“I’ve never seen any of Hollingsworth’s work before, so I really didn’t know what to expect. What I got is something like a cross between Spitting Image and the theatre of Bertolt Brecht….it’s a rollicking good ride, and very different from Stratford’s usual theatrical fare.”

Nestruck reviews Hirsch and The War of 1812 loosley linking them thematically under anti-heroes and “the continuing battle against absorption by the United States.” Both get 3 stars.

Cushman provides an excellent background to Michael Hollingsworth and The VideoCabaret’s unique style. “the writing (by Michael Hollingsworth) is pungent, the staging (also by Hollingsworth) is brilliant, the set and lighting (Andy Moro) are superbly precise and economic, the costumes (Astrid Janson) are even more superbly garish…”

For those unfamiliar with the VideoCab approach — and I’ve seen nothing quite like it in many years of theatre-going — the show may be a bit of a jolt”….Hollingsworth “stitches together the often brutal and inconclusive skirmishes fought from 1812-14 between President James Madison’s Americans and the British, who were allied with the Shawnee chief Tecumseh.”

“Combining the festival’s premium production values…with one of Toronto’s most enduring, leading-edge theatre companies makes for a compelling theatrical fusion of high and low art….As I was sitting in the audience Sunday, enjoying the theatrical parade before me, the thought occurred that The Bard would approve…”