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Arts & Life

Joey Senft photo Laura Olafson (front) plays the soul-searching writer helping her correspondents, played by Arne MacPherson, Gislina Patterson and Honey Pham (back, from left).

Nia Vardalos’s Tiny Beautiful Things stage adaptation finds the beauty in book of advice columns

Ben Waldman 5 minute read Yesterday at 6:08 PM CDT

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When she dials a 204 phone number for an interview about her latest venture in Canadian theatre, Nia Vardalos is on the move.

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Mike Thiessen / Winnipeg Free Press Too many cherry tomatoes? Grown Next Door can help you find people who will take them off your hands.

Home gardeners have new way to share bumper crops

AV Kitching 5 minute read Yesterday at 8:01 PM CDT

Projection device guides playful excursion of discovery

Ben Waldman 3 minute read Preview

Projection device guides playful excursion of discovery

Ben Waldman 3 minute read 2:01 AM CDT

When Hélène Langevin looks back at her childhood, her memory often travels downstairs.

The basement of her grandmother’s house in Trois Rivières, Que., is where the Montreal-based choreographer first practised the time-honoured tradition of snooping for inspiration.

Inside steam chests and armoires, she found finely preserved wedding dresses, tutus, top hats and canes — just a few of the narrative materials necessary for transformation, disguise and devised theatrical escape.

A few years ago, with the pandemic shuttering theatres across the country, Langevin returned to those early experiments in self-discovery and forgivable mischief.

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2:01 AM CDT

Suzane ONeill photo

Glitch tells its story through body language, which has allowed it to travel to dozens of countries.
Suzane ONeill photo Glitch tells its story through body language, which has allowed it to travel to dozens of countries.

‘Ketamine Queen’ gets 15 years in prison for selling Matthew Perry the drugs that killed him

Andrew Dalton, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

‘Ketamine Queen’ gets 15 years in prison for selling Matthew Perry the drugs that killed him

Andrew Dalton, The Associated Press 5 minute read 4:08 AM CDT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday handed down a sentence of 15 years in prison to a woman who pleaded guilty to selling actor Matthew Perry the ketamine that killed him in 2023.

“You’re going to have to show some epic resilience,” Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett said to Jasveen Sangha, echoing the defendant's words earlier in the hearing about her self-improvement.

Citing the unique role Sangha admitted to playing in Perry’s death and her broader drug-dealing business, the judge gave the 42-year-old a sentence that will almost certainly be more than all four of her co-defendants combined.

The hearing Wednesday in a Los Angeles courtroom was in many ways the pinnacle of the 2 1/2-year investigation and prosecution that followed the overdose death of the 54-year-old actor, whose role as Chandler Bing on NBC’s “Friends” in the 1990s and 2000s made him one of the biggest television stars of the era.

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4:08 AM CDT

FILE - Matthew Perry poses for a portrait in New York on Feb. 17, 2015. (Photo by Brian Ach/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Matthew Perry poses for a portrait in New York on Feb. 17, 2015. (Photo by Brian Ach/Invision/AP, File)

Manitoban Patrick Friesen returns home with new collection of poetry

Martin Zeilig 4 minute read Preview

Manitoban Patrick Friesen returns home with new collection of poetry

Martin Zeilig 4 minute read Yesterday at 2:00 AM CDT

Patrick Friesen’s new book of poetry, Sightings, feels like a return to familiar ground for Winnipeg readers who have followed his career from the beginning.

Though he has lived in Victoria, B.C., for many years, his creative roots run deep in Manitoba, where he first began shaping the voice that has carried him through 50 years of writing.

Our interview was conducted via email, but previous chats with the poet, at a time when The Shunning — the 1980 book that would become his breakthrough and would go on to become a play produced by Prairie Theatre Exchange and Manitoba Theatre Centre — was still a work in progress, took place in the third floor loft of his house just off River Avenue and Osborne Street.

