Review: Legally Blonde at the Citadel a light, fun summer refresher
The summer colour palette for Edmonton could be safely described as a mixture of river-valley green and sky blue that goes on forever. Well, add a splash of bright pink as Legally Blonde debuts at the Citadel, running until Aug. 3 on the Shoctor stage.
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The set, costumes and even the lobby have been kitted out in the appealing and girly shade favoured by the musical's central character, Elle Woods (former Calgarian Kelsey Verzotti). Audience members on opening night were resplendent in fuchsia, hot pink, baby pink and also sequins. It was quite a party.
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For those who haven't followed the career of Reese Witherspoon with the same passionate intensity as me, Legally Blonde (based on the book by Amanda Brown) was her 2001 breakout hit. In 2007, the movie was turned into a Broadway musical and in 2008, that musical began touring the world, where it remains on seemingly permanent rotation.
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It's easy to see why. Legally Blonde is an epic celebration of girl power driven by a largely forgettable string of same-sounding songs and a more than memorable selection of energetic dance routines. Verzotti brings excellent pipes and a spunky spirit to the lead role of Elle, who is famously dumped by boyfriend Warner Huntington III (Kaden Brett Forsberg) when he gets into Harvard Law School. Warner needs a more serious girlfriend. Elle — as smart as she is blonde — applies to Harvard Law School to win him back. Spoiler alert: she not only gets in, but ends up top of her class.
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There isn't much to the plot of Legally Blonde, which has been updated with contemporary references from Timothée Chalamet to Instagram, and things threaten to get dull in the first act despite the cheer squad that shows up to help Elle with her admission essay. We are relieved when Elle's sorority sisters Margo (Maya Baker), Serena (a zippy April Cook) and Pilar (Jessica Jones) arrive with regularity to add fat dollops of sassy to the script. They are particularly winsome as members of a Greek chorus that serve to boost Elle's spirits, provide guidance and generally dance their tails off.
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About that dancing. OMG guys — the fist-pumping choreography in this production by director Stephanie Graham is mesmerizing. Graham, one of the most in-demand directors in Canada, also demonstrates an effervescent touch when it comes to deftly highlighting pieces of physical comedy in the show. Gunho Kwak (who plays a hunky UPS driver in short shorts among other funny bits) is also a highlight in Legally Blonde, as is Sarah Horsman, who plays Brooke Wyndham — a fitness instructor framed for the murder of her husband. Horsman demonstrates amazing physical prowess, skipping rope while belting out an inspirational version of Whipped Into Shape in the show's second act. Just writing about it makes me winded.
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Japan Forward
an hour ago
- Japan Forward
Haru Nemuri Releases New Album 'ekkolaptómenos' — Where Political Rage Meets Pop
Underground Japanese musician Haru Nemuri has become popular in spite of the music industry. With a strong DIY spirit and highly literate lyrics that carry heavy political statements in a country where most music is consciously apolitical, Haru Nemuri (real name Haruna Kimishima) has built a following at home and around the world. A potent blend of punk, Goth, industrial, dark-pop, and riot grrrl, Haru Nemuri's music is driven by rage, which is uncommon in Japan, resulting in a visceral and exciting sound with surprisingly deep production. Seeing Kimishima's small frame bent over with fury as she lets out a blood-curdling scream, her live shows are a mesmerizing spectacle. And yet her anger and frustration have led to love and success, with multiple overseas tours and collabs with Western artists like Jaguar Jonze, Pussy Riot, and Frost Children. Now, Kimishima is back with a brand-new self-produced album, "ekkolaptómenos," released on August 1 on her own label of the same name. The Greek-language title refers to birth, and the songs on the album are hypnotically amniotic, expansively multiversal, subatomic, confrontational, and very angry. "I wanted to try completely self-producing the album myself because I felt my skills had grown in the past few years since my last album [2022's 'Shunka Ryougen']," says Kimishima. "So I decided to go the DIY route. The result is a sound that is totally me." While Kimishima is known for rap and spoken-word sections in her songs, on "ekkolaptómenos" she sings more. The album draws on her electronic music base, with layered production that lets her voice shine through. The result is an album that is dense, rich, and just a little sweet, like a poisoned chocolate fudge cake. Cover artwork for the album "ekkolaptómenos," whose