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where.ca > What to See Ottawa

What to See Ottawa

A Bug’s Life at the Canadian Museum of Nature

Beautiful photographs of beetles are on display at the Canadian Museum of Nature.

Beautiful photographs of beetles are on display at the Canadian Museum of Nature.

Beetles: they’re tiny, diverse, and stunningly beautiful. Their patterns and colours change from one carapace to the next, and Beetles Close-Up gives visitors a detailed look at this phenomenon through 18 large-scale photographs of specimens from the Canadian Museum of Nature’s collection. Created by a museum entomologist, the photographs are so intricate it’s possible to see individual hairs on each beetle’s leg — hairs that help scientists determine which species a beetle belongs to. On display at the Canadian Museum of Nature until September 2016. —Amy Allen
•Canadian Museum of Nature, 240 McLeod St., 613-566-4700. nature.ca
•Map and reviews

Women’s Work at the Canadian War Museum

 

World War Women examines the contributions that women made to the war effort during both World Wars.

World War Women examines the contributions that women made to the war effort during both World Wars. (Photo: Library and Archives Canada, PA-108043)

Historically, men have been the ones fighting on the front lines, but that doesn’t mean women didn’t also play a role in global conflicts. In the First and Second World Wars, they sold stamps to raise money for the war effort, served as nurses in Europe, and worked in munitions and supply factories. The wars allowed them to prove their capabilities to themselves and to a society that tended to underestimate them. World War Women looks at some personal stories, including that of Molly Lamb Bobak, who served as a war artist during World War II, and Dorothy Linham, who won the coveted title of Miss War Worker in 1942. On at the Canadian War Museum until April 3. —Amy Allen
•Canadian War Museum, 1 Vimy Place, 1-800-555-5621. warmuseum.ca
•Map and reviews

Blue Rodeo Gallops Into the Capital

Iconic Canadian band Blue Rodeo rolls into town on February 14. (Photo: Heather Pollock)

Iconic Canadian band Blue Rodeo rolls into town on February 14. (Photo: Heather Pollock)

FEB. 14 With a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame, 12 Juno Awards to their name, and more than three million records sold worldwide, Blue Rodeo is without a doubt one of Canada’s most enduring bands. Their alt-country rock songs are unmistakable — songs like the melancholy “Try” and the foot-tapping “Till I Am Myself Again”, which propelled them to the top of the charts in the ‘80s and ‘90s. They stop in Ottawa at the Canadian Tire Centre as part of their cross-Canada tour. —Amy Allen
•Canadian Tire Centre, 1000 Palladium Dr., 613-599-0100. canadiantirecentre.com

Reworking the Classics: 2Cellos

More commonly known as 2Cellos, Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser put unique twists on classical and contemporary music.

More commonly known as 2Cellos, Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser put unique twists on classical and contemporary music.

FEB. 14 Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser, the duo more commonly known as 2Cellos, met in their teens when they studied music in Croatia. At the time, they often competed against each other in music contests, and many saw them as rivals. But in 2011, when their paths crossed again after years of working in different cities, they decided to team up. Their cello version of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” went viral when they uploaded it to YouTube, and they’ve been selling out stadiums with their unique take on pop songs and classical music ever since. —Amy Allen
•National Arts Centre, Southam Hall, 53 Elgin St., 866-850-2787. nac-cna.ca
•Map and reviews

Comic Art in Large Scale

Mathew Reichertz's Garbage follows a man's interactions with his neighbours after a mysterious couch appears in front of his house. (Mathew Reichertz, Garbage, page 5 (2014), oil on Polystyrene, 8 x 6 feet. Courtesy of the artist; Mathew Reichertz, Garbage, Page 10 (2014), oil on Polystyrene, 8 x 6 feet. Courtesy of the artist.

Mathew Reichertz’s Garbage follows a man’s interactions with his neighbours after a mysterious couch appears in front of his house. (Mathew Reichertz, Garbage, page 5 (2014), oil on Polystyrene, 8 x 6 feet. Courtesy of the artist; Mathew Reichertz, Garbage, Page 10 (2014), oil on Polystyrene, 8 x 6 feet. Courtesy of the artist.)

The setting is a North Halifax neighbourhood. Leaving his house in the morning, a man discovers that a white couch has been placed anonymously on the curb outside his door, which sets off a series of encounters (some pleasant, other less so) with his neighbours. Mathew Reichertz’s Garbage, a large-scale comic book that blurs the line between narrative and art, explores the unhealthy relationships that sometimes occur within communities, and how simple communication can reveal the goodness in others. On display at the Carleton University Art Gallery until April 3. —Amy Allen
•Carleton University Art Gallery, St. Patrick’s Building, 1125 Colonel By Dr., 613-520-2120. cuag.carleton.ca
•Map and reviews

Warm Winter Jazz

Juno Award-nominated artist Carol Welsman performs at the Ottawa Winter Jazz Festival.

Juno Award-nominated artist Carol Welsman performs at the Ottawa Winter Jazz Festival.

