Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

aisling murphy

@aislingmurph.bsky.social

2.2K followers 430 following 280 posts

"ash-ling" | theatre reporter @ the globe and mail | [email protected]

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

aisling murphy @aislingmurph.bsky.social · 5d

I love writing about Taylor Swift. But today's release was a disappointment – only one track really gives you a look at, you know, the life of a showgirl, and the others are various shades of clunky, tone-deaf and just OK.

My review for @theglobeandmail.com:

Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl is fizzy, earwormy and, well, not great

Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album features a few killer pop tracks, but a muddled concept and weak lyrics prevail

www.theglobeandmail.com

aisling murphy @aislingmurph.bsky.social · 13h

I wanted The Life of a Showgirl to grow on me. But Taylor Swift's likely use of generative AI to market the album crossed a line I'm not sure I'll ever be able to look past.

My op-ed for @theglobeandmail.com:

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/musi...

Wait, did Taylor Swift use generative AI to market The Life of a Showgirl?

Swift’s Easter eggs are legendary within her massive fandom. But the likelihood she used AI to generate promotional videos makes them tough to enjoy, writes Aisling Murphy

www.theglobeandmail.com

aisling murphy @aislingmurph.bsky.social · 15h

I spent a surprisingly glorious week in Regina at the beginning of September – maybe Chappell Roan has it right about ditching the big city and moving to Saskatchewan.

Here's my write-up about the renovated Globe Theatre, as well as some (great!) eats.

www.theglobeandmail.com/life/style/t...

Regina’s revamped Globe Theatre is just one reason to visit the Prairie city

Canada’s only permanent theatre-in-the-round is ready for its close-up. Aisling Murphy went to investigate and found the city has a lot more going for it than a great theatre

www.theglobeandmail.com

aisling murphy @aislingmurph.bsky.social · 2d

The Globe and Mail's fall culture preview dropped this weekend! Here's the theatre I'm looking forward to as the months get cooler, in Ontario and beyond.

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...

Jeremy O. Harris’s Slave Play and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s The Comeuppance make Canadian debuts

Disney’s powerhouse musical Frozen expected to spread some magic

www.theglobeandmail.com

Reposted by aisling murphy

Doug Eacho @dougeacho.bsky.social · 4d

@aislingmurph.bsky.social has it spot on with the excellent toronto production of Slave Play, and with the (unfair but undeniable) weirdness of this play in 2025. fascinating stuff.

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...

Yes, Slave Play is edgy and sharp. But Canadian Stage’s landmark production is more than that

Canadian premiere of Jeremy O. Harris’s opus is devastating and raw

www.theglobeandmail.com

Reposted by aisling murphy

J. Kelly Nestruck @nestruck.bsky.social · 4d

Incredible production. Killer ensemble. The type of top-tier quality theatre that makes you feel lucky to live in Toronto. @crowstheatre.bsky.social

aisling murphy @aislingmurph.bsky.social · 20d

Good lord, Octet (Crow's + Musical Stage + Soulpepper). What an impressive accomplishment – both on its own merit, and for the fact that it couldn't be less similar to Toronto's last romp with Dave Malloy.

My Critic's Pick review is online now:

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/arti...

Octet is a must-see a cappella musical about the twistiest corners of the internet

The co-production demands to be observed in-person, away from the digital noise that the work critiques

www.theglobeandmail.com

aisling murphy @aislingmurph.bsky.social · 5d

I've loved SLAVE PLAY for years – even when the chatter around it has overshadowed the brilliance of Jeremy O. Harris's writing. (Has the play aged since its off-Broadway premiere in 2018? A bit. But no matter.)

Run, don't walk, to Canadian Stage.

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...

Yes, Slave Play is edgy and sharp. But Canadian Stage’s landmark production is more than that

Canadian premiere of Jeremy O. Harris’s opus is devastating and raw

www.theglobeandmail.com

Reposted by aisling murphy

J. Kelly Nestruck @nestruck.bsky.social · 5d

Two more things Canada could import from the UK in AD searches: Transparency and oversight. 🧵

J. Kelly Nestruck @nestruck.bsky.social · 6d

I have no problem with Stratford looking to Britain for leadership - but the company should look to the UK for best practices on how to choose leadership too, going forward.

aisling murphy @aislingmurph.bsky.social · 5d

I love writing about Taylor Swift. But today's release was a disappointment – only one track really gives you a look at, you know, the life of a showgirl, and the others are various shades of clunky, tone-deaf and just OK.

My review for @theglobeandmail.com:

Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl is fizzy, earwormy and, well, not great

Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album features a few killer pop tracks, but a muddled concept and weak lyrics prevail

www.theglobeandmail.com

Reposted by aisling murphy

J. Kelly Nestruck @nestruck.bsky.social · 6d

Stunned to learn through @aislingmurph.bsky.social's column today that the Stratford Festival's nine-person AD search committee included no artists - because board chair David J Adams felt they would have a conflict of interest.
www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/arti...

Why Jonathan Church’s hire could be a mixed bag for the Stratford Festival

New artistic director has family ties to Ontario and Mirvish credits, but minimal experience in Canada’s not-for-profit theatre sector

www.theglobeandmail.com

aisling murphy @aislingmurph.bsky.social · 6d

Wrote a little more about the Stratford Festival's new artistic director — the good, the bad and the hiring committee that included zero artists for the top job in Canadian theatre.

My column is online now:

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/arti...

