Traditional arts journalism is in decline. Now more than ever, this independent website and our podcast fill a growing void. We've had over 1.5 million page views, and are grateful that you are here. We rely on readers — and a handful of advertisers who share our values — to make our work possible. When we raised funds for our podcast, The "Performers Podcast," the average donation from people like you was $96. Now we hope you’ll join us in augmenting our coverage of arts in the region by making a one-time donation today.
“Runeckles and Kahn are both excellent at engaging young audience members with their earnest performances as unassuming heroes. Also excellent is Andrew Robinson as the voice and the head of Atreyu’s literal Ride-Or-Die Artax. He is immediately funny and loveable and quite possibly the highlight of this production”
Read Full Review06/23/2019“This is design at its most theatrical: Visuals that startle at first, then tickle as you figure out how they are pulled off and what everyday objects they are made of.
It goes well with the plot, which sees Bastian not only reading The Neverending Story, but seemingly sucked into it. Runeckles and Khan, who both give sweet performances, are styled similarly to suggest that Bastian is imagining himself as the hero Atreyu as he hides from his real-world challenges…
In recent years, both the Stratford Festival and Shaw Festival have been trying to capture the family market by staging well-known fantasy stories by Robert Louis Stevenson, Lewis Carroll and C.S. Lewis, but this is the first production that I haven’t found a bit trying as an adult spectator.”
Read Full Review06/18/2019“Full of entrancing visuals that inspire childlike wonder – and performances that celebrate the power of the imagination – The Neverending Story is a delightful addition to the Stratford Festival’s Schulich Children’s Plays. Keiley, Gerecke and their crew have created a stunningly different fantasy world – one of light and bizarrely realized character – that’s unlike anything previously seen on the Avon Theatre stage.”
Read Full Review06/18/2019“Designer Bretta Gerecke and lighting designer Leigh Ann Vardy have crucial roles in Keiley’s vision and they pull off some dazzling effects; Artax is somehow both majestic and friendly and two married gnomes, constructed on Arbuckle’s shins, are sleeper hits, especially when things get hot and heavy between them. Bastian’s opening run through his neighbourhood and school to escape pursing bullies is also a thrilling sequence.
The impulse to lean on the design elements of The Neverending Story is understandable, given the narrative constraints in Craig’s adaptation, and Keiley’s production is a glittering ride of ’80s nostalgia. Unfortunately all those technical cues also put a spotlight on the play’s shortcomings.”
Read Full Review06/16/2019
