Theatre Production: Made in Italy--Created and Performed by Farren Timoteo

On Saturday, June 7, 2025, I attended a performance by Farren Timoteo. It was held at the CAA Theatre, 651 Yonge St., Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The show is entitled MADE IN ITALY.  It is about an Italian teenager growing up in Jasper, Alberta, Canada, in the 1970s, caught between two worlds and determined to make his mark. This tour-de-force show is packed with disco, fantastic singing and a host of hilarious characters. Winner of the Sterling Award (Edmonton), Jessie Award (Vancouver) and Betty Mitchell Award (Calgary) for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Comedy, as well as the Calgary Theatre Critic's Award for Outstanding Performance in a One-Person Show, this is a delightful, heartfelt coming of age story about a kid with the heart of Rocky Balboa and the moves (and hair!) of John Travolta.  

Source: https://www.mirvish.com/shows/made-in-italy

Below is a description from the Playwright's Notes: 

There was a room in my grandparents' house that was strictly off-limits: the dining room. Of course, we had a smaller dinner table in the kitchen where we gathered for most of our ordinary meals, but the dining room was different. This was where we welcomed mass gatherings of family and community for extraordinary dinners and celebrations.

It was a sacred space. My Grandmother(whom I called, simply, "Ma") kept it perpetually spotless. Apart from those gatherings, I could only observe the dining room from the threshold of an entrance leading away from the kitchen. 

It was not to be disturbed, which, of course, gave enormous significance. As a child, I'd stand safely on the acceptable side of its border and take it in: A long shining wooden table perched steadfastly over a golden rug. At one end, an oaken cabinet with glass doors, behind which my Grandmother kept fine China and glittering Swarovski animals. At the other end,  a living room is designated for after-dinner lounging. Even the smallest step into this restricted space might tussle the rug just so, revealing my trespass. So, l'd wait impatiently for those nights when she'd welcome us into this forbidden room to serve us a feast she'd spent all day preparing. 

As a gift from the heart, I wrote this play to recreate the tradition of sharing and celebrate the bond we form when we enter a sacred space together, creating lasting memories around wine and food. 

                

Personal Commentary: The show, Made in Italy, was a fun-filled two hours of listening, laughing and engaging with the playwright and performer.  It was a memorable afternoon. 

Mind Games by William Deverell - Fiction

This novel,  Mind Games by William Deverell, is a psychological thriller. It is set in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The main character is Dr. Tim Dare, a forensic psychiatrist. 

This story unravels on the streets and in the courtrooms. Dr. Dare's  personal life is chaotic--his wife has left him to "find herself." And his mother is sued by a small-town mayor over a mystery novel--it is a libel case. 

Apart from these personal issues, he has been assigned to monitor a man released from a psychiatric hospital who, in his judgment, is a psychopathic murderer.  His work performance lacks the due diligence required to deal with his clients.  He has misplaced a file and has to report to the disciplinary committee. Another client is engaging in conversation that appears to illustrate romantic feelings toward him, while another is threatening to kill him.

  

These issues, physically and emotionally, affect him. He needs to see a psychiatrist himself. A colleague guides him, and he slowly learns to face these issues. 

Source: https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/mind-games/9781770416451.html

Personal Commentary:  Mind Games is an intriguing novel. It brings in family interactions interspersed with legal nuances that appear to cause some distress to the main character in this novel. 

Paul Simon In Concert - Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St., Toronto

                                                                                                                  

                                                                                           

On Thursday, May 29, 2025, I attended the Paul Simon Concert.  He performed at Massey Hall, part of the Massey Hall complex in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The first set was themed on reflection and spirituality. Seven new songs that were Simon's interpretation of these themes. This enabled me to enhance my thoughts on these themes. It was enlightening!

The second set consisted of his usual hit songs that the audience, including me, were very familiar with. There was significant interaction from the audience during this set.

He told stories and sang. It was a wondrous two hours of listening and watching Simon perform.

No photographs were allowed, as requested by Paul Simon. 

Below is a brief description of his career sourced from:

 https://www.paulsimon.com/about/

Paul Simon is a Songwriter, Recording Artist, and Philanthropist.

During his distinguished career spanning seven decades, musician Paul Simon has produced an unparalleled body of work, including timeless masterpieces such as Bridge Over Troubled Water, Sounds of Silence, and Graceland. 

Venerated as one of the greatest songwriters of all time and “popular music’s premier poet of the human condition,” Simon has received 16 Grammy Awards. He has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice. He is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honours, and was presented the Library of Congress’ inaugural Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, which recognizes the profound and positive effect of popular music on the world’s culture.

