Latest news with #DND
Fox News
a day ago
- Sport
- Fox News
'Wake Up. Watch Film': The Origin of Titans QB Cam Ward's Obsessive Drive
"Work out, stay in the playbook and throw the f--- out of the ball." That's what Cam Ward said when asked about his summer plans at the end of Titans minicamp in June. The blunt statement was a verbal representation of how the No. 1 overall pick carries himself. In an era when athletes spend more and more time on their brands, Tennessee's hopeful franchise quarterback embodies simplicity. He doesn't draw any more attention to himself than is necessary. Ward just wants to play football, literally. "Phone on DND. Wake up. Watch film," Ward said last week when asked how he manages to carry the weight of expectations. "I talk to five people a day besides my teammates. Talk to my parents and my dog. That's really it. I just be chilling. Go home and I don't really do too much. Eat and then go to sleep." With training camp just underway, the Titans have already come to admire Ward's approach. It's the same one that's been integral to his improbable rise from zero-star recruit — with stops at Incarnate Word and Washington State before starring at Miami last season — to becoming the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. It's an approach molded, in many ways, by his family. Ward learned the importance of routine from his father, Calvin, and that only his work would bring him peace. When you play well, they're going to talk about you. When you play badly, they're going to talk about you. That's what Calvin stressed when Cameron started his college career at Incarnate Word, the only school to offer him a scholarship coming out of high school. "'You got the offer you wanted. You got an opportunity to go prove yourself, so you got to block everything out,'" Calvin told me of his message to his son as he started college. "'It's about you, football and your education now. That's all it's about.'" That approach paid dividends for Ward, whose upbringing offers further context. He saw his grandparents twice per week while growing up in little West Columbia, Texas. His paternal grandfather dropped out of school in eighth grade to help care for his 13 brothers and sisters when their father passed away, taking a job as a construction worker. He rose to become the vice president of the small company. On draft night, Ward wore the 25-year-old Rolex that had belonged to his late grandfather, who had worn it no more than three times in his life. "My dad was a quiet man … pretty much leading by example," Calvin said. "Simple man. Family man. Church deacon. Never took a vacation." For the past 35 years, Calvin has worked at a nuclear plant. He drives an hour from the family's home in West Columbia to begin his 10-hour shift at 7 a.m. When Cameron was young and Calvin got home, they would promptly go to the backyard to do throwing drills with a passing net — the reps he didn't get in Columbia High School's Wing-T offense. "It got to the point in high school where when I got home, I say, 'Let's go get it' and he's already done it," Calvin recalled. But Calvin knew his son's mentality was truly different at the start of his college career. Ward's first college game was on the road at McNeese State. His parents stayed in the same hotel as the team. When Cameron visited them before curfew the night before the game, he brought his play sheet — color-coded, with more than a couple of hundred plays — to go over the calls. "It was like 'OK Dad, this is what we coming out with,'" Calvin recalled him saying. "Or, 'Hey, in this situation, this is what we're going to do.' And I ask him questions. "I'm sitting there looking during that first game and I'm like, 'Based on what he said, this is going to happen,'" Calvin added. "And it happened." UIW is where Cameron learned to obsess over film. He watched so much there that coaches would have to tell him to go back to his dorm. That approach has traveled with him to the NFL. Ward gets to the Titans' facility around 5 a.m., earlier than some of the coaches. It's a habit that began in the offseason program, when he'd do film study early with some of the rookie pass-catchers. Coach Brian Callahan has already talked to Ward about pacing himself. "Everybody always starts out of the gate pretty hot," Callahan said in June. "But you start to get into the actual routine, and you understand how long of a season it is and the marathon that it is for young players from the time they finish their college season to the time they finish NFL season. I've made that point [to him]. I'm not telling him what to do. I'm just making the point that there's a lot ahead of him that he's not aware of yet when it comes to this, the length and the week-to-week-to-week grind that comes up for these guys. It is a marathon." A marathon that Cameron will attack the only way he knows how. Last Tuesday, the Titans' reporting date for training camp, Ward arrived at the team facility at 4:45 a.m. "At the end of the day, Cameron wants to be successful," Calvin said. "He doesn't care about the glamor. He doesn't care about the glitz. He doesn't care about the money. He wants his team to win, and he wants to be successful. … When he hits the field, he wants to beat the brakes off. That's just who he is. "You've probably seen that there's not enough focus on him being the first pick or whatever," Calvin added. "He honestly does not care. That's the honest truth. He doesn't care. "He just wants to work, get better, help his team improve." Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
Fox Sports
2 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
'Wake Up. Watch Film': The Origin of Titans QB Cam Ward's Obsessive Drive
