The Tempest staged by the festival’s artistic director, Antoni Cimolino, is an elaborate production, with eye-popping costumes (by Bretta Gerecke) and plenty of magic.
The ambitious design by Bretta Gerecke was at times, simply visually stunning and was evidently captivating to all the young people in the audience.
“A visual and choreographic feast. Call it Cirque du Stratford. The production of Alice Through the Looking-Glass that opened at the Avon Theatre on Saturday afternoon is so filled with visual velocity and choreographic charm that our show business cousins up in Quebec had better look to their laurels. Either that, or ask Jillian Keiley to direct and Bretta Gerecke to design their next production, as they have done so splendidly with this one.”
“Bretta Gerecke’s gobsmackingly gorgeous see-through wooden set…”
“Oh, the costumes Nouveau Cirque; steampunk, black, quite lovely work. Hail Bretta Gerecke, bring that designer to the fore.”
“…probably the best all-around designer in Canada today…her costumes are simply astonishing.”
“...what you’ll remember from the Poe musical “Nevermore” is its look. Bretta Gerecke’s costumes, makeup and props are part Edward Gorey, part Tim Burton and mostly in ghoulish black and white — as were several members of the audience recently, who looked as if they’d stepped out of a Siouxsie Sioux concert. The whole thing gives off a spooky steampunk vibe perfect for a show subtitled “The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe.”
“For Catalyst Theatre regulars who are used to visually spectacular shows, Whisper does not disappoint. The set and video projection designs … are phenomenal treats for the eyes and showcase the truth of how powerful design can be in theatre when it is in perfect conversation with the meaning of a production.”
“Designer Bretta Gerecke … has created a rich parade of costumes…”
“Gerecke’s three-tiered set is a stunner, which allows the action of the play to unfold on numerous levels simultaneously or … take us from Nova Scotia throughout the U.S. and into Germany … Gerecke’s opulent period costumes give a grandeur to the story.”
“We can marvel at the theatrical genius of designer Gerecke’s delightfully absurd costumes.”
“The atmospheric lighting, always painting shadows over the actors, was simply beautiful and played an integral part in the horrors onstage. In fact, I think this is the first time I’ve seen horror effectively done on the stage.”
“I would challenge anyone to find a better MASTER of the production design than Gerecke … there are rarely small measures here, with BOLD and daring choices pulled from UNRIVALED imaginations.”