title is a Greek coined word that "signifies both the act of hatching and being hatched simultaneously." "I wanted to have a proper go at singing," she says. "I think it's a much more pop sound — much poppier than I had intended at the start. But when I played it to people, they said it's not pop at all!" The songs' lyrics draw on themes familiar to the doom-scrolling generation: a nihilistic treatise on the difficulties of fitting into society and the modern prison of digital surveillance — a swirling vortex of religion, hardship, and death. And yet, these caustic, carcinogenic sentiments leave a strangely life-affirming and hopeful impression, aided by the catharsis of her music. "Living in society as a human being, it's very difficult to simply exist," explains Kimishima. "The behavior expected of you is extreme. If you were to suddenly start dancing in the middle of Ginza Crossing, people would think you're strange — but shouldn't you be allowed to do that if you want to? I'd like to destroy the frameworks of society, government, and religion, and simply exist in a state of being myself. "If you know the rules, you have the option of breaking them. You really can dance in the middle of Ginza Crossing." This may seem like an overtly anarchistic message. But do we really have to accept the constraints of modern life? Having grown up in Japan, Kimishima points out how first-world society is designed to promote an industrious lifestyle where work is everything. We are workers, consumers, and not free human beings. That's not a new observation, of course, but Kimishima is representative of a generation that feels suffocated by it. "Our cities are designed to promote the rules of society," she says. "There are very few spaces where people can just sit and do nothing. Cities are designed so that you leave your home, go to work, and then go home again. It makes people forget that they have the option of choosing to skip work that day, and they become trapped. "I want to remind people that they always have the option to suddenly take a day off work and go to the beach! This is something that music can do." Kimishima illustrates her feelings of frustration in the song "supernova," inspired by the writings of Galileo Galilei. His groundbreaking scientific discoveries were construed by the Catholic authorities of the 17th century as heresy, only finding true understanding decades or centuries later. Kimishima craves the same understanding, even if it comes too late. "Yes, I'm able to turn my emotional unbalance into music," she says. "But I'd rather be unable to make music if it meant I could live life in comfort instead! When a star explodes, viewed from afar it looks bright and beautiful, but it's still an explosion, and from the perspective of the star it's a destructive event. And that's how I feel." "Supernova" is not the only clash with Catholicism on the album. Though not a religious person, Kimishima attended a Protestant middle school and high school in Japan, where daily church services were part of the syllabus, leaving her with a strong sense of faith and an interest in the heavy hand of religious dogma. Take the new song "indulgentia," a bold track built around a sample of a hypnotic South Indian chant, with lyrics that reflect upon medieval viewpoints on sin that remain part of modern society. In the Middle Ages, the Catholic church sold "indulgences", which essentially meant paying for the absolution of sin and release from purgatory after death. This practice is now seen as a corrupt means of exploitation, but the concept of sin is still very much a part of life. "Sin, criminality, and law are a major part of society, but are the things we consider illegal actually always bad?" questions Kimishima. "The line can be arbitrary. Like, in some countries, abortion is illegal — but why? This completely violates the rights of a pregnant person. It may be illegal, but is it really bad? The punishment doesn't always seem to match the crime, and I feel we need to reckon with that. "People may be arrested for having a dependency on drugs, but couldn't we care for them instead? Sin is an unavoidable element of life for some people, so why should we shun them? I want those people to feel understood." This lack of humanity in everyday life is what drives Haru Nemuri's music. They are eternal problems, yes, but that is also what makes them timely — and why they resonate with so many fans around the world. I first saw Haru Nemuri in 2018 at Moshi Moshi Nippon, a festival in Tokyo that aimed to showcase artists with global appeal. Immediately after that, she played her first overseas show in Taiwan. Since then, she has gone on to frequently tour in North America, Europe, Asia, and beyond, finding sympathetic music lovers who share her worldview wherever she goes. "Japanese audiences don't necessarily respond when I talk about being an anarchist or a feminist, but when I say that overseas, the audiences erupt in cheers! In Japan, the common belief is that it's safer not to talk about politics. But