At the end of Titans minicamp in June, Cameron Ward was asked about his summer plans. "Work out, stay in the playbook and throw the f--- out of the ball," he said. The blunt statement was a verbal representation of how the No. 1 overall pick carries himself. In an era when athletes spend more and more time on their brands, Tennessee's hopeful franchise quarterback embodies simplicity. He doesn't draw any more attention to himself than is necessary. Ward just wants to play football, literally. "Phone on DND. Wake up. Watch film," Ward said last week when asked how he manages to carry the weight of expectations. "I talk to five people a day besides my teammates. Talk to my parents and my dog. That's really it. I just be chilling. Go home and I don't really do too much. Eat and then go to sleep." With training camp just underway, the Titans have already come to admire Ward's approach. It's the same one that's been integral to his improbable rise from zero-star recruit — with stops at Incarnate Word and Washington State before starring at Miami last season — to becoming the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. It's an approach molded, in many ways, by his family. Ward learned the importance of routine from his father, Calvin, and that only his work would bring him peace. When you play well, they're going to talk about you. When you play badly, they're going to talk about you. That's what Calvin stressed when Cameron started his college career at Incarnate Word, the only school to offer him a scholarship coming out of high school. "'You got the offer you wanted. You got an opportunity to go prove yourself, so you got to block everything out,'" Calvin told me of his message to his son as he started college. "'It's about you, football and your education now. That's all it's about.'" That approach paid dividends for Ward, whose upbringing offers further context. He saw his grandparents twice per week while growing up in little West Columbia, Texas. His paternal grandfather dropped out of school in eighth grade to help care for his 13 brothers and sisters when their father passed away, taking a job as a construction worker. He rose to become the vice president of the small company. On draft night, Ward wore the 25-year-old Rolex that had belonged to his late grandfather, who had worn it no more than three times in his life. "My dad was a quiet man … pretty much leading by example," Calvin said. "Simple man. Family man. Church deacon. Never took a vacation." For the past 35 years, Calvin has worked at a nuclear plant. He drives an hour from the family's home in West Columbia to begin his 10-hour shift at 7 a.m. When Cameron was young and Calvin got home, they would promptly go to the backyard to do throwing drills with a passing net — the reps he didn't get in Columbia High School's Wing-T offense. "It got to the point in high school where when I got home, I say, 'Let's go get it' and he's already done it," Calvin recalled. But Calvin knew his son's mentality was truly different at the start of his college career. Ward's first college game was on the road at McNeese State. His parents stayed in the same hotel as the team. When Cameron visited them before curfew the night before the game, he brought his play sheet — color-coded, with more than a couple of hundred plays — to go over the calls. "It was like 'OK Dad, this is what we coming out with,'" Calvin recalled him saying. "Or, 'Hey, in this situation, this is what we're going to do.' And I ask him questions. "I'm sitting there looking during that first game and I'm like, 'Based on what he said, this is going to happen,'" Calvin added. "And it happened." UIW is where Cameron learned to obsess over film. He watched so much there that coaches would have to tell him to go back to his dorm. That approach has traveled with him to the NFL. Ward gets to the Titans' facility around 5 a.m., earlier than some of the coaches. It's a habit that began in the offseason program, when he'd do film study early with some of the rookie pass-catchers. Coach Brian Callahan has already talked to Ward about pacing himself. "Everybody always starts out of the gate pretty hot," Callahan said in June. "But you start to get into the actual routine, and you understand how long of a season it is and the marathon that it is for young players from the time they finish their college season to the time they finish NFL season. I've made that point [to him]. I'm not telling him what to do. I'm just making the point that there's a lot ahead of him that he's not aware of yet when it comes to this, the length and the week-to-week-to-week grind that comes up for these guys. It is a marathon." A marathon that Cameron will attack the only way he knows how. Last Monday, the day before the Titans' reporting date for training camp, Ward arrived at the team facility at 4:45 a.m. "At the end of the day, Cameron wants to be successful," Calvin said. "He doesn't care about the glamor. He doesn't care about the glitz. He doesn't care about the money. He wants his team to win, and he wants to be successful. … When he hits the field, he wants to beat the brakes off. That's just who he is. "You've probably seen that there's not enough focus on him being the first pick or whatever," Calvin added. "He honestly does not care. That's the honest truth. He doesn't care. "He just wants to work, get better, help his team improve." Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Item 1 of 3 Get more from the National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Time Out
21-07-2025
- Time Out
I traveled 12 hours from Miami for a four-day Hawaiian getaway—and I'd do it again. Here's why.