Value(s): Building a Better World for All by Mark Carney

A bold argument by the Prime Minister of Canada and former bank governor on the radical, foundational change that is required if we are to build an economy and society based not on market values but on human values.

Our world is full of fault lines—growing inequality in income and opportunity, systemic racism, health and economic crises from a global pandemic, mistrust of experts, the existential threat of climate change, deep threats to employment in a digital economy with robotics on the rise. Mark Carney argues that these fundamental problems and others like them stem from a common crisis in values. Drawing on the turmoil of the past decade, he shows how "market economies" have evolved into "market societies" where price determines the value of everything.

When we consider what we, as individuals, value most highly, we might list fairness, health, the protection of our rights, economic security from poverty, the preservation of natural diversity, and the conservation of resources and beauty. The tragedy is, these things that we hold dearest are too often the casualties of our twenty-first-century world, where they ought to be our bedrock.

In this profoundly important book, Mark Carney offers a vision of a more humane society and a practical manifesto for getting there. At the heart of every chapter is the reform of our infrastructure to make things better and fairer, with outlines of wholly new ideas that can restructure society and enshrine our human values at the core of all that we build for our children and grandchildren.

Source: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/669023/values-by-mark-carney/978077105157.

Personal Commentary: Value(s) Building a Better World for All by Mark Carney is a non-fiction book that was published in November 2022. Three years later, in 2025, he entered the political arena with the Liberal Party of Canada and assumed the role of Prime Minister of Canada. Soon after he assumed this role, the Hon. Prime Minister Carney called an election to get the support of Canadians. The Liberal Party of Canada won a minority government.

Vancouver Sun Run - April 27, 2025

On April 22, 2025, I travelled to Vancouver, British Columbia, and I met with my son and granddaughter. We participated in the Vancouver Sun Run on April 27, 2025.  

I do not run, I walk in this 10k event. The elite runners begin at around 9 a.m.  This is followed by various groups of participants, each group participating according to their choice, i.e., running, slow running, fast walking, or walking. 

 

For the past fifteen years, I have participated as a walker. I do not compete. Instead, I enjoy the beautiful surroundings of the Vancouver mountains dropping into the ocean.

We enjoyed our time walking and completed our walk in Net Time: 2:28:06

Another year of participating in the Vancouver Sun Run.

The Walrus Talks: Reimagining Volunteerism - Featured Speakers

On Tuesday, April 15, 2025, I attended a Walrus Talk at the Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge St.,. Toronto, Ontario.

The talk was entitled Reimagining Volunteerism--Exploring the Power of Service to counter social isolation and civic polarization.

FEATURED SPEAKERS:

Sara Lyons, Chief Strategy and Advancement Officer, Volunteer Canada

Susan Pinker, Developmental Psychologist, Columnist, and Author of The Village Effect

Darrell Pinto, Director of Employment, Jumpstart Refugee Talent

Suman Roy, Founder and Executive Director, Feed Scarborough

Kasandra James, Director, Programs, Volunteer Toronto

Vinod Rajasekaran, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Future of Good

Cyndi Gilbert, Board Member and Logistics, The Bike Brigade

HOSTED BY:

Jennifer Hollett, Executive Director, The Walrus WELCOME REMARKS BY

Kim Samuel, Founder, The BelongingForum

Personal Commentary: It was an excellent session. The attendees were informed of a variety of opportunities available in the field of volunteerism. 

Author Talk: On Freedom by Timothy Snyder

                                                      

On April 4, 2025, I attended an author session at the Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge St., Toronto, Ontario. It was moderated by Nahlah Ayed, host of the Ideas program of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.  It was a question-and-answer session. Ms. Ayed posed the questions to the author who answered them as per the following description of the topic: 

Freedom is the great American commitment, but Snyder argues that we have lost sight of what it means, leading us into crisis. Too many of us view freedom as the absence of state power: We think we’re free if we can do and say as we please, and protect ourselves from government overreach. But true freedom isn’t so much freedom from freedom to—the freedom to thrive, to take risks for futures we choose by working together. Freedom is the value that makes all other values possible.

On Freedom takes us on a thrilling intellectual journey. Drawing on the work of philosophers and political dissidents, conversations with contemporary thinkers, and his own experiences coming of age in a time of American exceptionalism, Snyder identifies the practices and attitudes—the habits of mind—that will allow us to design a government in which we and future generations can flourish. We come to appreciate the importance of traditions (championed by the right) but also the role of institutions (the purview of the left). Intimate yet ambitious, this book helps forge a new consensus rooted in a politics of abundance, generosity, and grace.

Personal Commentary: The author provided many insights into the whole concept of freedom--its meaning, use and practice with illustrative examples.