during the recent mayoral election in New York, some of my favourite New York-based musicians were posting every day on Instagram telling people who to vote for." Her dense lyrics are filled with meaning, but they are written mostly in Japanese. How do audiences get beyond the language barrier to understand their meaning? "Sometimes fans tell me they are learning Japanese just so they can understand my lyrics — but my lyrics are not really great material for beginners!" she laughs, as her manager points out that even native Japanese speakers may struggle to penetrate them. "Even if people can't understand the lyrics in detail, I think they can understand the emotion," says Kimishima. "When I play overseas, I try to explain in English the message I want people to take away between songs. I want to make sure everyone is on the same page before I start screaming. But music is the common language." Despite so many of her songs carrying dark and nihilistic messages, on stage, Kimishima is almost quite cheerful and seems grateful to her audience, acknowledging how music has allowed her to find her tribe. "I feel alive on stage," she says. "I usually detest my body — I wish I had endless stamina and didn't get tired so easily. I'm small, and people look down on me, which I hate. I get exhausted from overthinking, and I wish I was invincible. "But when I'm on stage, I can forget all that. I'm filled with adrenaline, and I don't think about feeling tired or in pain, and I can do all the things I want to do. That's when I feel invincible." Still, that feeling of helplessness is part of what defines Kimishima and her music as Haru Nemuri. I ask her what cuts through the pain to give her hope, and she pauses for a long beat. "Hope... To be honest, it's tough," she eventually replies. "With the recent rise of populism and nationalism [around the world], things have gotten pretty bad ... I had a good education, and it would never occur to me to do something deliberately to hurt another person. "I wish everyone could be happy. But looking at reality today, it seems like I'm in the minority. The majority of people are afraid of others who look different from their group. I don't know why. Every day it seems strange to me. Why can't people get along with their neighbors? "When I meet like-minded people who want to fight and protest these things, that's what gives me hope. We have to create an environment where we can be happy. For the right to simply exist, we must be prepared to fight." Haru Nemuri's album "ekkolaptómenos" is out on August 1. She will perform at the Shindaita Fever in Tokyo on August 8, followed by a nine-date North American tour from September 12. Her Japan tour resumes on October 7 through the end of November. For further information, visit her website. Interview by Daniel Robson Read Daniel's artist interviews and his series Gamer's World on JAPAN Forward, and find him on X (formerly Twitter) .
Montreal Gazette
21 hours ago
- Montreal Gazette
Louise Penny chooses Ottawa instead of Washington for her latest novel's launch
New York Times bestselling author and Knowlton resident Louise Penny made headlines when she announced in March that, in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats against Canada, she would not travel to the United States to promote The Black Wolf, the 20th book in her enormously successful Gamache series. It comes out Oct. 28. She realizes she is fortunate to be in a position to make that choice, she said: It will surely affect books sales and, by extension, the bottom line for her publisher, Minotaur. 'My publisher was so incredibly supportive and understands,' she said in an interview. The book's U.S. launch was set for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. But in February, after Trump dismissed half the appointed trustees and the remaining board members, most of them his appointees, made him the chair of the historic institution, Penny joined the growing list of those deciding not to appear there. Instead, she moved the launch to the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, where the 2,065 tickets for the Oct. 28 event sold out within hours. She'll travel to several Canadian cities for the book's publicity tour and a couple of virtual events will be live-streamed from the U.S., but it's the first time in 20 years that one of Penny's tours won't include stops south of the border. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Louise Penny (@louisepennyauthor) Trump has said repeatedly that he would like to annex Canada, turn it into the 51st state and take its vast mineral resources. In an instance of fiction presaging reality, one of the threads in The Black Wolf is a movement to make Canada the 51st state. Penny was concerned that people would think she 'just ripped off the headlines' — this although The Black Wolf was conceived three years ago and completed a year ago, long before the issue made the headlines. The Grey Wolf, published last October, and The Black Wolf were designed together and intended as companion pieces, she said. Some of the pivotal scenes of The Black Wolf are set in the Haskell Free Library and Opera House, a cultural building straddling Canada and the U.S. A black stripe running across the library floor and under the opera house seats marks the border between Quebec and Vermont. The book's publicity tour will end at the Haskell Nov. 1 and 2. In-person tickets are sold out but virtual event tickets can be purchased in Canada through Brome Lake Books and in the U.S. through Phoenix Books. 