When I told my friends and family that I was going to Maui—which requires a half-day of travel from Miami—for a mere four days, they all thought I was nuts. My philosophy was: "Why not? I have the opportunity, and I'm going to make the most of it." I'm a girl who knows how to pack a lot in, and I had every intention of doing so on my first visit to Hawaii. Another confusing factor? I already live near a beach. I can cross the street, put my phone on DND and find that R&R in my own backyard. Which is why, growing up in Miami, my family avoided relaxing, tropical vacations at all costs. Why spend time and money traveling from one beach destination to another? We scoffed at the idea of lying poolside on a trip. Yet here I was, doing the exact thing that was ingrained in my head never to do —in one of the furthest destinations possible. TL;DR: Hawaii is worth the trek—even if you live in a beach destination, and especially if you have limited time. It's more beautiful than you might have imagined We're admittedly starting on a shallow note, but I'd be remiss if I didn't express just how much of a stunner Maui is. She's got views for days—the ocean, the mountains, the lush greenery, the flowers galore—all simply dreamy. I found myself snapping pictures nearly the whole ride from the airport to the resort, to the amusement of my driver, who likely thought I was from middle America and had never seen a palm tree. No sir. This Miami girl is no stranger to sunny settings, but this one hit different. It's no surprise everyone seems so happy all of the time when they're drinking in this backdrop daily. Wellness is a way of life At Wailea Beach Resort, where I stayed, wellness is an underlying theme that naturally wove into the entire experience—from the fresh, green juice that awaits you upon check-in to the complimentary fitness classes offered daily. Workouts ran the gamut too—think sunrise yoga, pilates, nature walks and guided meditations. Plus, when you're doing these classes with Maui's insane backdrop, it provides the ultimate Zen. Wailea Beach sits at the ocean's edge and you'll find people up and at 'em nice and early, walking or jogging on the beach path, kayaking along the coastline or snorkeling with the turtles just offshore. Nature is at your fingertips and with movement baked into the DNA of the resort, I felt fully restored. Fun is also meaningful Maui is rich in beautiful traditions and amazing people who are excited to share those traditions with others. To that end, leisure and entertainment felt intentional and were chock-full of culture; there's nothing quite like it. You've likely seen or heard of the traditional Hawaiian lei, the decorative floral necklace that one typically receives upon touching down in Hawaii. But aside from the cute photo op, this act holds significance. It's a symbol of the 'Aloha' spirit, or a way to express love, respect or to celebrate life's milestones. This is just one example of the deep-rooted Hawaiian culture you'll experience at every turn. Wailea Beach Resort offers a range of activities for guests seeking to learn about the local culture. From floral lei making to poi pounding to hula and ukulele lessons, there are many ways to immerse yourself and still have a good time. It wouldn't be a proper trip to Hawaii without attending a traditional luau. This was every bit as captivating as I imagined—with a serious smorgasburg of food offerings, a pig roast (think: caja china, but make it Hawaiian), temporary tattoos (but make it elevated) and a thrilling performance—singing, chanting, hula dancing, fire dancing, hip shaking and more. Beyond it being a serious spectacle, it also represented the Hawaiian spirit in a way that needs to be experienced to be understood. The food is fresh, no-frills—and next-level Similar to Miami, some of the most sought-after restaurants in Maui are nearly impossible to get into. Take the iconic Mama's Fish House, for example, which suggests you make a reservation up to 18 months in advance. The main difference? If you're lucky enough to snag a table, you can expect super lowkey, charming vibes somewhat reminiscent of the quirky charm of Key West versus the see-and-be-seen nature of some of Miami's hotspots I'm used to. The decor is kitschy, the staff is warm and the food is downright