(Pictured: Cast & Crew of Closer. Photo Credit: Ross Davidson.)
There are moments early in Closer when you may find yourself wondering where it’s all going. Patrick Marber’s provocative examination of love, desire, and emotional brutality opens at a measured pace, and I’ll admit that at first, I wasn’t convinced. The stripped-down staging and deliberate slowness made me question whether this production would land for me at all. But somewhere around the midpoint of the first act, something shifted, and from there on, I was completely engrossed.
Directed by Dave Semple and produced by Andrea Bennett, Closer unfolds in the small black box space at the Palace Theatre’s Procunier Hall, placing the audience uncomfortably close to the emotional wreckage on stage. Starring Noah Englmann as Dan, Scarlett Allen as Alice, Alex Pinter as Larry, and Meghan Brown as Anna, the production strips away nearly everything except the actors themselves and ultimately proves it doesn’t need anything more.
(Pictured: Closer Cast – Scarlett Allen, Noah Englmann, Meghan Brown, and Alex Pinter. Photo Credit: Ross Davidson.)
The performances across the board are deeply believable, but special recognition must go to the two female roles. Scarlett Allen gives a brave, uncompromising performance as Alice. Allen gives herself fully to the role, including moments of near-total nudity that could easily feel gratuitous or awkward in lesser hands. Instead, she owns the space with absolute confidence. Never hesitant, never insecure. Her fearlessness makes Alice feel raw, real, and emotionally dangerous, which is exactly what the role demands.
(Pictured: Scarlett Allen as Alice. Photo Credit: Ross Davidson.)
Meghan Brown’s Anna is equally compelling, offering a performance layered with vulnerability, restraint, and quiet devastation. I found myself hanging on her every word and movement, forgetting for a moment that this was a play and not a moment of voyeurism. Together, Allen and Brown anchor the production with emotional authenticity, elevating every scene they’re in. While Englmann and Pinter deliver strong, grounded performances as Dan and Larry, it’s the women who truly drive the emotional core of the play.
(Pictured: Meghan Brown as Anna. Photo Credit: Ross Davidson.)
Closer is, at its heart, an unflinching look at relationships and the many contradictions of love. I grew up on the verse “love is patient, love is kind,” but this play reminds us that love can also be messy, cruel, obsessive, and brutal. Marber doesn’t soften any of it, and this production leans fully into those truths. Love here is exposed for all its ugliness and beauty, its tenderness and violence, and the result in this production is as uncomfortable as it is compelling.
The program describes the show as “stripped down, grown up, and not for the faint of heart,” with a strong viewer discretion warning—and that description is absolutely accurate. This is not a play for anyone inclined to clutch their pearls. If explicit language, sexual frankness, or emotional cruelty make you uncomfortable, this likely isn’t the show for you. But if you’re willing to sit with a little bit of discomfort, Closerwill reward you with a powerful exploration of love, loss, and heartbreak.
One of my initial hesitations was the minimalist staging. There are no traditional props and only sound effects and physical suggestion. At first, I found myself distracted, wondering why actual props weren’t used at all. But as the play progressed, it became clear: they don’t need them. The actors are the props. Their physicality, timing, and emotional commitment are so precise that you stop noticing what’s missing. Your focus narrows entirely to the characters and their unravelling relationships, which is exactly where it should be.
(Pictured: Set of Closer. Photo Credit: Ross Davidson.)
By the end of the two-hour production, the bare stage feels not like a limitation but a strength. The production is perfectly staged and brilliantly acted, proving that when performances are this strong, nothing else is necessary.
Despite my early doubts, I left thoroughly impressed and genuinely moved. Closeris challenging, bold, and beautifully performed. If you’re looking for theatre that doesn’t shy away from taking emotional risks, do yourself a favour and catch this production before it closes on February 15th.
IF YOU GO:
What: Closer, by Patrick Marber
When: February 5th-15th, 2026
Where: Procunier Hall at the Palace Theatre, 710 Dundas St, London Ontario
The Artistry of Notion exhibition at Westland Gallery celebrates the work and friendship of Johnnene Maddison and Mike Brouse. It includes fifteen of Maddison’s colourful abstractions, as well as three of her small hand-stitched gems, and fifteen of Brouse’s expressionistic pieces.
Maddison’s acrylic-on-canvas paintings fill the front gallery, while Brouse’s oils are spread throughout the rear gallery.
Johnnene Maddison’s delightful pieces preserve small points in time in paint and form.
In her artist statement, she writes about how her subject matter and choice of media has evolved over the years from mixed media work about women – their rights, their history, their challenges – to single-media acrylic paintings that are gestural and immediate.
This work is personal yet also presents Maddison’s experiences as universal truths.
