well match them step for step, with Mary Ellen Mahoney and Bruce Dow making avaricious old Widow Corney and her rotund Mr. Bumble delightful comic cartoons.”
Gary Smith, Hamilton Spectator
“From Bruce Dow’s magnificently portly, perverse Mr. Bumble, the Beadle to Colm Feore’s surprisingly sympathetic portrayal of Fagin to the gifted young Tyler Pearse as young Oliver, this is an exceptionally strong cast that brings new life to a musical that has been around the proverbial block a number of times.
The ever-delightful Dow once again uses his powerfully expressive voice on a number of occasions and displays his oft-used comic talents, sliding across the floor on his knees, occasionally adjusting his considerable girth and railing against the law which truly “must be an ass” for assuming that he has any sway over his domineering wife.”
Geoff Dale, NOW London
“The broad comedy is handled expertly by Bruce Dow as Mr. Bumble, the Beadle and Mary Ellen Mahoney as Widow Corney with equally funny performances by Brian McKay as the undertaker and Barbara Fulton as his wife.”
James Karas, greekpress.ca
“As crass as they are, the love match between Mr. Bumble and and the Widow Corney, Oliver's temporary set of keepers, played by the wonderful Bruce Dow and Mary Ellen Mahoney, is genuine, even if it will only last until they are married, then come apart at the seams just like the high born ladies and gents.”
Jeniva Berger, scenechanges.com
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SOUTH PACIFIC, Avon Theatre, 2006 Directed by Michael Lichtefeld
“There's also some wonderful character comedy from Bruce Dow as the scheming Luther Billis. Dow's natural sunniness turns what could have been a tiresome stereotype into an original delight.”
Richard Ouzounian, The Toronto Star
“While Bruce Dow, as the irrepressible Luther Billis, brings perfect comic relief with an added and welcome edge.”
Kamal Al-Solaylee, The Globe and Mail
“Among the stand-out performances, look for fine work from Bruce Dow (cast as the opportunistic Luther Billis)”
John Colbourn Toronto Sun
“I’ve seen this musical described in reputable print as the team’s funniest, but I find that baffling. the show’s comedy is formulaic. It’s a tribute to Bruce Dow that he finds as much in the role of Luther Billis, a Sergeant Bilko with a soft centre, as he does.”
Robert Cushman. National Post
“As for the show’s comic characters, Bruce Dow shines as Luther Billis, the man always looking for a way to make a buck, and is a real hoot in the finale the troops’ Thanksgiving show.”
stage-door.org
“Bruce Dow, Canada's answer to Nathan Lane, is a terrific Luther Billis, filling the part with comic wisdom and wonderful warmth.”
Gary Smith, Hamilton Spectator
“It doesn’t have the exuberance of Oliver nor a genuine scene-stealer (although Bruce Dow comes close) but South Pacific still retains a certain nostalgic mystique that’s hard to shake. Like so many other musicals of its ilk, South Pacific revels in its secondary characters with Grace Chan as the boisterous Bloody Mary and the aforementioned Dow (the wheeling dealing Luther Billis) topping the bill. Watch for the delights of character actors (and fine vocalists) like Dow.”
Geoff Dale NOW London
Two standout performances come in the form of Luther Billis and Bloody Mary. The actors have crafted these characters in such a way that, even with all of their imperfections, the audience can't help but love them. Bruce Dow plays teddy-bear tough guy Billis, and does a wonderful job evoking a genuine 1950's cheekiness.
Written by Philippa Scowcroft www.lucidforge.com
“The warm melodies from the infamously frigid Richard Rodgers, and Bruce Dow, a hoot as Luther, are high points”
Susan G Cole, NOW Magazine
“Bruce Dow (is) endearingly rambunctious (as) Marine clown Luther Billis.”
Jeniva Berger, scenechanges.com
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INTO THE WOODS
Avon Theatre
Directed by Peter Hinton
"Most of the cast is excellent, however, with Bruce Dow taking the
crown for his complex and emotionally devastating performance as the Baker.