FEB. 4 TO 7 Two pianos, two keyboards, and a drum kit — these are the tools Mouse on the Keys use to create their haunting, jazz-influenced, experimental music. Based in Japan, the trio blends aspects of rock and roll with the gentler strains of classical, jazz, and funk. They’re just one of several bands performing at this year’s Ottawa Winter Jazz Festival. Other names, many of them from Ottawa, include John Geggie’s Journey Band, Montréal Guitare Trio, The Chocolate Hot Pockets, and Juno Award-nominated chanteuse Carol Welsman. —Amy Allen
•ottawajazzfestival.com

Gallery Highlights Early Canadian Snapshots

Mirrors with Memory shines a light on early Canadian photography. (Thomas Coffin Doane, The Molson family brewery after the fire, Montreal, Quebec, 1858, daguerreotype, Library and Archives Canada.)

Mirrors with Memory shines a light on early Canadian photography. (Thomas Coffin Doane, The Molson family brewery after the fire, Montreal, Quebec, 1858, daguerreotype, Library and Archives Canada.)

Invented in the early 1800s, the daguerreotype is the prototype for photography as we know it today. Images were captured on a sheet of polished, silver-plated copper, allowing each detail to be preserved with pristine clarity. For the first time in history, humans could create images of themselves — and the world around them — as they really were. In Mirrors with Memory: Daguerreotypes from Library and Archives Canada, a series of landscapes and portraits of regular citizens open a window into Canada’s early days. On display at the National Gallery of Canada until February 28.
•National Gallery of Canada, 380 Sussex Dr., 613-990-1985. gallery.ca
•Map and reviews

Winter Wonderland: Winterlude

BY AMY ALLEN

The 38th edition of Winterlude, Ottawa's celebration of ice and snow, runs from January 29 to February 15. (Photo: Canadian Heritage)

The 38th edition of Winterlude, Ottawa’s celebration of ice and snow, runs from January 29 to February 15. (Photo: Canadian Heritage)

In many cities across North America, winter is a time when people stay indoors, but not so in Ottawa. Winterlude is the city’s annual homage to all things ice and snow. This year, it runs from January 29 to February 15.

(more…)

Happily Never After: Matchstick at the GCTC

A lighthearted musical with dark undertones, Matchstick chronicles the life of a woman who is married to a very notorious man.

A lighthearted musical with dark undertones, Matchstick chronicles the life of a woman who is married to a very notorious man.

JAN. 21 TO 31 A girl from a poor country meets a boy from the land of opportunity. They fall in love, get married, and live happily ever after. That’s how the story always goes, right? In the case of Matchstick, not so much. Told through music, the play unravels the true-life tale of a woman who discovers she has married “one of the most hated men in the world.” As for the man’s identity? You’ll just have to see the play to find out. Part romance, part musical, part dark historical drama, Matchstick deftly walks the tightrope between comedy and tragedy. —By Amy Allen
•Great Canadian Theatre Company, 1233 Wellington St. W., 613-236-5196. gctc.ca

See the Wizard at the National Arts Centre

(Photo: Luk Monsaert)

The classic Wizard of Oz musical comes to the National Arts Centre. (Photo: Luk Monsaert)

DEC. 29 TO JAN. 3 The holidays are a great time for a getaway, so why not let yourself be transported to a different world? You won’t even have to leave Ottawa, we promise. Just in time for the New Year, The Wizard of Oz arrives at the National Arts Centre — join Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion as they travel the Yellow Brick Road, singing and dancing all the way. This production features songs from the movie, as well as new compositions by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber.  —Amy Allen
•National Arts Centre, Southam Hall, 53 Elgin St., 866-850-2787. nac-cna.ca
•Map and reviews

Life Lessons in Angel Square

Angel Square is a classic coming-of-age story by Ottawa writer Brian Doyle.

Angel Square is a classic coming-of-age story, adapted for the stage from the novel of the same name by Ottawa writer Brian Doyle.

DEC. 3 TO 20 The year is 1945. The Second World War has only just ended, and racial tensions are still present in the streets of Ottawa. Tommy, a young boy living in the seedy, multi-ethnic neighbourhood of Lowertown, is on a mission: to find the perpetrator of a savage crime against his best friend’s father. He conducts his investigation in Angel Square, where French, Irish Catholic, and Jewish kids constantly duke it out. Based on the beloved novel by Brian Doyle, this play tackles some difficult issues — namely, the dangers of racial prejudice, the struggles of the working class, and the awkward transition from childhood to adolescence. But at its heart, it’s about learning to understand one another. —Amy Allen
•The Great Canadian Theatre Company, 1233 Wellington St. W., 613-236-5196. gctc.ca

A Canadian Tale: Anne & Gilbert

The adventures of Canada's favourite red-haired heroine continue in Anne & Gilbert, the musical. (Photo: Louise Vessey)

The adventures of Anne Shirley, Canada’s favourite red-haired heroine, continue in the musical Anne & Gilbert. (Photo: Louise Vessey)

DEC. 1 TO 19 Anne Shirley, the ebullient, red-haired orphan from L.M. Montgomery’s classic Anne of Green Gables, is poised to start her new teaching job at the Avonlea school. To complicate things further, her former rival and childhood friend, Gilbert Blythe, proposes to her — but he doesn’t quite live up to her sentimental ideal of true love. What’s a girl to do? Through music and dance, Anne & Gilbert: The Musical chronicles the continuing adventures of Canada’s favourite redhead. The play was written and premiered in Prince Edward Island, and its music has received an East Coast Music Award. —Amy Allen
•National Arts Centre, Theatre, 53 Elgin St., 866-850-2787. nac-cna.ca
•Map and reviews

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