The pieces burst with colour and carefully constructed forms. While the pieces stand on their own, the titles guide the viewer’s observations and direct their thoughts.
(Pictured: Johnnene Maddison, “Doors and Windows”, acrylic on canvas, 36 by 36 inches.)
Her 36-by-36-inch acrylic on canvas “Doors and Windows” rightfully occupies the front window. The subject can be enjoyed as is, but can also be seen as a representation of transitional thresholds.
(Pictured: Johnnene Maddison, “Wandering in My Mind”, acrylic on canvas. 30 by 40 inches.
Upon entering the gallery, her 30-by-40-inch acrylic on canvas, “Wandering in My Mind”, graces the left wall with its cadmium yellow centre clamouring for attention. Another eye-catcher, her 30-by-40-inch acrylic titled “Crazy Trip”, hangs on the back wall. Both embrace angular forms that straddle a line between staticity and busyness.
(Pictured: Johnnene Maddison, “Crazy Trip”, acrylic on canvas, 30 by 40 inches.)
While Maddison boasts a well-established artistic career, Michael Brouse came late to art after taking a class just before retirement. Around 2010, he began painting landscapes, but says he soon became “excited about the distortions caused by waves on reflections [and] segued into expressive abstraction”.
He cites Maddison and American expressionist painter Krista Harris, whose work is rooted in the natural world, as having influenced his work.
His works have an ethereal quality. As with Maddison’s work, titles are important
His layered, scratched, and scraped surfaces suggest landforms and figures, yet these remain elusive. His brushwork is ragged and energetic.
To Brouse, a notion as reflected in the title of this show refers to “an intuition, a feeling, imagination.” Fitting, as his expressive application of paint on a canvas conveys memory and dreams.
(Pictured: Michael Brouse, “Stillness”, oil on canvas, 36 by 48 inches.)
For example, he says his oil on canvas “Stillness”, which hangs on the left wall with its pops of orange, captures a vivid feeling from his childhood. It is one he has also marked with a poem: “Barefoot I stepped/ on to a cold winter floor/ as a child, touched by the/ radiant magic of a breaking morn./ My secret treasure stored away/ in the stillness.”
(Pictured: Michael Brouse, “North Shore”, oil on panel, 24 by 30 inches.)
On the right wall, Brouse’s 24-by-30-inch “North Shore” is next to the 32-by-40-inch “Notion”. While the subject of “North Shore” remains slippery, it contains forms that come tantalizingly close to representational, making it all the more intriguing.
One can assume its neighbour, “Notion”, is the source of the show’s title.
(Pictured: Michael Brouse, “Notion”, oil on canvas, 32 by 40 inches.)
IF YOU GO:
What: The Artistry of Notion featuring works by Johnnene Maddison and Mike Brouse.
When: February 3 to February 28. Opening Reception on Saturday, February 7, from 1:00 to 3:00pm.
Where: Westland Gallery, 156 Wortley Road, London, ON,
Uncommon Ground at Westland Gallery, January 6 to 31, 2026, brings together work by two disparate artists: Sheila Davis and Kevin Bice. While the works of both are firmly rooted in the environment, they diverge drastically from there. Together, they are a feast for the eyes and mind.
The main level is filled with Davis’s vibrant landscapes; it is an environment of colour, light, and form. The upper-level embraces Bice’s muted still life and landscapes; it is an environment of studied memory. Both celebrate the richness of life.
Davis’s work is awash in brush strokes and saturated colour. Being surrounded by her work is akin to forest bathing, the Japanese practice of immersing oneself in the canopy of a forest to promote well-being. Viewing her work is restorative – especially in the midst of a London winter.
(Pictured: Sheila Davis, “Wallflower II”, oil on panel, 40 by 40 inches. Courtesy of Westland Gallery.)
In “Wallflower II, a 40-by-40-inch oil on panel, turquoise and lime-green foliage compete with dashes of pink and orange against a band of cream. It is a lively dance of colour and form that beckons a viewer.
(Pictured: Sheila Davis, “Poetic License”, oil on panel, 48 by 48 inches. Courtesy of Westland Gallery.)
“Poetic License”, a 48 by 48-inch oil on panel, presents a dizzying array of colour and line that echoes an act of spinning around to observe one’s surroundings. In contrast, the vertical thrust of “Weaving Light”, a 42-by-36-inch oil on panel, elevates the viewer skyward.
(Pictured: Sheila Davis, “Weaving Light”, oil on panel, 42 by 36 inches. Courtesy of Westland Gallery.)
Bice’s work draws from places, people, and objects.
(Pictured: Kevin Bice, “Below the Bridge”, oil on canvas board, 18 by 21 inches – plein air work to celebrate the 150th year of the Blackfriars Bridge. Image courtesy of the artist.)