delicious. The other meal from Maui that will live rent-free in my mind is a poke bowl I had from a food truck. Absolutely legendary and, like I said, no frills. Hospitality is No. 1 and everyone gets treated like royalty I've traveled far and wide, experiencing some exceptional hospitality along the way. Still, I have to say that Maui is right up there with the best in the biz. Everyone from my Uber driver to the pool attendant to our server at dinner made me feel like their personal guest. They addressed me by name, asked questions, took a genuine interest in my stay, and aimed to please. Every interaction felt genuine. Many people I encountered during my brief stint in Maui shared that they visited the island, fell in love with it, promptly moved there, and have been living there ever since. This completely tracks. So if you're craving a beach getaway that's more than piña coladas and passive-aggressive servers, Maui might just have that thing you're looking for. If you can get past the half-day travel hump, just know something magical awaits on the other side. And if you can stay for more than four days? Do it. I know I will next time.
Cosmopolitan
21-07-2025
- General
- Cosmopolitan
Your horoscope for the week ending 27th July is asking you to prepare for an intense situation
Grab your white wine spritzer and put your phone on DND because this week is going to be intense! Yes, it is a cruel summer, but only for a few days, so don't despair. On 20th July, Mars in Virgo aligned with the South Node of Destiny, making us feel exhausted and overwhelmed by situations. The next day, Venus in Gemini spurred the Nodes of Destiny, urging us to make romantic and financial decisions ASAP. The Sun enters Leo on 22nd July, adding passion and creativity to our lives. On 23rd July, the Sun harmonises with Uranus in Gemini, pushing us to lean into our individuality. Venus squares Mars, a few hours later, heightening our desires. The New Moon on 24th July is activated by Saturn Retrograde and Neptune Retrograde in Aries, which offers us a chance to align and commit to our dreams. Be careful not to step on anyone's toes on 25th July, because the Sun opposes Pluto retrograde in Aquarius creating arguments. We wish to change but it'll prove to be difficult, leading to friction and frustration. Jealousies will peak, so stay in your lane and work on improving the way you handle your emotions. Hey Aries, are you working hard or hardly working? We get it, the sun is shining, and you'd rather be luxuriating in a pool than at the office. But that does not mean you should skimp on your duties and coast by. Shape up to avoid a bad quarterly review. Even though you were up for a position you didn't want at work, you shouldn't rain on the parade of the coworker who got it by being a low-key hater. There are better opportunities that suit you, and they are coming soon. In the end, it's a blessing in disguise. Aren't you the busy twin star? With your schedule and workload hitting a high, there isn't much time to relax. Everything feels extremely overwhelming, so you should put a few activities on ice and give yourself a moment to breathe. Also, don't be afraid to ask for help or assistance. Being caught in the middle of a situation means that you can use your compassion to help mend matters. If you opt to engage, focus on bringing your two besties together. Once you let them see the other side, they will understand their wrongdoings and want to make up immediately. Although you have excellent credit, you're struggling with liquid cash. Until you can consolidate and deal with financial matters, consider having a yard sale to give away old trinkets or clothing you no longer use. It'll be a success, allowing you to have immediate cash, which can be incredibly useful. To your dismay, you're being passed up for opportunities. As hard as it may be, don't sweat it. You'll get a lot of credit and projects very soon. Use your days to check out of work and head to the beach and do something fun to beat the cosmic fever. You are holding all the messy receipts from friends close to your heart. Think of this as collateral if they drag you into drama that doesn't involve you. TBH, you might be many things, but two-faced you're not — so think of this as your time to be a vigilante. Projecting