Injured actor Noel Johansen remembers his wife who died in Lapu Lapu Day attack
Noel Johansen, an actor who has appeared in several Hallmark movies and various other TV series, paid tribute to his wife Jenifer Darbellay at a vigil held in memory of victims in the Lapu Lapu Festival tragedy.
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Darbellay, an artist and costumer for theatre and film, was one of the 11 people who died when a driver in an SUV rammed into the crowded festival celebrating Filipino culture on the evening of April 26. Adam Kai-Ji Lo, 30, faces eight counts of second-degree murder in connection to the deaths of victims ranging in age from five to 65 years old.
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Johansen and their 7-year-old daughter, along with more than 20 other people, were also injured.
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Johansen, who has appeared in the films Reunited at Christmas, Harvest Love and the TV series When Calls the Heart, Loudermilk, Fargo and The Good Doctor as well as multiple voice acting credits, stood on crutches Monday night as he spoke to a crowd gathered near the site of the incident at East 41st Avenue and Fraser Street.
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'She never celebrated herself in her life. She never thought of herself, she thought of herself as small in terms of the reach,' said Johansen holding back tears. 'And I can tell you she was larger than life for any of you who know her.
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'So don't be small in life. Be big, reach out and reach out as a human being with everything you have — and please remember us who went through this.'
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4 days ago
FIRST PERSON I grew up sharing food and meals. But that isn't always the Canadian way
This First Person article is the experience of Marie Pascual, who lives in Toronto. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ (new window) . Hot platters landed hard on tables near us and steam rose as diners reached in to take generous helpings. It was my 26th birthday and I'd chosen Congee Queen — the kind of place my parents would've picked. No fuss. No menus. Just food. My friends seemed a bit lost when the waiter came to our table. Wanting my friends — a mix of immigrants and international students who had made Toronto home — to feel that same comfort I felt at this restaurant, I did what my mom always did. I ordered for the table. Black pepper squid, beef with noodles, Super Bowl congee, turnip cakes, seafood vermicelli. The waiter gave me a small grin. Is that everything? he asked, teasing. I laughed awkwardly and nodded, a little embarrassed. As he walked away, the table burst into laughter. It was the kind of laugh that said, There she goes again. I'd done this before — taken charge of the ordering, played host even when it wasn't my house. But this time, something about it made me pause. It struck me then how instinctual my urge to share was. When I was 14 my mom handed me the menu at a restaurant and said, You know what we like. It felt like she was passing me the matriarch's baton. Ordering for everyone was not just a habit. It was how I made sure no one felt overlooked. Enlarge image (new window) Pascual, third from the left, hosted a New Year's Eve pop-up dinner for her friends. Photo: Submitted by Marie Pascual Back in the Philippines, my family used to live in poverty and mealtime looked very different. It started long before the dinner table out by the sea. My grandparents would fish, the kids hauled in the catch and the women would set up the dining room while the men cooked. My parents told me the idea of sitting in a restaurant and being served by strangers was almost unimaginable. I was born in Canada and raised by Filipino parents who brought those customs with them. They taught me to value communal meals. If you had food, you shared it. No one ever left your table still hungry. Even now, when I visit my parents, my mom makes enough adobo to feed a small army and packs containers for me and my partner to take home before we have even asked. But outside our family, that kind of care sometimes misses the mark. I have offered samples of my food to friends or co-workers, only to realize no one else at the table did the same. It left me feeling awkward, and even a little ashamed, like maybe I was too much. In my culture, I learned through visits to the Philippines from relatives and stories