Some, like “Below the Bridge”, an 18-by-21-inch oil on canvas board, are plein air pieces, with recognizable locations; some, like “Remembering the Lake”, a 40-by-64-inch oil on canvas, seem to be inspired by old family photographs.
(Pictured: Kevin Bice, “Remembering the Lake”, oil on canvas, 40 by 64 inches.Courtesy of Westland Gallery.)
Others, such as “McClary Enamelware”, a 25 by 23-inch charcoal on rag paper, spring from time spent in the vaults of Museum London.
(Pictured: Kevin Bice, “McClary Enamelware”, charcoal on rag paper, 25 by 23 inches. Courtesy of Westland Gallery.)
Several of Bice’s paintings are accompanied by story cards. “I find that people are interested in the narrative which leads to the creation of a piece,” he explains.
For some of his works, like the plein air pieces, the narrative is simple: he was attracted by light hitting something or by a juxtaposition of textures that he wanted to spend more time with.
His motivation for studio works is often more complex. He says, “I might start a work because some image or composition or story is stuck in my head.” In these cases, he is never sure what direction the work will take.
In both instances, he views art as a means of exploration.
Of late, he has rediscovered plein air painting, and this is evident in Uncommon Ground. Bice explains, “It’s easy to get complacent and head for the comfort of the studio. Being around other outdoor artists is a great stimulant.”
Uncommon Ground: New works by Sheila Davis and Kevin Bice continues to January 31, 2026. There is an Artist Talk with Kevin Bice on January 10 from 1 to 3 pm and an Artist Demo with Sheila Davis on January 17, also from 1 to 3 pm.
London artist Bonnie Parkinson began her career as a commercial artist in the 1960s before turning to fine art in the 1980s and ultimately making her mark in both worlds. Smashing Fashion! The 60s Illustration of Bonnie Parkinson, which runs to January. 10, at TAP Centre for Creativity, is all about her commercial beginnings but with a contemporary twist.
Visitors are treated to 29 pieces, including seven of Parkinson’s original full-page ads from her time working at the London Free Press (LFP) and at Eaton’s, as well as twenty-two 60s-influenced pieces produced late in 2025.
(London Free Press, Special Fashion Section, Eaton’s ad 1969 detail. Courtesy of Bonnie Parkinson and Andrew Lewis.)
To fully appreciate the show, it is helpful to have a sense of the artist’s history.
Parkinson’s early career is a young artist’s dream. She was hired while still in her final year of the Special Art Programme at Beal to work part-time in the art department of the LFP. Upon graduation in 1960, she transitioned to the LFP’s full-time fashion artist.
Ladies’ fashion was in its heyday. Parkinson recalls, “At that time, London had many independent women’s fashion stores; my job was to do all these different stores, but each with a distinctive style.”
In 1964, she left the LFP to work for the T. Eaton Company (Wellington Square, London, Ontario). Between 1967 and 1968, she worked with Canadian fashion designer Marilyn Brooks at The Unicorn (Clarence St., London, Ontario) while continuing to freelance for Eaton’s in the evenings. From 1973 to 1974, Parkinson worked full-time at the Total Marketing Advertising Agency, London, Ontario. Then, in 1979, she was hired by Fanshawe College to teach illustration as well as life-drawing to fashion design students.
(Eaton’s ad 1968, fashion duo in fuchsia detail. Courtesy of Parkinson and Lewis.)
Parkinson describes her early illustrations as stylized and heavily influenced by the 60s phenomenon. It was an exciting time, and she met it with gusto. She drew directly on paper with a fine line marker, no pencil sketch first, and just put down what she saw. The emphasis was on the designed page, bold colour, and elegant lines.
In 1982, at the age of 40, Parkinson left commercial art entirely to paint full-time. Since then, Parkinson has been a constant in the arts community, exhibiting both locally and elsewhere.
(Eaton’s ad 1963, fashion trio in yellow detail. Courtesy of Parkinson and Lewis.)
What prompted Parkinson to put this Smashing Fashion! exhibition together? After 40-plus years as a painter, why did she circle back to fashion art at this point in time? Parkinson credits artist Andrew Lewis.
Lewis approached her in October 2025 with the idea for this show. He thought it was important to show the advertising fashion work that had been done right here in London, Ontario, as art. Parkinson agreed.
She quickly discovered that to do new illustrations of 60s fashions, some sixty years later, took some serious resetting. On top of this, it took a while for her to get back to pen and ink.
She also did an online refresher of the wild and crazy 60s Fashions.
(Bonnie Parkinson’s new illustration of swinging London England’s fashion icon Jean Shrimpton.)
