253. The Cup | Blackbird (Talk Is Free Theatre)

Welcome back to the 253rd episode of The Cup which is our a weekly (give or take, TBD, these are unprecedented times) performing arts talk show presented by Cup of Hemlock Theatre. With the theatres on a come back we offer a mix of both reviews of live shows we've seen and continued reviews of prophet productions! For our 253rd episode we bring you a Duet Review of Blackbird, written by David Harrower, directed by Dean Deffett, starring Cyrus Lane and Kirstyn Russelle, presented by Talk Is Free Theatre. Join Jillian Robinson and Ryan Borochovitz, as they praise performances, untangle ambiguities, and unpack the trash.Blackbird is playing at Hope United Church (2550 Danforth Ave, Toronto, ON) until October 18th, 2025. Tickets can be purchased from the following link: https://www.tift.ca/shows/blackbird CONTENT WARNING: Blackbird contains themes of pedophilia, statutory rape, and sexual abuse; this review, likewise, speaks directly to these topics. Viewer discretion is advised. Less importantly, this review contains many SPOILERS for Blackbird. It will begin with a general non-spoiler review until the [24:08] mark, followed by a more in-depth/anything goes/spoiler-rich discussion. If you intend to see the production, we recommend you stop watching after that point, or at least proceed at your own risk. Follow our panelists: Jillian Robinson – Instagram: @jillian.robinson96 Ryan Borochovitz – [Just send all that love to CoH instead; he won’t mind!]; if you enjoy his theatre thoughts, more can be found at https://nextmag.ca/search/borochovitz Follow Cup of Hemlock Theatre on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter: @cohtheatreIf you’d like us to review your upcoming show in Toronto, please send press invites/inquiries to [email protected].