Discovering Ottawa: Unveiling the City’s Hidden Gems and Attractions

 Regardless of the season, Canada’s Capital is a repository of remarkable attractions and engaging pursuits. From globally recognized historical sites to outdoor excursions and all that lies in between, here are our top essential experiences not to be overlooked during your stay in Ottawa: Eat Good in Ottawa’s Blooming Culinary

Disney’s ‘The Lion King’ Leaps Back to Ottawa from October 24th-November 10th

 The mere mention of the name The Lion King evokes the melodies of Elton John’s “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” and “The Circle of Life,” as images of giraffes strutting, birds swooping, and gazelles leaping come to mind. The famous ballads for Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 1994 animated film

Fall for The ‘First Métis Man of Odesa’

 The 2024-25 National Arts Centre Theatre season has launched and it is off to a fantastic start with the First Métis Man of Odesa. This magnificent modern love story follows the true romance of Matthew MacKenzie and Mariya Khomutova. Matthew, an award-winning Métis playwright, was on a theatre research trip

“Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Time of The Temptations” is a Not-to-Be-Missed Musical Celebration

 I Can’t Get Next To You had barely finished when the audience at the National Arts Centre sprang to their feet in raucous applause for the standing ovation. The reaction to The Temptations’ song makes you realize the incredible staying power of great music. The Motown group must have surely

Broadway Across Canada’s Hairspray Exemplifies why Live Theatre is so Precious

 Broadway Across Canada’s production of Hairspray made its National Arts Centre (NAC) debut last night, where it will run through November 19th. As a man with a shaved head, I was looking forward to seeing a musical named after a product I don’t use. Based on a book by Mark

The musical inspired by the film, “Mean Girls,” will inspire you!

 Book: Tina Fey  Music: Jeff Richmond  Lyrics: Neil Benjamin At last night’s Broadway Across Canada production of Mean Girls, it was clear that this was a ‘girls’ night out.’ The scene brought me back to the release of the first Sex and the City movie when theatres were full of women excited

Broadway Across Canada at the NAC continues to wow with Anastasia

 Broadway Across Canada at the National Arts Centre has impressed me three times in two months. When Hamilton finally touched down, after a two-year delay, it wowed audiences in Ottawa as it has in every other market. Dear Evan Hansen was up next to remind people that musical theatre is for

“Dear Evan Hansen” is a must-see at the NAC.

 ABOVE: Anthony Norman (Evan Hansen), John Hemphill (Larry Murphy), Lili Thomas (Cynthia Murphy), Alaina Anderson (Zoe Murphy), in the 2022-2023 North American Tour of Dear Evan Hansen. (Photo: Evan Zimmerman) Once again, I am boasting about the National Arts Centre, specifically its Broadway Across Canada program. A few weeks ago, Hamilton was wowing audiences,

Hamilton is a Broadway smash hit that everyone should see

 To fully appreciate Hamilton, you need to go back to 2009. Before the Tony Awards, before the hoopla, before we knew who a Daveed Diggs was, back in 2009 at the White House specifically. The Obama Administration was hosting a ‘Poetry Jam’ night. This was the first-ever White House Poetry

Ottawa’s Neighbourhoods: Downtown Ottawa

 From the Parliament buildings south to the 417, we are looking at downtown Ottawa. This is the part of the city that makes Ottawa really feel like a major capital, from the centres of industry tucked into skyscrapers, to the most iconic historic halls of politics in the city, especially Parliament

Stories of connection in the age of lockdowns

 At no time since the advent of the World Wide Web have our lives been so virtual. This was true before a global pandemic forced entire countries indoors and pushed Internet traffic to the limits of network tolerance. Telework and online grocery shopping have gone from optional for some to

Laila Biali Pushes Back

 While a home studio might seem like a way to make things easier, it turned out as a bit of a trap for Laila Biali. With mould taking over her recording space, Biali had to power through making a record and deal with illnesses caused by the mould itself. Amongst