Smashing Fashion! occupies the front two rooms of TAP that comprise Lab 203. It is an intimate area that is well used by Parkinson. The art is simply hung with minuscule magnets for maximum impact.
The full-page ads from the LFP are nostalgic nods to a once vibrant industry. Parkinson’s new illustrations effectively invoke the fashion sense that was part of the 60s’ cultural revolution, but in a less stylized manner and with more attention to detail in the fabrics. As a whole, the 2025 pieces present a veritable rogues’ gallery of the 60s with Andy Warhol, Cher, Jean Shrimpton and Twiggy amongst leggy young things sporting an array of bold patterns and designs.
(One of Parkinson’s new illustrations of 60s clothes.)
Smashing Fashion! The 60s Illustration of Bonnie Parkinson runs to January 10. A Meet the Artist reception is planned for Saturday, January 3, from 1 to 3 pm. It’s a hip way to start the New Year.
For more information about this exhibition and others at TAP Centre for Creativity, visit https://www.tapcreativity.org/
(Pictured: Andrew Lewis, one-third of the “The Three Furies” triptych, acrylic on canvas, 37 by 49 inches, 2025.)
Andrew Lewis’s solo show “Notes from the Mindfield” opens Thursday, December 4, 2025, at TAP Centre for Creativity with a reception from 6:00to 9:00pm.
This collection of new work includes over 250 drawings, paintings, sculptures and wearables and explores the artist’s observations and ideas on the complexity of our current era.
It is, he notes, an era sandwiched between the waning of the pandemic and the rise of artificial intelligence.
The show represents a new direction for the artist. Lewis describes the creative process as more “intuitive.” The result is work that he says “reflects a fragmented world where technology, memory, and human experience are deeply intertwined.” Of note is the dichotomy between abstract and biomorphic forms.
(Pictured: Andrew Lewis, “Ms. + Mr. Squarehouse” (Diptych), acrylic on canvas, 36 by 72 inches, 2025.)
Lewis is a busy creative. His personal work exists in addition to his design/branding business and his teaching at Western University. It is an environment in which he thrives.
The artist says, “At the University, I tell students that artists or designers are like truffle pigs in Italy, finding beautiful morsels that nobody else can see.”
His personal truffle-hunting began two years ago when he came down with COVID on New Year’s Day. It affected his physical and mental health. He says, “My creative process became scrambled.”
Since then, Lewis has witnessed the insidious infiltration of AI into daily life and the resulting deterioration of creative and critical thinking. “I see young, fresh minds not having the ability to provide original ideas or thinking due to how they interact with technology,” he says.
(Pictured: Andrew Lewis, “Ultramarine Series No.3”, acrylic on canvas, 36 by 36 inches, 2025.)
His new work is an escape from the aftermath of COVID and from the pervasiveness of AI.
He began with a series of biomorphic drawings and rediscovered the joy of making images and of unplanned work that just flowed. He describes the resulting work as a fascinating outpouring of the subconscious. That’s what you’ll see at “Notes from the Mindfield”
(Pictured: Andrew Lewis, “Pills, Orgies and Chaos,” acrylic on canvas, 48 by 96 inches, 2025.)
“Notes From the Mindfield” continues to January 10, 2026, at TAP Centre for Creativity, 203 Dundas Street, London, ON.
Associated with this exhibition is an Artist Talk on Saturday, December 6, at 3:00 pm and a workshop on Saturday, December 13, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm.
Andrew Lewis is an internationally recognized Canadian artist and designer. His artwork has been commissioned by clients such as the British Columbia Arts Council, Canada Post, the Royal Canadian Mint, Perrier, Scotiabank, the Stratford Festival, Starbucks Coffee, Converse, and VISA.
For more information about Andrew Lewis and his work, visit: andrewlewisart.ca.
(Jack Cocker, “Wanakita Cabin Scene (Evening),” oil on linen, 80 by 118 inches. Courtesy of Michael Gibson Gallery.)
Jack Cocker is enjoying his third solo exhibition with Michael Gibson Gallery while still in his mid-20s. That’s almost unheard-of success in the hardscrabble business of fine art.
It is a risky undertaking for an established gallery to take on such a young artist and a move that Michael Gibson admits he wouldn’t normally make, as such an artist’s story is “still being written.”
Cocker first approached Michael Gibson when the former was still in his third year at Western. He was studying under associate professor Sky Glabush.
Gibson visited Cocker at Western and then at the artist’s Mount Elgin Studio. He was impressed by Cocker’s ability to build colour and immediately recognized him as a gifted painter.
All of the works in the show were painted over the last year. All are firmly rooted in what Cocker describes as “familiarity, memory and connection.” They include views from his Mount Elgin studio, ski scenes, and figures representing Cocker or persons close to him.