passed around the table that it was almost embarrassing not to have leftovers. Clean plates could look like you hadn't made enough. No one ever asked, Are you sure you want to share? It was a given. Meals were meant to spill over, onto every plate, across the table, through the hours. Extra rice. Extra spoons. The promise that there would always be enough for anyone who walked through the door. If you did not send people home with baon ( little take-home bundles), guests would quietly think you were kuripot ( stingy) and too careful with your abundance. Generosity was not just a virtue. It was a kind of social insurance. Better to have too much and share than look like you had not cared enough to prepare. Enlarge image (new window) Pascual always goes home with baon (take-home packages) lovingly prepared and labelled with her name by her mom. Photo: Submitted by Marie Pascual When I moved into my own place to be closer to work, I realized something was missing every time I opened the fridge. Not just food, but the chaos. My tita 's cassava cake in recycled margarine tubs. My mom's 1970s macaroni salad — sweet, mayo-heavy and always topped with shredded cheese — that made me wish I was at her table. Or when I didn't see my dad's coffee mug sitting on the table from morning until night, the emptiness of my home felt loud. That's not to say I don't see the merit in the more individual way of ordering food. It is simpler, it respects allergies and food preferences, and sometimes it is just easier not to negotiate with differing food choices or personalities. One night after work, I sat down with co-workers and ordered a deep-fried soft-shell crab sandwich just for myself. No one asked to share, no one looked confused. I was raised to think that putting yourself first was selfish, even shameful. But in that quiet moment, it felt like I was finally learning how to take up space. Not just at restaurants, but in life. Enlarge image (new window) Pascual is learning to embrace a more individualistic style of eating. Here she is with a deep-fried soft-shell crab sandwich that she ordered for just herself and thoroughly enjoyed. Photo: Submitted by Marie Pascual Practicing individualism, even in something like ordering meals, still feels uncomfortable for me — yet also strangely freeing. I'm not sure I can always do this. Maybe that is my small rebellion against the polite distances we keep, my way of making sure no one leaves still hungry or carrying a hunger they cannot quite name. Maybe I will always order too much — but I won't be too much. I'll be just me. Do you have a compelling personal story that can bring understanding or help others? CBC wants to hear from you. Here's more info on how to pitch to CBC (new window) . Marie Pascual (new window) · Freelance contributor Marie Pascual is a Filipina writer based in Scarborough, Ont. She explores family, food and the small rituals that keep us connected.
Global News
26-07-2025
- Global News
Saturday Sips: Filipino-inspired cocktails
See more sharing options Send this page to someone via email Share this item on Twitter Share this item via WhatsApp Share this item on Facebook Theme: Filipino-inspired cocktails Cocktails: 1. T & TEA Ingredients: 45mL Lemongrass infused Tanduay Gold 15mL alternative acid (or supasawa) 130mL H2 sweet tea Infuse 3 cracked stalks of lemongrass into 1 bottle of rum for 2 hours up to 1 day, depending on taste. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Alternative acid: 300mL water 9g citric 6g malic 0.9g tartaric 0.9g kosher salt Stir well to combine; this replaces lime or lemon in cocktails without waste. H2 Sweet Tea: 1L boiling water 20g loose leaf black tea (Taylor is using Westin Blend) 400mL 2:1 simple syrup Steep tea for 20-30 minutes until strong; strain tea leaves and add simple syrup to tea. Allow to reach room temperature before refrigerating to prevent cloudiness. Method: Build cocktail in Collins glass with ice, garnish with cracked lemongrass stock. Story continues below advertisement 2. 'Safe Escape' (Spirit-Free Cocktail) Ingredients: 20mL Mango puree 12mL Coconut syrup 24mL Acid Adjusted grapefruit 68mL Aloe Vera Juice 12mL Condensed milk Method: Add all ingredients into a shaker. Shake hard to combine. Dirty dump into black tiki mug and top with crushed ice. Garnish with pineapple slice, mint and mallow flower
Winnipeg Free Press
20-07-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Fringe reviews #7: You misread the venue number. The door locks behind you.
