Slings & Arrows - Season 1 (2006)

A gentle reminder

I work in theater as an actor, writer and director and on those days when I am not very excited about the work I am doing or done that day. I will pop in the disc and watch any episode and about 5 minutes into it I feel my theatre battery recharging and my love for my chosen life powering up. This show stands as a gentle reminder that whether I am doing the right thing or not - I am doing exactly what I want to do with my lie. December 21, 2008

A "must see" for any current, would-be, or once-was actor

This splendid series is loosely based on the Stratford Shakespearean Festival held annually in Ontario. There are parallel story lines -- romance within and across generations, corporate backstabbing, a nagging yet helpful ghost -- but the most compelling theme addresses the craft of acting. When the burned-out actor turned director instructs his Ophelia and his Hamlet, you know you're hearing echoes of theatrical truth going back to Richard Burbage and beyond, even unto the Greeks. When the stage ingenue finds it amusing that her movie star boyfriend (who took a theater gig to improve his acting cred) might have learned something from Hollywood director Ron Howard, she is reminded that "he's been around actors since he was, like, three years old."

To date I've seen only season one, and am looking forward to the others. It's sophisticated comedy with just enough drama to elevate it to a genre of its own. I can't recommend it highly enough, particularly to those who have "trod the boards." (The witty barroom song during the opening credits deconstructs "Hamlet" as well as any lit-crit you're likely to encounter!) November 24, 2008

Not "Due South," but amusing none the less

Bought this purely on the strength of Paul Gross, who starred in my favorite dramady of all time: Due South.
Let's just get that out of the way once and for all: Slings and Arrows is nothing like it! Frazier does not make an appearance!
That said, it's not terrible. It's better than most American TV IMHO, and I was starting to enjoy it by the 3rd or 4th episode. Of course, there are only 6, so season 1 was over just when it was hitting its stride.
Lots of dark humor and messed up, washed out characters, but you still end up liking (some of) them, and there are moments of real humor and even real redemption in there.
I'll probably get the rest of the seasons from the library though. October 23, 2008

So original, so much fun

This jaw-dropping series from Canada originally aired in the USA on the Sundance channel.

There are so many surprises and astonishing moments in this jaw-dropping series that I almost hesitate to tell you anything about it because part of the delight of this show for me was having no idea what was coming next.

The New Burbage Festival has seen better days. Its productions of Shakespeare are stale, the director and actors are uninspired. When the company finds itself in need of a new artistic director, a former Burbage player, Geoffrey Tennant, reluctantly takes charge despite his history (he had a mental and emotional breakdown while onstage in the middle of Hamlet, years earlier) with the company.

Economic forces are constantly at odds with art. Actors' lives are messy and dramatic. Young movie stars (think Keanu Reeves/Orlando Bloom) seek growth and legitimacy through Shakespeare. There is language and sex but if you let that put you off, you will miss moments where Tennant explains a character or an aspect of the Shakespeare play with such clarity, passion and insight that you will be staggered to think you never saw it that way before.

So much fun, so original.
May 26, 2008

Hilarious, intense, and completely compelling

This series makes Shakespeare and the theatrical world come alive. Paul Gross is ) and has reminded me how much I loved Shakespeare long ago. The wonderful Paul Gross draws you into the world of the theatre, but it is truly an ensemble piece, with all roles played to perfection. April 16, 2008

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