The space was crowded with books, drafts and the quiet intensity of a writer at work. On the table beside him sat a half-filled bottle of whisky.

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Yesterday at 2:00 AM CDT

Supplied

Poet Patrick Friesen says his new book is his latest attempt to listen to what trembles beneath the surface.
Supplied Poet Patrick Friesen says his new book is his latest attempt to listen to what trembles beneath the surface.

‘Malcolm in the Middle’ returns after 20 years with questions of legacy and its trademark craziness

Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

‘Malcolm in the Middle’ returns after 20 years with questions of legacy and its trademark craziness

Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press 6 minute read Updated: 10:53 AM CDT

NEW YORK (AP) — A very grown-up Malcolm turns to the camera at the beginning of the new “Malcolm in the Middle” revival and, weirdly, has nothing to complain about.

“Yeah, I look different, but, hey, everything about me is different. I’m happy. I’m successful,” he says. “My life is fantastic now. You want to know how I did it? All I had to do is stay completely away from my family.”

That's going to be very hard to do in Hulu's four-part return to “Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair,” which reunites one of the zaniest and chaotic families ever on prime time. The episodes premiere Friday.

Twenty years after the last episode aired, we learn that Malcolm — a nervous, sputtering Frankie Muniz — is now a father of a teen and desperate to shield her from his dysfunctional parents and siblings.

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Updated: 10:53 AM CDT

This image released by Disney shows Jane Kaczmarek and Bryan Cranston, right, in a scene from "Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair." (David Bukach/Disney via AP)
This image released by Disney shows Jane Kaczmarek and Bryan Cranston, right, in a scene from

Canadian rockers July Talk take on the myth of the midlife crisis in new rom-com

Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Canadian rockers July Talk take on the myth of the midlife crisis in new rom-com

Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Updated: 10:52 AM CDT

TORONTO -  If there’s one thing July Talk knows, it’s tension.

The Juno-winning Toronto band built its sound on the contrast between Peter Dreimanis’ raspy growl and Leah Fay Goldstein’s sugar-soft delivery — a push-and-pull that keeps their live shows feeling unpredictable, even feral.

So when the longtime partners in work and life decided to co-star in a romantic comedy, it was a surprise, but not a leap.

“It felt like the right time to collaborate in a different way other than music, because we've been making records together for a long time, over a decade now,” says Goldstein over coffee at one of the band’s haunts in Toronto’s Junction area.

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Updated: 10:52 AM CDT

Leah Fay Goldstein and Peter Dreimanis are photographed in Toronto as they promote the move 'Middle Life' on Thursday, April 2, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
Leah Fay Goldstein and Peter Dreimanis are photographed in Toronto as they promote the move 'Middle Life' on Thursday, April 2, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Arts Editor's Picks

Martin Zeilig:

Manitoban Patrick Friesen returns home with new collection of poetry

Supplied Poet Patrick Friesen says his new book is his latest attempt to listen to what trembles beneath the surface.

Conrad Sweatman:

This year’s jazz festival trumpeted as worldly journey of discovery

Matt Duboff Jazz Winnipeg executive director Angela Heck (left) and artistic director Zachary Rushing reveal the festival lineup.

Jen Zoratti:

Dachshund playgroup completes a social circle

Wieners and buns

Winnipeg Free Press:

What’s up: Grotoko, Philipp Schott, flower arranging, Dirty Dancing

BNB STUDIOS PHOTO Grotoko’s Blue McLeod

Jen Zoratti:

Winnipeg-born author Kate Bowler faces hard facts on search for meaning of happiness in 'Joyful, Anyway'

Michaella Jelin photo Kate Bowler’s ongoing mission is giving people permission to feel human.

Conrad Sweatman:

Hip-hop duo spread the word about social justice, education at STEM outreach program

photos by MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Quinton (Yung Trybez) Nyce (left) and Darren (Young D) Metz perform for students of Elwick Community School.