Why Jonathan Church’s hire could be a mixed bag for the Stratford Festival

New artistic director has family ties to Ontario and Mirvish credits, but minimal experience in Canada’s not-for-profit theatre sector

www.theglobeandmail.com

aisling murphy @aislingmurph.bsky.social · 7d

Jonathan Church has been named the new artistic director of the Stratford Festival, ending months of speculation over who might get the top job in Canadian theatre.

Lots more in @theglobeandmail.com:

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...

Jonathan Church named artistic director of the Stratford Festival

The dual U.K.-Canada citizen will officially assume the role of artistic director on Nov. 1, 2026 and will program the festival’s 2027 season

www.theglobeandmail.com

aisling murphy @aislingmurph.bsky.social · 8d

Mixed thoughts re: TELL TALE HARBOUR. Great performances from Melissa MacKenzie (and sometimes Alan Doyle), and the music is nice, but that book is a bit of a head-scratcher.

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/arti...

Tell Tale Harbour is an Atlantic jamboree – but an uneven new musical

Great Big Sea’s Alan Doyle stars in the musical, an adaptation of the 2013 film The Grand Seduction

www.theglobeandmail.com

aisling murphy @aislingmurph.bsky.social · 9d

Caught opening of RIDE THE CYCLONE, Shifting Ground Collective's wildly ambitious take on the cult Canadian musical. While not every choice worked for me, it's great to see fellow Gen Z'ers experiment at this scale.

Here's my Q&A with SGC's co-founders:

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...

Shifting Ground Collective, Toronto’s Gen Z musical theatre company, is ready to launch its all-Canadian season

After winning three Dora Awards, co-founders hope to help more people get their start in the business

www.theglobeandmail.com

aisling murphy @aislingmurph.bsky.social · 12d

Caught opening night of Makram Ayache's gorgeous play THE GREEN LINE last night. I've heard it's selling out, and for good reason – some remarkable writing and atmosphere on display here.

Here's my profile of Makram:

www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/theatre...

In The Green Line, playwright Makram Ayache explores what it means to be queer and Arab

The award-winning play opens Buddies in Bad Times Theatre’s new season

www.theglobeandmail.com

aisling murphy @aislingmurph.bsky.social · 13d

Twitter trolls took this review about as well as I figured they might.

aisling murphy @aislingmurph.bsky.social · 13d

Also, yes, the yelling is painful in a space that small. Ow.

aisling murphy @aislingmurph.bsky.social · 13d

I think I land somewhere between Martha's pan and the Star's rave, though probably closer to The Globe. It's not a terrible production – good performances, stylish set – but why? Why this play now? Did we need a traditionalist Godot during these times of (gestures vaguely at, you know, everything)?

aisling murphy @aislingmurph.bsky.social · 16d

Some fabulous, sharp criticism from Martha Schabas this weekend. (And totally at odds with the Star’s rave.)

I’ll be seeing Godot myself on Wednesday – looking forward to it.

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...

The Coal Mine’s Waiting for Godot turns a bromance into a bromiss

Beckett’s dark and tender humour, his parsing of the strange phenomenon we know as life, are lost in director Kelli Fox’s version

www.theglobeandmail.com

Reposted by aisling murphy

The New Yorker @newyorker.com · 15d

A cartoon by Olivia Noble. #NewYorkerCartoons

See more from this week’s issue: nyer.cm/XA9F8cO

aisling murphy @aislingmurph.bsky.social · 15d

Very much enjoyed THE VEIL and ENORMITY, GIRL, AND THE EARTHQUAKE IN HER LUNGS (phew) at Crow's and 877 Yonge, respectively.

Two stellar new plays – and each frightening in their own way.

My twofer review is online now:

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/arti...

These two new plays in Toronto are terrifying (and brilliant) in their own ways

The Veil and Enormity, Girl, and the Earthquake in Her Lungs offer different takes on scary

www.theglobeandmail.com

aisling murphy @aislingmurph.bsky.social · 16d

Some fabulous, sharp criticism from Martha Schabas this weekend. (And totally at odds with the Star’s rave.)

I’ll be seeing Godot myself on Wednesday – looking forward to it.

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...

The Coal Mine’s Waiting for Godot turns a bromance into a bromiss

Beckett’s dark and tender humour, his parsing of the strange phenomenon we know as life, are lost in director Kelli Fox’s version

www.theglobeandmail.com

Reposted by aisling murphy

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver @lastweektonight.com · 17d

We’re back tonight at 11pm on HBO Max/11:10pm on HBO! After an eventful few weeks away. And if the FCC is reading this, we just want to say: tonight’s episode is about…how cute your outfit is! And every episode after that, too, cause you’ll just keep wearing outfits! And we love that about you.

aisling murphy @aislingmurph.bsky.social · 18d

not only allowed but encouraged

Reposted by aisling murphy

The Globe and Mail @theglobeandmail.com · 18d

In Mirvish’s MJ The Musical, performances are thriller but controversies moonwalk away

In this musical, there are no villains except for the media

www.theglobeandmail.com

aisling murphy @aislingmurph.bsky.social · 18d

To be honest, my review of MJ at Mirvish could've been one word: Yikes.

Online @theglobeandmail.com today:

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/arti...

In Mirvish’s MJ The Musical, performances are thriller but controversies moonwalk away

In this musical, there are no villains except for the media

www.theglobeandmail.com

Reposted by aisling murphy

The Globe and Mail @theglobeandmail.com · 19d

In The Green Line, playwright Makram Ayache explores what it means to be queer and Arab

The award-winning play opens Buddies in Bad Times Theatre’s new season

www.theglobeandmail.com