Theatre Network’s Gordon cynically dissects a messed-up family – Review by GRAHAM HICKS

Theatre review by GRAHAM HICKS, hicksbiz.com Gordon April 25 to May 15, 2016, Theatre Network, The Roxy on Gateway, 8529 Gateway Blvd. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 8 p.m. dark Mondays running time, including intermission, 2 hours, 15 minutes Tix: Theatrenetwork.ca The very best part of Gordon, playing at Theatre Network’s temporary home on Gateway Boulevard through May 15, is the absence of sugar-coating. Playwrights usually emerge from that societal class that believes in nurture over nature, environment over jobs and mankind’s innate goodness. They tend to adapt a social worker stance when dealing with societal under-bellies. To quote West Side Story: “He ain’t a criminal, he’s just misunderstood. We ain't no delinquents, we're misunderstood. Deep down inside us there is good!” In Gordon, playwright Morris Panych will have nothing to do with ‘this boy don't need a judge, he needs an analyst's care!’ That’s why Gordon, in its unsettling way, is ... Read the rest of entry »

Hicks on Biz: Alberta is already a world leader in reducing CO2 emissions BY GRAHAM HICKS, POSTMEDIA NETWORK FIRST POSTED: SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 2016

Okay, so we are expected to suck it up and take one for climate change. Soon, Alberta’s middle class families will be turning over hundreds more dollars a year in a carbon tax – i.e. much higher taxes on gasoline powering our vehicles and natural gas heating our homes, and who knows what else. This will raise billions of dollars, which will all be re-invested, Premier Rachel Notley promises, into ways and means of becoming a “carbon-free” province. Here’s my problem: Notley’s criticism of past Conservative governments for “not doing anything” about climate change is totally and absolutely wrong. Alberta – our research institutes, universities, energy companies and our unique Climate Change & Emissions Management Corporation (CCEMC) – was a global leader in reducing GHG (greenhouse gas emissions) well before Ms. Notley came to power, and continues to be a world leader. Let me count the ways. Up in the oilsands, most of the major ... Read the rest of entry »

Hicks' Weekly Dish: Pampa celebrates meat BY GRAHAM HICKS, FIRST POSTED EDMONTON SUN, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2016

Pampa Brazilan Steakhouse 9929-109 St. 780-756-7030 pampasteakhouse.com Mon. to Fri. 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. (Friday, 10 p.m.) Sat. 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sun. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (brunch), 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Food: 4.5 of 5 Suns Ambience: 4 of 5 Suns Service: 4 of 5 Suns There are days I feel so sorry for vegetarians. Like the February 18th fifth anniversary party and YouCan Youth Services fund-raiser at the Pampa Brazilian Steakhouse. Guests feasted on leg of lamb, pork sausage, parmesan-crusted pork loin, bacon-wrapped chicken thighs, rump roast … and that was just the beginning. Pampa celebrates meat, in all its glory. If the Noorish and Padmanadi restaurants are nirvana to the vegetarian/vegan set, Pampa is heaven come to earth for meat-lovers. Five years ago, Edmontonian Oscar Lopez combined his love of Brazil’s steakhouses – born from working in that country, his hospitality background, his freshly minted University of Alberta MBA, his B ... Read the rest of entry »

Hicks' Weekly Dish: Food memories of 2015 BY GRAHAM HICKS, EDMONTON SUN FIRST POSTED: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015

If a downside exists in the restaurant reviewing business, it’s the lack of time and budget to return to enjoyable dining spots, to eat for the sheer joy of eating rather than with pen in hand and camera at the ready. So these memorable Meals of 2015 are, of necessity, mostly based on one-time visits to an astounding variety of restaurants in our city. I can say — as far as I am aware — that I eat what you eat. As a reviewer, I seek anonymity. Reservations are made under other names, I pay what you pay. The only exception is attending showcase dinners to which all members of the city’s food-reviewing community are invited. I also keep my distance from restaurant chefs, owners and charming maître d’s. Nothing destroys objectivity as quickly as friendship. From their blogs, it’s so easy to tell the food writers on the free-dinner circuit, or those in tight with certain chefs. They like everything, criticize nothing. Memories of 2015 … The Hot Dog R ... Read the rest of entry »

All the songs from Mayfield Dinner Theatre's Back to the '80s

There’s a pile of songs in the Mayfield Dinner Theatre’s “Back to the ‘80s” show – playing with a full cast and band, until the end of January, 2016 From my notes while attending the show, here’s a list of all the songs I jotted down – some of them being just a few bars. I’m too lazy to go and look up the proper title. Besides, you’ll know: Video Killed the Radio Star – great tune! Still Rock ‘n’ Roll to Me – Billy Joel at his best (You Can} Hit It  Call Me  Turning Japanese (I Really Think So) Live Forever (from Fame) Cadillac Ranch – all that line dancing! They Got the Beat Jessie’s Girl – timeless Bette Davis Eyes – Kim Carnes, the best whiskey voice in the biz Dancin’ With Myself Hold On – Phil Collins’ first hit on his own? Hey Rickie Who Can It Be Now – Men At Work Don’t Stop Believing – thank you Glee Spending The Night Together 867- ... Read the rest of entry »

