Reviews
"Lezlie Wade's direction sparkles like a well lit disco ball."
Wall Street Journal
The Twelve-Pound Look gives the perspective of another time
****
Director Lezlie Wade opens with a 19th Century song “If Eve Had Left The Apple On The Bough” sung by Sims’s servants, ...situating us in the conflicting tensions during the suffragette movement with a particularly exaggerated comedic tone that works well with Barrie’s humour. Wade nails this fast-paced satire, and turns The Twelve-Pound Look into one of the festival’s must-see’s.
The Toronto Star
ELEGIES - Acting Up Stage
****
It is directed with exquisite detail by Lezlie Wade. She knows how to stage her glorious singers so that each song is interpreted as clearly as possible. And her direction and sense of detail are as impeccable.
Lynn Slotkin
Elegies: A Song Cycle, a work of genuine substance
****
Lezlie Wade’s direction is just enough, as are the simple draped arches of Robin Fisher’s setting, or the careful illumination of Siobhan Sleath’s lighting. This is a show where the writing is so rich, the presentation had best do nothing but serve it.
The interesting thing is that while I felt every element of the show was better than it was seven years ago, I found myself crying less, but feeling more. The emotions go deeper this time, the thoughts are more profound, the overall experience is one that moves us in a more lasting way.
If you’re looking for a piece of musical theatre that will treat you with respect and earn your admiration from honesty, not effects, then take yourself to see Elegies. Yes, it’s that good.
Toronto Star
At Shaw Fest, a light play about a heavy look
Lezlie Wade’s direction deserves credit for its perfect pacing and its simple and effective transitions, from that charming opening song to the beautifully executed and balanced final moment of the play. Meditations on the meaning of success don’t come in much prettier packages than this.
The Buffalo News
The Twelve-Pound Look review:
Shaw’s beautifully economical production hits the right note
The production, like the play, is beautifully economical: everybody in the right place at the right time and hitting the right note. Barrie is of course best known as the author of Peter Pan, he’s otherwise been famous for his craftsmanship and notorious for his sentimentality. This play confirms the first quality and makes mincemeat of the second
National Post
DREAM A LITTLE DREAM -- LONDON GRAND THEATRE
*****
This Grand Theatre production of the show co-written by the group’s Canadian-born member Denny Doherty and playwright Paul Ledoux and directed by Lezlie Wade ... achieves at so many levels, earning a standing ovation that brought the eight performers back to the stage for a second bow on opening night.
One of the more incredible moments in this show includes no singing or speaking – the slaying of U.S. President John F. Kennedy in 1963. There is at least a full minute of silence with visuals on the three video screens above the stage (which are used brilliantly throughout, never interfering or distracting, simply adding to the design or story).
London Free Press
DOG SEES GOD: IS AS LOVEABLE AS SNOOPY
***1/2
Director Lezlie Wade manages the transition skilfully and, by the end, there were totally unexpected tears rolling down my face.
Toronto Star