Wow, that was a long Xmas break, hey? In my defense, I spent a little time counting my comic books, and YOU try cataloguing an extra 20 years of funnybooks in varying degrees of disarray. I didn’t seem to realize how many of’em I’d accumulated…Hell,  I only barely know what’s coming up theatre-wise in February in this town.  And speaking of which, I’d be happy to share that fun info with you all right about…now!

THE MOUNTAINTOP at the Great Canadian Theatre Company. A night in the life of the great MLK. Until the 10^th.

WEIRD: THE WITCHES OF MACBETH (Theatre Arcturus) and #FAUSTUS (Plan B Productions) at the Gladstone, presented by Theatre Kraken. A pair of former Fringe hits back to warm your winter with modern takes on classic tales! From Jan 30 to Feb 9.

THE WEDDING PARTY at the NAC Theatre. In which there is a party of some sort. Jan 30 to Feb 9^th.

ONCE: AFRICVILLE STORIES at the Canadian Museum of History, from Voices Black Theatre Ensemble. A special presentation of the Halifax Fringe hit! Jan 31^st and Feb 1^st.

THE MOUSETRAP at Kailash Mital Theatre, from Sock’n’Buskin. The sockies do Aggie! Feb 1st-3rd, 8th-9^th.

SILENT SKY at the Ron Maslin Payhouse, from Kanata Theatre. A true tale of pioneer female astronemers. The 5^th to 9^th and 12^th to 16^th.

UNDERCURRENTS at Arts Court, from the 6^th to 16^th. The best little festival in February returns to rock the AC, bringing a host of new talent and old fav’rits with them.  Featuring 8 shows, late-night programming, parties, workshops and more, you can read all about it here at their website, and me and the Otter will have more to say about the lineup in the days to come!

THE REVOLUTIONISTS at the Gladstone, from Three Sisters. Four badass ladies make their mark on 1793 Paris, and there ain’t nothing wrong with that. The 13^th to 23^rd.

OF MICE AND MEN at the Ottawa Little Theatre. Steinbeck’s whimsical romp comes to the OLT (hey, it was funny when Morro and Jasp did it, right..?) The 13^th to March 2^nd.

CABARET at Centrepointe Theatre, from Suzart after Dark. Come enjoy the all-singing, all-dancing tale of Germany’s descent into nazism and genocide! The 14^th to 23^rd.

DRACULA: A TALE OF BLOOD AND DARKNESS at the Ottawa U LabO (Arts Court), from Ottawa Storytellers. A night of stories about old Vlad, and apparently not the bright and bloodless kind. The 21^{st only}.

THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES at Arts Court Theatre, from VDAY. Turns out they have a lot to say if you just listen. The 21^st and 22^nd.

PRINCE HAMLET at the NAC Studio, from Why Not Theatre. Ravi Jain’s reinterpretation of the classic, starring Christine Horne as the melancholy Dane her own self. The 27^th to March 9^th.

• Theatre Francais

LES 39 MARCHES at Theatre de L’Ile.  French translation of the classic 39 STEPS!  Until the 23rd.

HAMLET DIRECTOR’S CUT at the NAC Studio. More NAC Hamlet this month, this time Franco-style. Jan 30^th to Feb 2^nd.

LE SONGE D’UN NUIT D’ETE at the NAC Studio. Midsummer, in French, with acrobatics. Sold! The 13^th to 16^th.

And of course, the usual fun-nanigans and more from Crush Improv, Outtake Improv, the Improv Embassy…and that latter will be hosting the always epic OTTAWA IMPROV FESTIVAL at Arts Court, the 28^th to March 2^nd.  I’ll see you there, and in the meantime, feel free to tell me what to add to this list, because there’s always something!  Peace, love and soul,

Kevin and the Otter