For this show, the main gallery holds four massive pieces and five smaller ones. One of the large pieces is the oil on linen “Wanakita Cabin Scene (Evening)” which measures 80 by 118 inches. It hangs on the left wall of the gallery and features two of Cocker’s oft-repeated figures, his sister and his girlfriend. The piece is decidedly orange in all its glory and exudes the warm glow of a fading day.
(Jack Cocker, “Night Skiing,” oil on linen, 2025, 93.5 by 70 inches. Courtesy of the gallery.)
A more modestly sized 26-by-21-inch oil and distemper on linen, titled “Girl Near Water, 2024-2025”, with a single figure graces the back wall. On the same wall is “Night Skiing,” oil on linen, measuring 93.5 by 70 inches. It was painted when Cocker was learning to ski and features three beige figures on black snow.
(Jack Cocker, “Girl Near Water 2025”, oil on linen, 78 by 108 inches. Courtesy of the gallery.)
The middle gallery holds one large piece on the right wall, “Girl Near Water 2025”, oil on linen, 78 by 108 inches, with two figures and another 10 smaller pieces scattered throughout.
While Cocker’s works always include a figure and a landscape, they leave a lot to the imagination.
The artist explains, if a figure is too specific, it causes a painting to become “too much about the identity or the quality of the figure”, which, in turn, impedes a viewer’s ability to reflect. Cocker says, “While the paintings always contain elements of personal storytelling … I don’t [want them] to hinge on the autobiographical.”
Thus, the ambiguity of his figures serves to heighten a viewer’s “feeling of immersion in the scenes.” Cocker says that he hopes his paintings “feel like worlds you could walk into.”
(Pictured: Jack Cocker, Website)
Jack Cocker (born 2001) has a BFA from Western University (2023) and is currently in his first year of his MFA at the Emily Carr School of Art and Design in Vancouver.
Jack Cocker “New Paintings” continues to November 29, 2025, at Michael Gibson Gallery, 157 Carling Street, London.
Compiled by Richard Young, Publisher & Content Manager, The Beat Magazine 2025
LIVE THEATRE
Original Kids Theatre Company presents The Wizard of Oz Youth Edition, November 13-16, at the Spriet Theatre.
Get your tickets to ‘The Wizard of Oz Youth Edition’ before it’s too late! Visit our website www.originalkids.ca or call the Box Office today. 519-679-8989
The London Fringe Festival may be over for 2025, but the buzz still lives on, and for one more night, we’re bringing back some of the shows you couldn’t stop talking about! On Friday, November 14, join us at the Palace Theatre’s David Long Stage for MAGIC IMPROV MONSTER; an encore celebration of our People’s Choice favourites!
The evening kicks off with jaw-dropping illusions in Many Rooms: The House of Magic by Andrew Olmstead and Leonardo Martins.
Then brace yourself for a whirlwind of laughter and unscripted brilliance with The Improvables in their fan-favourite Controlled Chaos.
We’ll close the night with an electrifying one-man tour de force starring Jared Brown in Daniel McIvor’s “Monster”, a powerhouse performance you won’t forget.
BOGO: Buy one ticket, get the second free!
Tickets: Just $25 (all fees included)
Proceeds are shared between the performers and the theatre
Dating Games features five short plays, each showcasing a comically terrible first date that goes off the rails. Written by Garth Wingfield, the show’s real focus lies not in the dates themselves, but in the emerging theatre talent directing the plays. This production serves as a groundbreaking training initiative, providing mentorship and performance opportunities for up-and-coming directors.
“Dating Games is a truly special production. It is more than just a show; it’s a project that combines mentorship, training, and performance, contributing to the entire theatrical community,” says Elizabeth Durand, Theatre Aezir’s Artistic Director.
If You Go:
What: Theatre Aezir presents Dating Games.
When: November 6th to November 16th
Where: First Baptist Church, 568 Richmond St., London, ON
Award-winning, world-renowned, and infamously cheeky, Ronnie Burkett is back at the Grand Theatre with his unmatched mischievous, rollicking irreverence. Burkett’s latest work, Wonderful Joe, unleashes his sharp, unrelenting wit on the cities we call home, the people we overlook, and the four-legged friends walking beside them. And he’s bringing Mother Nature, Santa Claus, Jesus, and the Tooth Fairy along for the ride. Wonderful Joe, created and performed by Ronnie Burkett, opens the Grand Theatre’s Auburn Stage for the 2025/26 Season. Already extended due to popular demand, the production will run from Tuesday, November 4, through Sunday, November 23.
Single tickets are $48, and Auburn Series Subscriptions offer a 25% discount ($71.44 for both Wonderful Joe and Mrs Krishnan’s Party). Tickets and subscriptions are available at grandtheatre.com, by phone at 519.672.8800, or at the Box Office, 471 Richmond Street.