Diversions

More Arts & Life

Puzzles Palace is home to your favourite word games and brain teasers. Enjoy seven Sudokus, five crosswords (including the Thomas Joseph and Premier) as well as two new puzzles: Word Sleuth and Plus One.

Puzzles Palace is home to your favourite word games and brain teasers. Enjoy seven Sudokus, five crosswords (including the Thomas Joseph and Premier) as well as two new puzzles: Word Sleuth and Plus One.

Gimme a break with supporting burnout culture

Jen Zoratti 4 minute read Preview

Gimme a break with supporting burnout culture

Jen Zoratti 4 minute read Saturday, Apr. 4, 2026

There are many things HBO’s hit medical drama, The Pitt, does very well, and one of those things is capturing burnout.

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Saturday, Apr. 4, 2026

WARRICK PAGE / HBO Max

Charge nurse Dana Evans (Katherine LaNasa, right) suffers burnout in medical drama The Pitt.
WARRICK PAGE / HBO Max Charge nurse Dana Evans (Katherine LaNasa, right) suffers burnout in medical drama The Pitt.

Pakistani man charged with plotting to attack a Jewish center in New York pleads guilty

Larry Neumeister, The Associated Press 3 minute read 5:10 PM CDT

NEW YORK (AP) — A Pakistani man pleaded guilty to a terrorism charge Wednesday, saying it was a “morally reprehensible idea” to support the Islamic State group by plotting to use automatic weapons to kill Jewish people at a Brooklyn center.

Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 21, said he answered the group's call for Muslims to kill Jewish people by plotting to attack the Jewish center in October 2024.

He entered the plea in Manhattan federal court over 18 months after he was brought to the United States from Canada, where he was arrested on Sept. 4, 2024, in or near Ormstown, Canada, which is 12 miles from the U.S. border.

In a release, Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said Khan planned a mass shooting to coincide with the anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks “with the explicit goal of killing as many Jews as possible.”

Movie Review: Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel are razor-sharp in art comedy ‘The Christophers’

Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Movie Review: Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel are razor-sharp in art comedy ‘The Christophers’

Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: 5:09 PM CDT

“The Christophers” looks like an art heist movie at first. A couple of wannabe heirs (James Corden and Jessica Gunning) hire a restoration specialist (Michaela Coel) to finish a series of paintings by their famous father (Ian McKellen), who wants nothing to do with them or the uncompleted works that would surely command an astronomical price tag.

The offspring, whom McKellen’s Julian Sklar vividly describes as wrecks — one a train wreck, one a shipwreck — feel they deserve an inheritance they’re smart enough to know they won’t receive through any will — or talent of their own. The specialist and sometimes forger Lori (Coel) has other motives. There’s the promise of paying rent, yes, but there’s also an element of revenge. Lori and Julian have a kind of history that the movie will reveal in time. She’s also been publicly critical of his later works.

But “The Christophers” is not an “Ocean's” movie or a “Logan Lucky,” which is to say it’s not really a heist. There’s the tease of one, right up until the end, and the promise of the con. This latest film by the great and astonishingly prolific Steven Soderbergh is not out to give the audience what they think they want from him. Instead, it’s a meditation on art, legacy, creativity and the oh-so-touchy subject of who has the right to critique. It might sound a bit dreary, but Ed Solomon’s razor-sharp script and the brilliant pairing of McKellen and Coel make this lean two-hander breeze by.

You can read however much you want into how much Soderbergh (or Solomon) may or may not relate to Julian, who is determined to burn, bury and shred the unfinished “Christophers,” a series of paintings of a former boyfriend that became his most famous. It’s a fun and prickly exercise for any creative person to reconcile with the peaks and lulls of a long career in the arts — and Julian is luckier than most. He actually got famous and relatively wealthy from his paintings.

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Updated: 5:09 PM CDT

This image released by Neon shows Michaela Coel, left, and Ian McKellen in a scene from "The Christophers." (Claudette Barius/Neon via AP)
This image released by Neon shows Michaela Coel, left, and Ian McKellen in a scene from

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