'It was fun to do that quick pivot from the Kennedy Center and the U.S. tour to National Arts Centre and then to end the tour at the Haskell Free Library and Opera House,' Penny said. Since the Haskell opened in 1904, the citizens of both countries have used it without going through passport control and customs. In March of this year, Kristi Noem, the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, approached the tape in the library denoting the border and stepped back and forth across it. On the American side, she said, grinning: 'U.S.A. No. 1.' Crossing the line into Canada, she said: 'The 51st state.' 'She did it at least three times and was very clear in saying, 'U.S.A. No. 1,' and didn't even say 'Canada.' Just, 'the 51st state',' Haskell executive director Deborah Bishop, who is Canadian, told the Boston Globe. 'When I wrote The Black Wolf, I worried I'd gone too far, ' Penny said. 'I no longer have that fear.' What frightens her, she told The Gazette, 'is that this is exactly what tyrants do: Who do they target? They target the libraries, the arts centres, the universities: places open to anyone who might have a dissenting thought.' Penny said she believes that many people who voted for Trump 'thought he was one thing and now are beginning to realize that he is not what he pretended to be. The challenge is going to be for the Democrats to come up with a viable, thoughtful, articulate candidate.' While it is true that many are glum about the current Trump administration, she said, it's important not to lose sight of the fact that his term will end. And meanwhile, 'it is so important to be optimistic, to look at friendships and support and do a lot of laughing. It is so important to know what we have. 'It is so easy to see the darkness,' she said. 'The tragedy would be if we allowed it to overshadow everything else.'
Toronto Sun
a day ago
- Toronto Sun
'And Just Like That ...' to end after third season
Published Aug 01, 2025 • 2 minute read This image released by HBO shows Sarah Jessica Parker, from left, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon from the series "And Just Like That." Photo by Craig Blankenhorn / AP Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. And just like that, a universe of fun, friendship and fashion is coming to an end. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Michael Patrick King, showrunner of the 'Sex and the City' sequel 'And Just Like That …,' announced on Instagram that the series will end after the third season concludes. Fans have a two-part finale to savor later this month. 'It's with great gratitude we thank all the viewers who have let these characters into their homes and their hearts over these many years,' he wrote. King said he decided to wrap things up while writing the season's final episode. He then split the finale into two episodes. The last episode will drop Aug. 14. In a long, heartfelt Instagram post of her own, Sarah Jessica Parker, who played the iconic Carrie Bradshaw character in both series, called the sequel 'all joy, adventure, the greatest kind of hard work alongside the most extraordinary talent.' She included a montage of Carrie's fashion and moments. Parker added: 'I am better for every single day I spent with you. It will be forever before I forget. The whole thing. Thank you all. I love you so.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon returned for the sequel. Largely absent was Kim Cattrall and her Samantha Jones, though Cattrall did make a brief, uncredited cameo in the Season 2 finale. Samantha's absence was explained as a move to London. Reports of pay and personal disputes bubbled over behind the scenes. The original series ran from 1998 to 2004, taking pop culture by storm with the style and drama of the 30-something friends in New York City. They shopped. They brunched. They dated, leaning on each other as Parker's Carrie, a writer, chronicled it all. The sequel picks up their lives in their mid-50s, to mixed reviews. Carrie became a widow. Nixon's Miranda Hobbes came out as queer. Davis' Charlotte York Goldenblatt copes with husband Harry's prostate cancer diagnosis. Fashion remains ever-present, including all those iconic heels still clacking through New York's brownstone-lined streets. In her farewell post, Parker wrote of her stylish Carrie that she, 'Changed homes, time zones, boyfriends, her mind, her shoes, her hair, but never her love and devotion to New York City.' She called Carrie 'my professional heartbeat for 27 years.' Canada Toronto Blue Jays Toronto & GTA World Celebrity