To learn more about Wonderful Joe by Ronnie Burkett at the Grand Theatre, please visit grandtheatre.com/event/wonderful-joe. Follow the production and peek behind the scenes by following @thegrandlondon and #GrandJoe on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, Bluesky, YouTube, & TikTok.
According to Edgar Allen Poe, what’s scarier than a raven? “Raven on Scot Pine”, coloured pencil on Museum board, is one of Beth Stewart’s submissions for our spooky art challenge at the Lambeth Art Association. Beth’s other submission, “We Three,” is coloured pencil on paper. Why is it scary? Beth explains that snapdragon blossoms, when dried, look like tiny human skulls. Who knew?
WHAT: LONDON SYMPHONIA CONCERT Payadora – The Soul of Tango London Symphonia, Scott Good, conductor, Payadora Tango Ensemble.
WHEN: Saturday, November 15, 2025, at 7:30 pm. Doors open at 6:30pm
WHERE: Metropolitan United Church, 468 Wellington St, London, ON.
SUBSCRIPTIONS & TICKETS: Ticket packages start at $155 for a 3-concert General Admission subscription and $212 for Reserved Seating, plus fees and HST. 5-concert packages are also available. Individual adult tickets range from $55 General Admission to $75 Reserved Seating, plus fees and HST. Family Flex packs and free student tickets are also available. In-person subscriptions and tickets can be purchased online now at londonsymphonia.ca.
Join us for another cozy afternoon in our Jazz Series featuring Rick Kish & Friends — live from 2–4 PM on Sunday, November 16th.
Enjoy smooth tunes, local craft beer, and good company with a $5 live music fee in partnership with the London Jazz Association.
Tobboggan Brewing Co. 585 Richmond Street
2–4 PM
At The Aeolian:
ONE NIGHT ONLY — The Ultimate Cabaret Variety Show! A Cabaret for WENDAKE …a campy affair!! Prepare for an unforgettable evening of glitz, glamour, and jaw-dropping talent as we bring together the boldest and brightest stars of the stage in a dazzling cabaret extravaganza!� Sultry Singers� Live Musicians� Fierce Drag Royalty & newcomers…� Seductive Burlesque Bombshell� Electrifying Dancers� Surprise Acts & More! From classic jazz to contemporary pop, cheeky comedy to high drama, this is cabaret like you’ve never seen it before. Whether you’re here for the sparkle, the sass, or the sheer spectacle – we’ve got something for everyone.� Dress to impress. Bring your wild side. Leave your inhibitions at the door. �� Aeolian Hall� Friday, November 14th � , 6:30: Doors Open� 7:30: Showtime� Tickets: [aeolianhall.ca or 519-672-7950]� Limited Seating – Reserve Now! Dare to be dazzled. Come for the show, stay for the magic.
The colourful history of Newfoundland’s fishers and loggers, sealers and whalers is told with story, song and incredible visuals in this engaging musical review by Shipyard Kitchen Party, creators of “Tom Thomson’s Wake” and “100 Years from Now”. From the remote outports to the vibrant city of St. John’s, from the fishing stages to the kitchens and front parlours, you’ll hear the timeless sea-shanties, triumphant ballads and the hilarious foot-stomping sing-a-longs that make Canada’s 10th province its most legendary. You may not be a Newfoundlander when you take your seat, but you’ll feel like one when you leave! Saturday at The Aeolian. https://www.facebook.com/events/1170578908213804
Saturday, November 15th. It’s time to celebrate the awesomeness that is 80’s Hair Bands!! 80’s GONE WILD 9pm start. Tickets $20 at Eventbrite.ca & The Bar.
Lisa Johnson’s recent artist residency in Pouch Cove, Newfoundland, is the driving force behind her Full Circle exhibition at Westland Gallery.
While this was Johnson’s third month-long residency at Pouch Cove, this time was different.
In 2021 and 2022, she recalls clambering over rocks and sitting amongst lichen and berries to sketch. This time, she went to Pouch Cove during an East Coast winter, where the conditions are challenging and the landscape is stark. She encountered nature at its most elemental.
Johnson was excited to do a winter residency to bear witness to the dramatic contrast of snow against the black coastal rocks. It is a location she describes as “transcendent” and “raw”, alluding to its timelessness.
Wearing long johns and a parka, and with crampons on her boots to keep from slipping, Johnson was able to go out for hikes, drawing, and even a bit of plein air painting.
(Lisa Johnson, The Painter and the Poet. oil on canvas, 32 by 40 inches. Photo by Beth Stewart.)