... Dow becomes the focus, providing a new angle on the show."
Richard Ouzounian, Variety
"... while Bruce Dow simply and breathtakingly develops. His is the character
who learns and suffers most; the emotional core of this production is his last
encounter with his father to whom Peter Donaldson, classical casting paying
off in spades, brings unprecedented power."
Robert Cushman, The National Post
"The musical has a heart, and it belongs to a childless baker and his wife
(Bruce Dow and Mary Ellen Mahoney). They give the show its spine,
two people trying to figure out how to live happily ever after. It's not easy."
Michael Kuchwara, Associated Press
“Bruce Dow steals his scenes as the Baker.”
Herbert M. Simpson, Rochester City News
“Bruce Dow, who is one of my favourite musical performers, was the Baker
and he was in fine voice the night we saw him. Dow was wonderful in this
tragicomic role and was a force every time he stepped on th stage.”
John Gardiner, CKTimes
"But the evening's moral centre and most telling performance is delivered by
Bruce Dow as the childless Baker whose quest for an offspring sets the whole
story in motion. Dow's solo of recoginition, "No More," is delivered with a bravery
and emotional honesty that is truly compelling."
Richard Ouzounian, Toronto Star
"Finally, some action! The current Stratford season received a much-needed
jolting spark of creativity, vision and inspiration Friday night when Peter Hinton's
production of Into the Woods opened to (for once) a justly deserved standing ovation.
What makes it all come together, however, is the glorious singing and stylized acting.
Dow as the baker gives his character much more than the longing you hear so clearly and movingly in his voice."
Kamal Al-Solaylee, The Globe and Mail
"There's always something earnest and disarming about Bruce Dow
and he finds his ideal character match in the Baker."
Martin F. Kohn, Detroit Free Press
"Dow is superb"
John Coulbourn, Toronto Sun
“An unforgettable treat is catching the virtuoso performance of Bruce Dow,
one of the Festival’s most powerful vocalists, delivering a moving rendition of No More.
Theatergoers will recall his energetic rendering of Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat
(coincidentally the title track from his just released CD) from last year’s winning Guys and Dolls.”
Geoff Dale, City Media
* * * * *
GUYS AND DOLLS
Festival Theatre
Directed by Kelly Robinson
"But probably my favourite performance of the evening is Bruce Dow as the lovably pudgy
Nicely-Nicely Johnson. Dow radiates such joy onstage that you start to smile the instant
you see him. and when he lets loose his industrial-strength pipes on "Sit Down, You're
Rocking The Boat," he doesn't just stop the show, he brings it to an absolute halt.
The audience didn't want that number to end and I don't blame them."
Richard Ouzounian, The Toronto Star
"...Guys & Dolls becomes a musical both about two sets of lovers and a host or richly
sketched supporting characters such as Nicely-Nicely Johnson, an awesome Bruce Dow
who stops the second act with the rousing revivalist number, Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat."
Kamal Al-Soylaylee, The Globe and Mail
"The songs "Lucky Be A Lady" and "Sit Down, You're Rocking The Boat" (had) me walking
on air while glued to my seat. The latter number is led by Bruce dow as Nicely-Nicely Johnson,
whose girth is commodious and whose voice is practicallly a counter-tenor."
Robert Cushman, The National Post
"Bruce Dow's powerhouse tenor and Michael Lichtefeld's dazzling choreography
electrify the climactic "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat."
David Sobelsohn, culturevulture.net
"Sung by Bruce Dow as Nicely-Nicely Johnson and backed up by everyone in the cast,
"Sit Down" rocks the house and stops the show."
Martin F. Kohn, Detroit Free Press
"But Guys & Dolls fairly drips with such gems, for instance gambler Nicely-Nicely Johson's
(Bruce Dow) exuberant testimony of sin, "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat." Everything about this show rocks."
Lawrence B. Johnson, Detroit News
"The production's show stopping tune, "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat," puts the spotlight
on Nicely-Nicely Johson, well played by Bruce Dow, whom fans of London's Grand Theatre will
recall as the impressive title star in it's 2003 production of Schippel the Plumber and as the
director of My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra, presented ealier this year."
