Goblin Market -only here for 10 days. Get off the not so comfy couch...

This week: Very much looking forward to Theatre Kingston's Goblin Market for only 10 days, previews starting Weds and Thurs....It's a sexy musical story about two sisters who relive their childhood experiences in an imaginary world, where they are tempted by seductive goblins. Since Queen's drama dep't head, Tim Fort, directs it...(and he's really a musical expert, with perfect taste in musicals) it has to be good. It stars Queen's grad/Shaw Festival talent Robin Evan Willis and localite Maryanne Wainman (Beauty and the Beast). Particularly looking forward to the music by Danielle Lennon, Sarah McCourt and Michael Man. Tix: Grand Theatre Box office. (PS you can apparently scoot off to see Danielle play with Swamp Ward Orchestra at the Mansion Saturday night after the show, too...)

I got a sneak peek preview of the Art of Giving show at Sandra Whitton Gallery today. It's really, really good. Most stuff under $250. Hard buying art for someone else, unless you drop hints bigtime. Opening TBA. I preferred it to the one Chameleon Nation is also doing at Kingston Glass Studioon Queen Street (oh, the glass and big pottery bowls are wonderful!), but that one definitely has more gifty things like jewellery and baubles. And you can always drop into Black Dog Pottery next door...I love his "bleeding stoneware." Someone's getting something for the you-know-what holidays! I'm really pushing buying local again this year, as much as I can. Socks from Carolyn Barnett are nice too. And the Humane Society Calendars have that AWWW factor going for them...

Art last Weekend: The Storytellings show at Modern Fuel by Peter Kingstone is fascinating...loved sitting around in half-comfy couches (felt like I needed a red nose) watching male sex trade workers on videos talking about their grans. Objection: They weren't terribly articulate portrayals of the "grans", way too much "she's wonderful, I dunno, she's just, uh, fabulous" ...and somehow creating a stereotype of one type of person (grandmas) to modify those of another gets up my (aged) nose. Referring to his 55 year old gran, one "kid" used the term "little old lady." Good grief! And you won't find a tacky piece of ceramics on my tv (Well, I collect them, but that's something else...)! Worth seeing, though. I liked the Ed Pien influenced drawings in the Cut and Paste show at Union Gallery a lot.

Did I mention if you're going to Ottawa, don't miss the Hoffos exhibition at the National Gallery. Everyone is absolutely blown away by it. And apparently you can eavesdrop on the hologram projections. It's on until Valentine's Day. No Excuse...