THE BEST (?) NON-DENOMINATIONAL HOLIDAY CONCERT EVER! Rem Lezar Theatre Tom Hendry Warehouse (Venue 6), to Saturday, July 26 ⭐⭐⭐ ½ A well-rehearsed kid-friendly gem that gently pokes fun at the current predilection to rebrand Christmas with terms that don't necessarily mean anything. While the subject matter may seem odd at this time of year — Christmas in July, anyone? — at heart this is an hour-long ode to the teaching profession, and the teachers who take on the thankless task of corralling sometimes recalcitrant kids and engaging them long enough to put on performance for their families. It's a shrewd act, this: putting on a play about the trials of putting on a play — and the resulting shambolic affair — at fringe. Is the audience witnessing an actual disaster of a show or are we watching a comedy of errors played with aplomb by the cast of seven who tackle their parts with gusto? With plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, and a soft centre espousing the values of the holiday season, here's a show that lives up to its name. — AV Kitching CONTROL: A PSYCHOLOGICAL MAGIC SHOW Gregoire Entertainment CCFM — Antoine Garborieau Hall (Venue 19), to Sunday, July 27 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ½ The audience arrives to a purple-lit screen, displaying a selection of sinister verse: 'Eyes Wide open/But they're not Yours/Walking paths through Unseen Doors.' Winnipeg magician and mentalist Patrick Gregoire strolls onstage with a wry, confident grin as he surveys his victims — er, audience — and asks the crowd how many believe they're in control of their thoughts. As many hands raise, he murmurs, 'Oh, that's cute.' What follows is a string of perplexing but entertaining tricks: holding up a magazine so the audience can see the words on the page, but the onstage volunteer sees something different; compelling spectators to see a randomly selected playing card in an old photograph; and hear specific names in backwards recordings made live onstage. While similar tricks can be seen in any mind-reading show, Gregoire's rapport and fun/sinister vibe truly elevates this example of the genre. — Janice Sawka EMIL AMOK, 69: EVERYTHING'S FLIPPED Emil Amok Guillermo MTC Up the Alley (Venue 2), to Sunday, July 27 ⭐⭐⭐ ½ We're living in a topsy-turvy time, that's for sure. In his Winnipeg fringe debut, Filipino-American journalist Emil Amok Guillermo, a former host of NPR's All Things Considered, unleashes a stream of consciousness about current events, personal history and … laugh yoga? The top of the hour is frantic. The cheesy localized jokes (poutine-based and otherwise) don't always land, and the frenetic delivery of the day's headlines (the Epstein files) is hard to follow — although perhaps a good analogy for the chaotic daily U.S. news cycle under the Trump administration. The one-man show works best when the host settles into a quieter rhythm of personal storytelling. By invoking the ghosts of his immigrant parents and sharing about his transgender daughter, Amok underscores what it's like to live in the crosshairs of American politics, past and present. There are smart, discomforting punchlines throughout, but the ending feels forced. Literally. — Eva Wasney THE FUNNY THING ABOUT MEN Olive Productions Rachel Browne Theatre (Venue 8), to Saturday, July 26 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ½ British-born Mandy Williams loves her husband — even though sometimes he really gets on her nerves. Deploying a healthy dose of witty sarcasm and knowing glances, Williams explores a list of topics including household chores, mental loads and relationship dynamics in this 50-minute musical comedy. The emphasis is on the musical side, with a raft of catchy songs that pack a punch, musically and message-wise — think Glennon Doyle with a ukulele. Standout singles like Things I Know Against My Will earned a healthy dose of laughs, mostly at the expense of men. It's a good-natured ribbing against traditional gender norms, but Williams interjects more enough humour to keep everyone in on the joke. Although many of the jokes are at the expense of the patriarchy and the sometimes-inept men it enables (we deserve it, fellas!), the content is relatable for anyone who has ever been in a long-term relationship. Certainly, it seemed to resonate with the audience, who were quoting back some of the lines post-performance. — Matt Schaubroeck LAST DAY AT WHOOPEE KINGDOM MTYP's Summer Studio MTYP Main Stage (Venue 21), to Sunday, July 27 ⭐⭐ ½ The 13-strong local cast of teenagers tackling playwright Alan Haehnel's script about a show at amusement park Whoopee Kingdom — yes, a play about a play — make a valiant effort to vitalize the rather lacklustre material they've been saddled with, and at first it seems as if they will succeed. Engaging at the start, the action falters quickly as hefty swathes of unnecessary dialogue get the better of the young thespians. At times it feels as if there are just too many people onstage hanging about doing nothing when the focus shifts to scenes involving just one or two actors. No shade to the cast; all of them are really acting their socks off during this long, rambling mess, which could have been saved with a tighter edit. Things really only get going again in the last 15 minutes, which leads one