Noel Gallagher, The London Free Press
" One character that can make or break this show is that of Nicely-Nicely Johnson. Stubby Kaye
defined the part on Broadway and in the film, and I've seeen some weak attempts to fill those shoes.
Demanding a stong, stage tenor with clear high notes, a slightly portly figure, and a laidback comedy
style, it was wonderful to see that Bruce Dow had it all in this production.
From the opening "Fugue for Tinhorns" to the show-stopping "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat,"
Dow played Nicely-Nicely with a mix of Stubby Kaye and Nathan Lane, and if you search the world
for an actor to do this part you wouldn't find anyone better."
Harry Currie, The Kitchener/Waterloo Record
"It's Bruce Dow, however, as nicely Nicely Johnson who delivers the show-stopper with
"Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat."
Donal O'Connor, The Beacon Herald
"Another standout is Bruce Dow as Nicely-Nicely Johnson who does full justice to his big number
in the second act; "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat" which stopped the show."
Michael Englebert, AM 740
"Bruce Dow, with his spot-on delivery is super as Nicely-Nicely and he shines in his big number
"Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat."
Christopher Hoile, Stage-Door.org
"Bruce Dow leads the pack as Nicely-Nicely Johnson, whose "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat"
brings down the house."
Paula Citron, Classical 96.3
"Kudos also to Bruce Dow as Nicely Nicely Johnson. His delivery of "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat"
-- rocks the house."
Beverly Friend, ChicagoCritic.com
"But it remained for Bruce Dow as the copacetic gambler Nicely-Nicely Johnson to seize the time
(literally the eleven o'clock number) with his robust delivery of "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat"
to cap off the evening. If you don't have a Nicely that can do this for you in the second act of Guys and Dolls,
you might as well pack it in and Dow delivered in spades. Although I really don't believe in or am swayed by
the obligatory standing ovations that are driven by shills in so many of our theatres today, I noted that when
the curtain call came at the performance I attended, the audience rose to their feet spontaneously only when
Dow made his appearance–and rightly so."
Robin Breon, AisleSay.com
"... but the real scene-stealer is Bruce Dow as Nicely-Nicely Johnson, the most authentically Runyonesque
figure on the Stratford stage and the only legitimate challenger to the late Stubby Kaye’s pre-emptive claim
on the same role. Dow lifts this production to its only genuine, incontestable level of greatness."
Keith Garebian, stageandpage.com
* * * * *
MY WAY -- A Tribute to Frank Sinatra
Directed by Bruce Dow
Choreographed by Kerry Gage
Grand Theatre
London, Ontario
February 2004
"Four out of five stars!"
Noel Gallagher, London Free Press
* * * * *
JACOB TWO-TWO MEETS THE HOODED FANG
Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People, Toronto
November 10, 2003 - January 4, 2004
"Bruce Dow makes a great feast of the nebbishy lawyer Louis Loser and the nefarious Mr. Fox."
Jon Kaplan, NOW
* * * * *
SWEENEY TODD
CanStage, Toronto
March 24 - April 19, 2003
Dora Mavor Moore Award Nomination
Best Featured Actor Play or Musical
Bruce Dow -- Pirelli, Sweeney Todd, Canstage
"Other highlights include... and Bruce Dow as Pirelli, all providing delightful vocal twists that add texture to their roles."
David Bateman, XTRA Magazine
* * * * *
SCHIPPEL THE PLUMBER
Grand Theatre, London
January 7 - 26, 2003
"Bruce Dow set the pace and gave us a special evening with one of Canada's major tenors."
Ric Wellwood, CFPL Radio
"(the production) fares best when it leans on its musical elements and acting performances, particularly
Dow's star turn as the singing sewer worker.
Like Schipple, the actor boast a brilliant singing voice which teamed with his natural comic ability,
quickly wins over the audience."