your insecurities onto others never bodes well because they'll detach from being a part of this game. If you're feeling a certain way, you should journal your sentiments to understand them better before taking them out on those you love. This endeavour will be cathartic and rewarding to you. It's not easy for someone as outspoken as you to minimise your voice, but you'll learn that your opinion isn't always appreciated. Be mindful and delicate in the words you state because you will wind up being the person who's blamed. Round and round they'll go to not accept responsibility. Never forget that you're the main character in your personal book. It can be challenging to be around strong personalities competing with yours, but when you realise that you are in the driver's seat and navigating your destiny, you'll begin to take charge and assert your authority in your life. Simply put, this isn't ideal for you to confront your crush/S.O. about your feels (blame the retrogrades!). However, that won't make you hesitate. The only cosmic ask is for you to state your thoughts with empathy in what they're going through and be willing to accept their version of events. The old expression says, 'If you want something done, do it yourself.' Stop holding others accountable for your life and take control. By being proactive, you'll get everything on your punch list done without relying on anyone else. This will make you more productive, efficient, and powerful in your autonomy.
Winnipeg Free Press
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Fringe reviews #9: You tread on the boards. If you strut, go to Act IV
THE BALLAD OF BOBLIN THE GOBLIN (A DND MUSICAL) Work Hard Play Bard Theatre Gas Station Arts Centre (Venue 18), to Saturday ⭐⭐⭐ This new 75-minute show follows the adventures of young Boblin, who is questioning purpose, belonging and destiny to parents whose sincerity might be part of our hero's biggest challenge. Co-written by Scott Thompson and Leif Ingebrigtsen, this animated odyssey is vigorously and often humorously propelled by strong voices and performances. It starts in a dungeon and sings and dances its way through a bar, campsites, caves and a couple of bloody crime scenes. Full props for the costumes — especially the truly terrifying, glancingly lit, killing beast — and to the red fabric scraps that viscerally illustrate disembowellings. However, a few of the lines, both spoken and sung, feel rushed, and the shifts from humour to Boblin's life lessons to horrific murder sometimes feel jagged — not least, perhaps, to one dad in the audience, putting his arm around his eight-ish-year-old seatmate (though in fairness, the show does include parental guidance about violence). — Denise Duguay BRAIN MACHINE Andrew Bailey The Rachel Browne Theatre (Venue 8), to Saturday ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ½ 'Rape is hilarious — when it happens to dudes.' So begins Andrew Bailey's 2013 satirical and viral monologue about society's double standards when it comes to sexual assault against men. Andrew Bailey in The Brain Machine (Natalie Watson photo) While this monologue — or rather its background and fallout — figures into the one-hour Brain Machine, the show is much more than a review of the B.C.-based Bailey's greatest Internet hits. Vannevar Bush's utopian ideas about non-linear branching networks or 'associative trails'; Douglas Engelbart's pioneering work in applying these ideas to developing the early Internet; the more dystopian realities of how social media networks and online dialogue actually work — all of these are run together through Bailey's own creative associations, which are often hilarious. Bailey has something of David Foster Wallace's taste for blending technical and pop culture references and for non sequiturs that eventually reveal a bigger whole — only he's warmer, more audience-friendly and just a little more glib. Most importantly, he's a natural storyteller. Some strangers can talk and talk — and miraculously we want to listen. The nerdy, unassuming Bailey is one of those rare types. — Conrad Sweatman DEBBIE LOVES BUMBLEBEE Sour Candy Comedy RRC Polytech (Venue 11), to Sunday ⭐⭐⭐ ½ Local performer Bob Banks' one-man show is one of the most singular Winnipeg fringe experiences this reviewer has ever had. It's