BEST OF OTTAWA 2019: Live music venues

 After over 20-years writing about life in Ottawa, we think we have a pretty good idea of the best of what this city has to offer. In this weekly series, we share our picks with you — our top hotels, live music venues, local brews, bands and more. Check, share and discuss

Broadway hit musical, Come From Away, arrives at NAC

 Photo: The cast of Come From Away (credit: Matthew Murphy, 2018) You will laugh, you will want to cry, but most of all you will be thoroughly entertained for 90-minutes straight as you relive the day that forced 38 planes loaded with passengers to land in Gander, Newfoundland, almost doubling

Steven Page to perform his politically-charged pop album, Discipline, at the NAC

 (Photo credit: David Bergman) On the heels of 35 U.S. headlining dates and 2 U.K tours, Canadian rock legend Steven Page is kicking off his first cross-Canada tour in none other than our nation's capital! On Wednesday, May 1, Steven will perform his latest album Discipline: Heal Thyself Part 2 at the National Arts

2018 Ottawa Life Award Winners

 The votes are in! After over 20 years writing about life in Ottawa, we think we have a pretty good idea of the best of what this city has to offer. For the better half of last year, we shared our top picks with you, from hotels, live music venues, local

The Night Ravel met Gershwin

 Photo: Classical pianist Jan Lisiecki (credit: Christoph Koestlin) In 1928, French composer Maurice Ravel made a very successful, four-month long tour of the US and Canada, during which he presented 25 concerts and many informal soirées. Ravel was a great admirer of the new world and he embraced modernity with all

The Leipzig-Damascus Coffee House

 Photo credit: Bruce Zinger There’s really no need to refer to Toronto’s Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra as one of the premiere ensembles of its kind in the world. This is a fact consistently underscored by its stellar catalogue of recordings and its critical reception by audiences on acclaimed international tours. But Tafelmusik is

Amanda Rheaume Uses Music To Help Others

 Amanda Rheaume has been crafting music for some time but it wasn't until recently that she felt comfortable with herself. With her hard work starting to pay off, Rheaume wanted to reflect on this time with the album The Skin I'm In. Rheaume also spent time with Darkspark, using music

Inventive and eclectic event series, 3 Chefs 1 Dinner, closes out 2018 with blowout showcase

 For the past three years, Michael Blackie, co-founder and executive chef at NeXT, has been spearheading an inventive and eclectic initiative; playing host to two guest chefs every month for a one-of-a-kind event series aptly named “3 Chefs 1 Dinner”. Wrapping up the 2018 season with a blowout event, Michael

NAC’s National Creation Fund is the Antidote to the Creation Gap

 The National Arts Centre has long helped to pave the way for artists in our nation's capital and across our country. Last week, the National Arts Centre announced the National Creation Fund, a $25 million fund that will support ambitious new Canadian work in theatre, dance and music by artists and arts organizations across

Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine Maida collaborative performance Moon v. Sun

  Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine Maida (Moon v. Sun) took over the National Arts Centre Tuesday night. OLM's Keith Whittier, reviews the show here!  

Sarah MacDougall’s Northern Inspiration

 Photo credit: Jen Squires One clandestine flight hit Sarah MacDougall so deeply that she felt she needed to make music to reflect this feeling. For her new album All The Hours I Have Left To Tell You Anything, MacDougall wrote music with a wide-swath of writers and honed it all in

Chelsea Handler joins Civilized in conversation about cannabis

 October 17th, better known as the day pot will become legal in Canada, is less than a month away. While provinces and territories are busy deciding on various rules and regulations regarding cannabis consumption and distribution, many of us are left with a lot of lingering questions. What if all

Timeout with the Twins talk family, new music and Tessa and Scott with Jim Cuddy

 Photo credits: Warner Music and Daniel Vazzoler / Video by Amanda and Brittany van Frankfoort On Feb. 26, 2018 fans of Blue Rodeo front-man Jim Cuddy were invited to share in new melodic stories of love and loss – delivered in the familiarly plainspoken storytelling style characteristic of Cuddy – on his fourth