Hicks' Weekly Dish: XIX very good but not great by GRAHAM HICKS, EDMONTON SUN FIRST POSTED: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2015

XIX (Nineteen) 5940 Mullen Way (off Rabbit Hill Road, north of Henday Drive) 780-395-1119 dinenineteen.com Mon. 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., Tues-Thurs. 3 p.m., Fri-Sat. noon to midnight, Sun. noon to 10 p.m. Food: 3.5 of 5 Suns Ambience: 3.5 of 5 Suns Service: 4 of 5 Suns Dinner for two excluding drinks and tip: Basic, $60; loaded, $100 Andrew Fung’s XIX (Nineteen) seeks to be the Hardware Grill of the city’s South Side. Sleek is the word I’m looking for. XIX is in the middle of the prosperous new suburbs of the deep southwest, spilling out of Riverbend across Henday Drive into Windermere. I suspect stricter drinking and driving laws have accelerated the move of quality restaurants to the wealthier ‘burbs, given the reduced driving distances or reduced Uber bills. That said, there’s a certain lack of character endemic to such establishments. It’s all too new, too well groomed, a tad bland. The new structures — XIX is at the end of a high-end ... Read the rest of entry »

Hicks on Biz: Good riddance to the traitorous Chris Jones BY GRAHAM HICKS, EDMONTON SUN FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2015

Good riddance to bad rubbish. May the traitorous Chris Jones royally screw up in Saskatchewan. The Edmonton Eskimos – specifically General Manager Ed Hervey – gave their newly departed head coach Chris Jones his big break two years ago. It was Jones’ first head-coach job after bouncing through three teams over 10 years as a defensive coordinator. Always the groomsman, never the groom, at least not until the Eskimos gave him his break, complete with a three-year contract. And Hervey gave him the players. Jones delivered big-time. He’s a great coach. He took the Eskimos from a 4-14 year in 2013 to Grey Cup champions in 2015. So, just as long-suffering Eskimo fans could realistically savour the return of a Canadian Football League dynasty based on three pillars - GM Hervey, coach Jones and quarterback Mike Reilly - what does Jones do? He gives EVERYBODY – his players, his staff, the Eskimo organization and, most insultingly, Eskimo fans – the middle finger! W ... Read the rest of entry »

Hicks' Weekly Dish: Corso 32 near perfect in every way BY GRAHAM HICKS, EDMONTON SUN FIRST POSTED: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 08, 2015

Corso 32 10345 Jasper Ave. 780-421-4622 corso32.com 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week Reservations recommended Food: 5 of 5 Suns Ambience: 4 of 5 Suns Service: 4.5 of 5 Suns For prime-time dining, tables at Corso 32 tables are booked months in advance. The place is so popular you could make money selling those reservation slots on Kijiji! There’s such a good reason. Everything about the contemporary Italian dining establishment — literally a hole in the wall on Jasper Avenue you’d never notice unless you’re looking — is soft and silky and is of nothing but the best of quality. Most of the city’s finer dining establishments receive a 3.5 or a 4 four out of 5 Suns in the Weekly Dish rating system, usually because something or other isn’t quite right. But having dined at Corso three or four times over the past three years, I’ve never experienced anything — not the food, the service, or the evening out — that w ... Read the rest of entry »

Hicks on Biz: Nothing about Alberta's energy and environment policy makes sense! BY GRAHAM HICKS, EDMONTON SUN FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 04, 2015

These scenarios surrounding our energy sector are absolutely baffling. Has Lewis Carroll come back to write a sequel to Alice in Wonderland? Even in 2014/15, when energy prices were halved, oil/gas production and processing accounted for $111 billion gross revenues in Alberta – or approximately $400 million A DAY. Last year, the energy sector directly accounted for 25% of our provincial Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) – suggests 70% of Alberta’s total economic activity is tied to the energy sector. Nobody has challenged that figure. Today, this industry is on the ropes. The world price of oil and gas, which we cannot control, is at a 10-year low. Our guy is reeling, heading to the mat. Here’s the craziest thing. The body blows are being delivered by those who live among us, who benefit every day from this industrial activity! The Save-Our-Plant/Climate Change frenzy has become such an emotional crusade that fossil fuel ... Read the rest of entry »

Hicks Weekly Dish: The Marc BY GRAHAM HICKS, EDMONTON SUN FIRST POSTED: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 01, 2015

The Marc 9940-106 St. 780-429-2828 Mon. to Fri - 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. (Friday to 10:30 p.m.) Sat. 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Closed Sundays Food: 4 of 5 Suns Ambience: 3.5 of 5 Suns Service: 4.5 of 5 Suns The Marc is as much about service as it is about food. It's the comfortable, gracious welcome of Patrick and Doris Saurette, who know most of their customers by name, who have trained their serving staff in the fine art of being attentive, friendly and knowledgeable without being overbearing. It's a restaurant not defined by a million-dollar décor or a sweeping view, but by the ability of its people to never appear rushed, no matter how full, to make every customer feel special. In fact, I am not fond of The Marc's physical space. On the main floor of a commercial tower, it's office-space rectangular, bland and white. But it does have a lovely fair-weather patio. Add to the service and pacing a simple but excellent menu that deeply understands wha ... Read the rest of entry »