uncomfortable, voyeuristic, captivating. Banks' narrative has something to do with memories of his despised, neglectful father, who used drug money to put him through private school. It has more to do with his mother, dying of cancer, whom Banks loves intensely despite her abusive streak. As capital-T theatre, Debbie's frankly a bit of a mess. A 30-minute show (not 60) that starts with five minutes of caveats, is interrupted consistently by digressions and tears, and whose ending is so unclear that the performer had to awkwardly clap to instruct us it was over — this won't be for everyone. It can seem as if the emotions Banks is tapping into are still so raw he hasn't figured out how to churn out a polished work of theatre. But the experience is oddly thrilling, not despite, but because of this, bringing to mind the disordered, entrancing verité of Harmony Korine's early films. — Conrad Sweatman THE DND IMPROV SHOW XVI: THE CHOSEN ONE The DND Improv Show Gas Station Arts Centre (Venue 18), to Saturday ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The long-running implication of XVI in the title looked daunting to a one-time Dungeons & Dragons player (long ago, warlock, quickly dead). But fear not. While the majority of the audience are clearly well acquainted with all things D&D unfolding onstage, there is not one moment of confusion or exclusion. That even as the third night's hour-long show started where the second had ended, as per the progressive structure employed by this fast-thinking and ferociously talented local troupe. The basics: there's a chosen one, potential best friends Corn Chip and Onion, a princess, a hapless protector, a horned demon, a witch, somebody named Bean Dip and fan favourite Menno-Knight. Credit especially to dungeon-master Jesse Miki (co-writer with Sam McLean) for calling the action and rolling the giant dice from one battle challenge to the next. The only criticism? As vocal as they are, the audience could be even more involved in challenging the performers, who appear to thrive on it, spinning even brief stumbles into shinier gold. — Denise Duguay HEART RIPPED OUT TWICE AND SO CAN YOU Linnea Bond MTC Up the Alley (Venue 2), to Saturday ⭐⭐⭐⭐ You're the mark in a sketchy sales pitch. You can't trust a salesman with a plastic smile like Linnea Bond's persona, whom she plays with the officious zeal of Laura Linney in shows like The Truman Show or Ozark. And the product is dubious: existence itself. Or rather, existence as a theatre performer facing a malignant sort of triple threat: cancer, heart surgery and a lover who might not stick by your side through it all. We quickly tune into the fact that the life on sale is some version of Bond's. Her maniacal sales persona — trotting out vagina and tumour costumes and drenching almost every line in caustic satire — offers the consolation of gallows humour. The Philadelphia-based performer is clearly a pro, but after nearly an hour this controlled, sarcastic act can feel expressively limited, a little one-note even. But Bond ultimately creates moments of sincere vulnerability, convincing herself that this dubious product, life, is worth it after all. — Conrad Sweatman HOCKEY NIGHT AT THE PUCK & PICKLE PUB RibbitRePublic Theatre 2 King's Head Pub (Venue 14), to Sunday ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A pair of men who could never forget Al Iafrate's skullet, a couple of retired hockey moms united by synchronized cigarette exhales, and a duet of battle-tested nonagenarians who remember when the red line was what came dripping from a broken nose. Ryan Gladstone and Jon Paterson (Supplied) These are just six of the characters joining Canadian fringe vets Jon Paterson and Ryan Gladstone in the Puck and Pickle Pub to watch the gold medal game between Canada and the United States. Remounted roughly every four years as a topical reflection of us and them, Hockey Night is a regulation-length comedic vision of imagined countries with shared goals in mind. The laughs come faster than Dit Clapper's slapper, often inside the actors' broadcast booth, where Chris Cuthbert (Paterson) repeatedly puts Kelly Hrudy (Gladstone) in his place. As much about the game as the people we watch it with, Hockey Night is enriched by its barroom setting, where one is inspired to look