The safest compliment for art is that it knows who it’s for. Stratford’s roster in a given year mostly consists of sober, supposedly thoughtful pieces aimed at some cross-section of a reliable clientele: there will be something for the Shakespeare crowd, a high-concept work that tickles critics pink, and maybe a disappointingly rote dalliance with […]
805-4821 (A) “805-4821 is a trans coming out story made out of other stories: a dialogue from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, a half-remembered swim lesson, and an 80,000 word Facebook correspondence” This is how the promotional material introduces Davis Plett’s work, directed by Gislina Patterson. I added it to my roster expecting a show that could be […]
The label “immersive” is thrown around carelessly these days; Outside the March is working tirelessly to remind us all just what it means. Their latest project, Tape Escape, takes participants back in time and into a 90s video store – albeit with more brainteasers than the boarded-up Blockbuster down the street. This is a truly […]
Take a look at our full list of 2019 Fringe reviews HERE. Death Ray Cabaret (A-) Second City stalwarts Jordan Armstrong and Kevin Matviw bring a wonderful verve to their free-wheeling Fringe show. Partners on and off the stage, the pair have a fun and easy dynamic that lets them skip between sketches without missing a […]
Take a look at our full list of 2019 Fringe reviews HERE. The Ballad of Frank Allen (A) “Fringe veterans performing an award-winning show” sets your expectations high; “sci-fi buddy-comedy about a tiny man who lives in another man’s beard” scrambles your expectations beyond repair. Audiences go into this show not knowing what they’re walking into […]
Award-winning comedian Ian McIntyre blends the relatable and the absurd in his new revue, The Rise and Fall of Dataman, running for two nights at The Bad Dog Theatre. In a series of sketches, directed by Kirsten Rasmussen, he recounts life as a 9-5 paper pusher with an exuberance and expressiveness that contrast sharply with […]
If you want drunken debauchery, raucous theatrics, or just a good old street fight, Sterling Road isn’t your first destination. That changed this week as Angela’s Murdoch’s 1855 Toronto Circus Riot dramatizes the bizarre brawl in 1855 that marked a unique episode in the young city’s history and led to major changes in its law enforcement. […]
It can take a good family to show you what a bad one truly looks like. The team at Soulpepper brings tremendous verve to Tracy Letts’ August: Osage County, doing its best with an endless and endlessly ambitious script. August takes familiar tales and tropes of family dysfunction and weaves them into a three hour […]