On a typical day, she would paint in the studio first thing in the morning and later, if it warmed up a bit, go out for a hike either on her own or with other Pouch Cove residency artists. Returning to her studio, she’d paint for the remainder of the day on large canvases she’d stapled to the walls.
Charcoal gesture drawings have always been an important part of her practice; she loves their simplicity and energy. With this series of paintings, she aimed to achieve a similar aesthetic using oil paint on canvas. The resulting work is pared down to the point of abstraction.
It is an approach that perfectly captures the starkness of the landscape in winter and the drama of this Eastern coastline. It is evident in two oil-on-canvas pieces: “Drawing on Memories” and “Aerie”.
(Lisa Johnson, “Drawing on Memories” oil on canvas 22 by 24 inches. Photo by Beth Stewart.)
(Lisa Johnson, “Aerie”, oil on canvas, 40 by 38 inches. Photo by Beth Stewart.)
A particularly striking piece is “Silent Drift”, measuring 40-by-30-inches, it has an oriental flavour with its ink-like markings, flattened perspective, and preserved white space.
(Lisa Johnson, “Silent Drift”, oil on canvas, 40 by 30 inches. Photo by Beth Stewart.)
Full Circle includes landscape paintings created during this residency as well as work inspired by it and created after returning to her Ontario studio.
In the latter, Johnson continues with the approach that she began in Newfoundland. These paintings are large and gestural and employ a neutral palette. It is work she describes as closer to drawing.
(Lisa Johnson, “Early Riser”, oil on canvas, 32 by 40 inches. Photo by Beth Stewart.)
Full Circle also includes more colour-filled works from a spring and fall series, some from Newfoundland, and some from other Canadian locations.
These are sequestered in the upper level of the gallery and lean more toward using the visual vocabulary of color, value, shape, and composition to communicate memory while abstracting the landscape.
(Installation shot. Photo by Beth Stewart.)
Lisa Johnson’s Full Circle is invigorating and breathtaking. The show continues to November 29 at Westland Gallery, 156 Wortley Road.
Compiled by Richard Young, Publisher & Content Manager, The Beat Magazine 2025
YOU WANT LIVE THEATRE? WE’VE GOT LIVE THEATRE!
Colleening: The Letters and Poetry of Colleen Thibaudeau is on stage this weekend, November 7-9. Friday is almost sold out; best availability Saturday or Sunday!
Featuring Katy Clark, Paul Grambo, and Kydra Ryan!
The Manor Park Memorial Hall, 11 Briscoe Street W, London, Ontario
Dating Games features five short plays, each showcasing a comically terrible first date that goes off the rails. Written by Garth Wingfield, the show’s real focus lies not in the dates themselves, but in the emerging theatre talent directing the plays. This production serves as a groundbreaking training initiative, providing mentorship and performance opportunities for up-and-coming directors.
“Dating Games is a truly special production. It is more than just a show; it’s a project that combines mentorship, training, and performance, contributing to the entire theatrical community,” says Elizabeth Durand, Theatre Aezir’s Artistic Director.
If You Go:
What: Theatre Aezir presents Dating Games.
When: November 6th to November 16th
Where: First Baptist Church, 568 Richmond St., London, ON
Award-winning, world-renowned, and infamously cheeky, Ronnie Burkett is back at the Grand Theatre with his unmatched mischievous, rollicking irreverence. Burkett’s latest work, Wonderful Joe, unleashes his sharp, unrelenting wit on the cities we call home, the people we overlook, and the four-legged friends walking beside them. And he’s bringing Mother Nature, Santa Claus, Jesus, and the Tooth Fairy along for the ride. Wonderful Joe, created and performed by Ronnie Burkett, opens the Grand Theatre’s Auburn Stage for the 2025/26 Season. Already extended due to popular demand, the production will run from Tuesday, November 4, through Sunday, November 23.
Single tickets are $48, and Auburn Series Subscriptions offer a 25% discount ($71.44 for both Wonderful Joe and Mrs Krishnan’s Party). Tickets and subscriptions are available at grandtheatre.com, by phone at 519.672.8800, or at the Box Office, 471 Richmond Street.
To learn more about Wonderful Joe by Ronnie Burkett at the Grand Theatre, please visit grandtheatre.com/event/wonderful-joe. Follow the production and peek behind the scenes by following @thegrandlondon and #GrandJoe on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, Bluesky, YouTube, & TikTok.
ART EXHIBITIONS IN THE LONDON AREA
Lisa Johnson’s incredible solo exhibition, Full Circle, will be on display until November 29th at Westland Gallery
Join us for ‘We Remember Them,’ a special concert honouring our Veterans, on Sunday, November 9, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. at Colborne Street United Church. The program will feature Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem, presented by Chorus London with organist Laurence Williams.