around and consider which of the barstool commentators are Claudes, Matthews, Colleens or Lindas. — Ben Waldman WIT AND WRATH: THE LIFE & TIMES OF DOROTHY PARKER MissClaudiaPresents Planetarium Auditorium (Venue 9), to Sunday ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ½ New Orleans's Claudia Baumgarten doesn't just play the singular American poet, writer and critic in this 75-minute biographical dramedy. She positively channels her. Martini in hand, Baumgarten, who also wrote this show, takes us through Parker's dazzling biography, often in her subject's own wry, witty and oh-so-quotable wisecracks. Baumgarten's so dry and droll that sometimes one forgets she's not actually Mrs. Parker. She even bears a slight resemblance to the woman who once owned a poodle named Cliché. But it's not all laughs, of course. Baumgarten explores the shades of grey in Parker's colourful life — the multiple marriages, the boozing, the suicide attempts, the self doubt — to create a layered portrait of a complicated woman. As a performer, Baumgarten is understated; she's sometimes overwhelmed by too-loud music cues that go on too long. But it's also her subtlety that makes her performance so compelling. Time has made Parker a larger-than-life literary figure. Baumgarten reminds us she was real. — Jen Zoratti THE LIST: A TRAUMADY ABOUT PROBIOTIC MASCULINITY Conseil Keith Serry Son of Warehouse (Venue 5), to Saturday ⭐⭐⭐⭐ It starts as a tale about a young man hitchhiking in Quebec with a sexist 'f—k boi.' But things soon double back as its narrator, Montreal-based Keith Serry, recounts his checkered childhood and tribulations in choosing between being a 'good man' and 'the man.' Serry, who's appeared on PBS Stories From the Stage, is a strong storyteller. Nevertheless, halfway through the hour-long show, one might start wondering where Serry's exercise in tortured masculinity is going. He despises his working-class Scottish father, recalls with embarrassment being impressed by chauvinist creeps as a young man and talks about panic attacks after sex. Then a revelation comes like a gut-punch and ups the stakes. A catharsis that reminds us of how potent theatre-as-therapy can be. HHHH — Conrad Sweatman YOU'RE GOOD FOR NOTHING… I'LL MILK THE COW MYSELF Natacha Ruck Théâtre Cercle Molière (Venue 3), to Friday ⭐⭐ ½ French-born Natacha Ruck's 60-minute one-woman storytelling show is billed as 'hilarious, shocking and zany.' It's actually a mildly amusing series of anecdotes, mostly about the women in her family, strung together without sufficient throughline or high enough stakes to be dramatically satisfying. (The 'shocking' likely refers to her mother's propensity for violence, which Ruck doesn't quite succeed in making quirky/lovable.) Ruck effectively adjusts her mannerisms and voice to portray multiple characters — chic, chain-smoking Maman, wise-cracking father, imperious Belgian Mamie — but the occasions when she flips rapidly between them in conversation are jarring. Her accent is an imperative part of the performance, but occasionally it leads to mispronunciations that ruin a punchline, and her delivery is halting, with awkward pauses that makes it seem as if she isn't fully au fait with her material. However, the conclusion is filled with grace; one wishes for more of these moments. — Jill Wilson YOU'VE BEEN SERVED Pushy Productions Planetarium Auditorium (Venue 9), to Saturday ⭐⭐⭐ ½ Noemi is served divorce papers on top of a garbage bin while she's taking out the trash — and that's just the first post-split indignity she suffers. Noemi and Martini (Liz Payne photo) Written and performed by San Francisco's Noemi Zeigler, this slapstick dramedy follows our delightfully delusional gal's unhinged journey back to herself after a lifetime of pinning her entire self esteem on the validation of others. It's a well-written show, full of perceptive, funny and sometimes heartbreaking details about suddenly finding yourself alone at midlife, such as Noemi's admission that she thinks she has to entertain and joke to 'trick' people into loving her. But while the comedy here is tight, the more serious moments are almost played too big; more contrast might help them pack a more emotional punch. Still, Ziegler is a charming stage presence — and she can sing, too. — Jen Zoratti