to the conclusion this could have all been done in a snappy half-hour instead of 60 minutes. — AV Kitching MULTIPLE NEUROSIS Karin Fekko Productions Son of Warehouse (Venue 5), to Sunday, July 27 ⭐⭐⭐½ Toronto's Karin Fekko tackles a deeply personal topic in her solo fringe debut — her own decades-long experience with multiple sclerosis. Her navigation over hurdles, from career barriers to self-coping mechanisms, are the focal points of this 60-minute journey, as she does her best to come to terms with, and accept, her new reality. The storytelling format effectively allows Fekko to deploy dark humour and no small level of vulnerability. For so personal a topic, it feels relatable and accessible for any body or mind. It's also cathartic for the narrator, who spent 17 years trying to hide her reality from everyone around her — quite a switch to performing on a public stage in front of strangers. As the curtain falls, the audience may feel they better understand not only this one lived experience, but anyone else who may be struggling with their physical abilities. As Fekko herself says: the only thing that separates the healthy and the sick is time. — Matt Schaubroeck PAPA UBU Theatre Incarnate Theatre Cercle Moliere (Venue 3), to Saturday, July 25 ⭐⭐ ½ Papa Ubu is an adaptation by local artist Eric Bossé of French playwright Alfred Jarry's Ubu Roi, a seminal play of modern theatre. Local company Theatre Incarnate's 65-minute production, directed by Brenda McLean and Christopher Sobczak, is energetic enough, but the glaring problem is that Bossé's reworking of the text tries to turn Ubu, a cowardly, vulgar, boorish fascist, into a Shakespearean tragic figure like the Macbeth that inspired Jarry's original. The text is riddled with lines from Hamlet, King Lear, Richard III, and more. Shakespeare's words stand out not to enlighten the original but overwhelm it. The show is a messy conflation of absurdist comedy and the latest trendy Shakespeare offering. A few things work well when they highlight the play's symbolist roots — using pop cans as soldiers, for example. The three-member cast presents the text well but unfortunately this adaptation annoys more than it entertains. — Rory Runnells RANDY & ELIZABETH: A SAVAGE LOVE STORY Macho MANitoban One88 (Venue 23), to Sunday, July 27 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This storytelling piece takes the form of a 45-minute 'promo,' as pro-wrestlers call it, focusing on the love story between Randy Poffo and Elizabeth Hulette, better known as Macho Man Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth, the First Lady of Wrestling. The story is told by Geoffrey Owen Hughes, a.k.a the Macho Manitoban, in a one-man show. His earnestness, passion, and love for professional wrestling shine through, captivating the audience with the high highs and devastating low blows of Randy and Elizabeth's tumultuous TV and real-life marriage. Seeing under the Macho Manitoban's sunglasses is the real highlight of the show, particularly his expressed adoration not only for Miss Elizabeth but Sherri Martell and their contributions to pro-wrestling, especially since those contributions are often forgotten or belittled because of their gender. Even if you are not a wrestling fan, this unique show is not to be missed. — Sonya Ballantyne A SPOONFUL OF MAGIC Krol Entertainment Tom Hendry Warehouse (Venue 6), to Saturday, July 26 ⭐⭐ Mary Poppins pops back into the now-grown-up Micheal Banks' life to help him face the adversities of adulthood with her sleight-of-hand magic tricks and wholesome homilies. A Spoonful of Magic (Supplied) This magic parody of the Julie Andrews classic raises one question: why? There is no need for such a conceit when the magic tricks themselves aren't half bad. It could've all been so good, but instead we get stilted dialogue and clunky amateur dramatics from the cast — Canadian Lisa Krol and Jordan Rooks from Las Vegas — who display neither charm nor chemistry. More magic tricks and less inane chat would've made this far more enjoyable. As it is, it's likely we will all need more than a spoonful of sugar to make this medicine go down. These magicians should stick to tricks and leave the acting to professionals. — AV Kitching TYCHO FREAKING BRAHE! Kiss the Giraffe Productions John Hirsch Mainstage (Venue 1), to Sunday, July 27 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tycho Freaking Brahe! (Supplied) Taking as its subject the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, this 75-minute musical's reach for the stars slightly exceeds the grasp of a huge cast, mostly owing to the muddy, tone-shifting material, and music and lyrics so derivative they could have been created by AI. (But then, so is most Broadway fare, to this reviewer's ears.) Written by fringe regulars Joseph Aragon and Heather Madill (Bloodsuckers!), it's a modern riff on the politics of late 16th-century astronomy — and that's as exciting as it sounds. The good news: This local company has assembled sets and costumes and choreography as top-shelf as any touring company; this laboratory for young talent should be enthusiastically supported. Major mixing and pitch issues should settle through the run. Warning: A dozen-plus Madonna microphones in a concrete bunker can be a strain on the eardrums. — Lara Rae