Noel Gallagher, London Free Press
"Stratford musical star Bruce Dow is perfect in the title role. He's credible and very funny as the
working-class bumpkin... Of course, his voice is also impressive."
Bob Verdun, The Beacon-Herald
"Just listening to the magnificent tenor voice of Bruce Dow made the trip in the snowstorm worthwhile."
Yvonne Homes Mott, The Ingersoll Times
* * * * *
THE MUSIC MAN
Neil Simon Theatre, Broadway
Opened April, 2000
(Bruce replaced Blake Hammond as Jacey Squires in 2001)
"Another Torontonian and Stratford veteran, Bruce Dow, is a recent addition to the cast,
having jumped ship from JANE EYRE shortly before it closed.
As a member of the bickering school board that becomes an inseparable barbershop quartet,
his tenor rings out clear and true, and his moonfaced comedy remains as endearing as ever."
Richard Ouzounian, Toronto Star
"It's a score to cherish, and it's performed well here, especially whenever Rebecca Luker (Marian)
and the "Hawkeye-Four" (Bruce Dow, Jack Doyle, John Sloman and Michael-Leon Wooley; as the
sweetly harmonizing members of the School Board) wrap their vocal chords around it."
Martin Denton, Nytheatre.com
* * * * *
JANE EYRE
Brooks Atkinson Theatre, Broadway
November 10, 2000 - June 10, 2001
"Romance is back on the Broadway stage. Broadway has a lovely new musical...
And all of the other creatures of the novel, good and bad, are memorably captured, particularly...
the Dickensian dimensions of Bruce Dow as the butler, Robert."
Clive Barnes, NY Post
"JANE EYRE delivers the biggest thrill of any Broadway musical this season. Intimate, agile and fast moving,
JANE EYRE is a musical for grownups, with an absorbing story, a lyrical score and an exhilarating performance
by it's star, Marla Schaffel. In an era of musicals that insist on connecting the dots, JANE EYRE shines with
rare sensibility and does the unexpected: It trusts our intelligence.
Bruce Dow makes a shambolic butler, clapping a disheveled peruke on his head whenever he's required by the lordship."
Amy Gamerman, Wall Street Journal
"Bruce Dow, as Robert , has an impact which far exceeds the size of his role."
TalkingBroadway.com
Nominated for FIVE TONY AWARDS including:
BEST MUSICAL
BEST BOOK
BEST SCORE
BEST LIGHTING
BEST ACTRESS, Marla Schaffel
"One of the year's Top Ten"
New York Post, New York Daily News
* * * * *
PATIENCE
Avon Theatre
Directed by Brian Hill
"Bruce Dow will play Reginald Bunthorne, the posing poet who is the chief character in a satire
of Oscar Wilde and the esthetic movement he championed, but the singer is also cast as an
animating genius who invites the chorus on stage and delightedly shares their music and the
operetta's story with the audience.
Dow and Tova are the leaders in maintaining both layers simultaneously -- from the soloists
to the chorus their music-making is always excellent."
Kate Taylor, Globe and Mail
* * * * *
MAN OF LA MANCHA
Fesitval Theatre
Directed by Susan H. Schulman
Stratford Fesival, 1998
"(His) soaring voice is the best on-stage and his comic skills are leavened by a gentle sincerity."
Mira Friedlander, Variety
"Bruce Dow is the finest Sancho I've encountered."
Joel Greenberg, Aisle Say
"...a lovely tenor... a sweetness that sits comfortably with his fierce loyalty..."
Janice Kennedy, Ottawa Citizen
"...no slouch in the singing or acting departments."
Donal O'Connor, The Beacon-Herald
"Dow carefully holds his sypathetic Sancho back from buffoonery."
Kate Taylor, Globe and Mail
"Dow's Sancho Panza is a cuddly teddy bear who sings like a tubby angel."
Ian Gillespie, London Free Press
"...a truly loveable, bumptious Squire... demonstrating a touching devotion to (Quixote)...
(Sancho's song) is one of the sentimental high points of the show."
Alex Suczek, Grosse Pointe News
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