Tickets are going fast! Each ticket costs $25, and children under 13 are admitted free of charge. You can buy tickets by calling the church office at 519-432-4552, at the door on the day of the event, or online. For more details or to purchase tickets, please visit https://www.colborne711.org/event-list
SEE SPOT RUN & ORANGEMAN
Eastside Bar & Grill 9pm Start. Tickets $20 available at Eventbrite.ca
Murphy’s 50th Birthday
Friday, November 7th at the Palasad Socialbowl.
Warning: The Palace Theatre may not recover from the combined power of Vanity Affair and Maple Queef.
Expect high heels, higher drama, and a dangerously low amount of chill.
Friday. 7PM at the Palace Theatre, Be there, ponies.
Scottish singer-songwriter & acoustic fingerstyle guitar virtuoso Simon Kempston from Edinburgh is currently on his 10th tour of Canada. He has never played in London, Ontario before.
SPECIAL Buy One – Get One Offer for this Sunday’s concert.
Here is how the BOGO offer works. If you have already bought a ticket, you can bring someone along on the same ticket. If you buy a ticket from one of the outlets or online, you can bring an additional person along on the same ticket.
Come on out and hear this wonderful artist at the Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club (London, Ontario) this Sunday, Nov. 9 at Chaucer’s Pub, 122 Carling Street. Advance tickets are at Grooves Records (Wortley location), Long & McQuade (725 Fanshawe Park Rd W), and online.
The incredible Billy Raffoul, award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter & producer, returns to Forest City on November 7th in Rum Runners, with special guest Peter Raffoul.
Guitar, saxophone, huge songwriting, and a voice that won him a Canadian Folk Music Award for Contemporary Singer, Ian Sherwood Brings The Light to every stage he stands on. A born storyteller and a constant creator, his music dances the line between folk and pop.
Sunday, November 9th, 7:00pm, at The Aeolian Hall.
You can find tickets for this event on Humanitix.
The Hot Tub Hippies return to the Wortley Roadhouse this weekend to rock the dance floor! Shows start at 9pm.
Since the late 1950s, artists in Kinngait (Cape Dorset), Nunavut, have produced unique and beautiful drawings, prints, and sculptures. Prints are produced in editions of 50, and sets are distributed to select galleries in Canada, the U.S., the U.K., and Europe. Galleries receive one copy of each print. London is lucky to be part of this.
For over a decade, Strand Fine Art Services has been one of the select galleries for the much-anticipated Cape Dorset Annual Print Collection.
The 2025 collection is as fresh and exciting as ever. The brightly coloured and highly imaginative pieces embrace traditional and contemporary imagery. Co-owner Andrew Symth agrees, saying, “There’s a newness to it.”
The show opened with over 30 prints. While many have sold and gone to their forever homes, there is still plenty to see and treasures to behold. All of the pieces are simply displayed sans frames using tiny magnets. My three favourites follow.
(Ningiukulu Teevee, “Kamikutaalik (One with Long Boots)”, Lithograph, 35.6 by 28.3 cm. Photo by Beth Stewart.)
Ningiukulu Teevee’s whimsical lithograph “Kamikutaalik (One with Long Boots)” features a raven sporting green waders. The bird marches with confidence and purpose across the page to an unknown destination.
“Puijut (Popping Up)”, Qavavau Manumie’s etching and aquatint glows. At first glance, I thought it was a wall of trophy heads, but the title reveals otherwise, and makes me look at it with new eyes. I love the artist’s use of complementary colours and the way the subtle gradations create the illusion of dimension for what would otherwise be a simple design.
(Qavavau Manumie, “Puijut (Popping Up)”, etching and aquatint, 71.8 by 53 cm. Photo by Beth Stewart.)
Shuvinai Ashoona’s exuberant etching and aquatint “Klaviqtag (Jumping High)” documents a simple pleasure in a setting that appears to be strewn with the detritus of mass-produced foodstuffs. Is the scene itself a garbage dump, or has refuse encroached upon a once pristine space?
(Shuvinai Ashoona, “Klaviqtag (Jumping High)”, etching and aquatint, 107.5 by 74.2 cm. Photo by Beth Stewart.)
According to Dorset Fine Arts, creativity at the Kinngait Studios is channelled into images that represent the Inuit way of life. They call the highly imaginative results isumanivi, which means “your own thoughts.” The pieces certainly make one think and subjectively interpret each piece.
In addition to prints, Strand has a beautiful collection of sculpture. For instant gratification with the potential to brighten all of next year, purchase one of the Dorset-produced Inuit Art 2026 calendars.
Strand Fine Art Services is located at 1161 Florence Street, Unit #4. For more information, visit www.strandfineartservices.com.
The Beat Magazine 2025 