Finally There’s Sun My very favourite thing at the Stratford Festival this year, Finally There’s Sun is the concert production that puts into words the subtext of every other show- after more than a year of darkness this, right here, this sitting together in a theatre, it’s the light at the end of the tunnel. […]
Why We Tell Our Story Cabaret Marcus Nance absolutely killed it with the curation of this stirring celebration of Black voices. An inspired structure uses the work of iconic Black poets Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou rather than original writing to link together some of the most glorious songs from the musical theatre canon from […]
Be sure to check out our Full List of SummerWorks Reviews … And You’ll Never Believe What Happens Next (A) The sneaky dissonance of this latest storytelling show from Pressgang Theatre’s Graham Isador adds an intriguing layer of unspoken complication to an already rich and rewarding hour. Demonstrating once again his uncanny knack for structure, […]
August 9-19th, our writers reviewed nearly every show in Toronto’s annual SummerWorks Festival. The full list of shows with letter grades and links to our reviews is below. Check out our Twitter and Instagram @MyEntWorld for more from our SummerWorks 2018 experience. Reminder to SummerWorks Artists: If your SummerWorks show scored an A+ or A, you can […]
In Small but Mighty Productions’ eighties-inspired musical cabaret, six criminal misfits with superhuman abilities are sent to Villains Boot Camp, a secret project that aims to reform criminals and make them productive members of society. Isolated on an unknown island, they’re fed on a strict diet of healthy smoothies and forced to adhere to a […]
This Small But Mighty Productions musical murder mystery opens with Derek and his 6 lovers – five women and one man – gathered together in his secluded suburban home. They are there by invitation, but no one knows from whom. Derek is attempting to explain himself when he collapses and dies. Two cops arrive and […]
This month we were treated to two pieces that weren’t really musical theatre, nor were they strictly concerts. They were cabarets, I guess, but they were really stage-bound musical explorations of people and place by musicians who make theatre and theatre people who make music. Ryan G. Hinds’ Say Grace Sidelined for 6 months after […]
Ryan G. Hinds is one of Toronto’s most beloved cabaret performers. From his glittering one-man Fringe show Starry Notions to the absurd and exuberant disco ballet he created for SummerWorks, Hinds lit up our summer with his own unique brand of star power. Now, as he takes his latest show #KanderAndEbb on the road, we’re asking […]
Three singers, two pianists, and a whole lot of Sondheim—a thoroughly enjoyable evening by the AC Group for the avid or even casual fan of the great lyricist/composer, though this charming production is unlikely to convert any sceptics of his extensive catalogue. Quite remarkably, ‘Side by Side by Sondheim’ was first performed over 40 years […]
Cineastas I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this Spanish-language exploration of the lives of filmmakers but what I found was a profoundly moving and wonderfully inventive piece of ensemble theatre. The cast was extraordinary in their versatility and emotional depth (Javier Lorenzo in particular pulled at my heartstrings in multiple roles) while the […]
Lately, I have been attending a lot of alternative theatre events. What is an alternative theatre event? It is a phrase that I created to encompass all limited run talent showcases, play readings, and musical performances. These events are often overlooked but are brilliant platforms to exhibit talent in a nontraditional way. Such events typically […]
You can thank the talented group of the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus (BGMC) for turning up the heat in chilly Boston this weekend (You’re welcome!). This weekend, a select group of the Chorus will feature some sassy, hilarious, and talented performers of hit songs in their Annual Cabaret, this year titled “It’s Getting Hot in […]
Chris Tsujiuchi and The Chris-terical Cabaret Crew are back for their annual Christmas festivities at Buddies in Bad Times this weekend. They’ve brought a lot of old material with them (and the departure of mainstay Vaughn Harris is sadly felt), but they’ve also got the strongest group of instrumentalists they’ve ever had… and a gospel choir. There’s one show […]
Last week, two excellent productions opened in Toronto that each told the story of a fascinating musical theatre artist through songs they composed themselves. The first was On the Rocks, a limited engagement cabaret-style showcase of Canadian musical theatre great Louise Pitre. Accompanied by the superb Diane Leah at the piano, Pitre took to the […]
I seem to have terrible luck with The Toronto Fringe Festival. Actually, let me amend that: some years I have terrible luck with The Toronto Fringe Festival. I seem to remember 2011 being just full of win. 2013? Not so much. I caught more bad breaks in my attempts to cover this year’s festival than […]
This fundraiser performance in support of The HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario– happening tomorrow night at the great Flying Beaver Pubaret– is the perfect Pride Week event if you’re looking for something fun but relatively low-key that doesn’t just entertain you but does something good for the world While it entertains you. We urge you […]
Before we announce the winners of the 2012 My Theatre Awards, we’re proud to present our annual Nominee Interview Series. Ellen Kestenberg was the musical director behind Encore Entertainment’s stirring ode to the two great Stephens of musical theatre: Sondheim and Schwartz. Representing the Best Showcase nominee Songs in the Key of Stephen, Ellen shared her thoughts on […]
Before we announce the winners of the 2012 My Theatre Awards, we’re proud to present our annual Nominee Interview Series. A prolific and exuberant performer, music director and composer, Chris Tsujiuchi’s bi-annual “Chris-terical Cabaret” series brings down the house at Buddies in Bad Times every June and December. Vivacious, heartfelt, and obscenely busy, Chris found the time […]
I went on and on about the awesomeness of The Global Cabaret Festival last year, so I’m not going to say it again. What I will say is that this year was even better with only a few mild disappointments in a wonderful weekend of 9 shows in 2 days from October 12th to 14th. […]
Boston Conservatory (BoCo) has always held a special place in my heart. Factory Girls was one of my first reviews for this site just under a year ago. I have gone to see a few BoCo shows since then and I’ve been consistently impressed with the quality of work produced, from the singing, to the […]
Before we announce the winners of the 2011 My Theatre Awards, we’re proud to present the My Theatre Nominee Interview Series. Michael Hughes was one of the breakout performers of the 2011 Toronto Fringe Festival with his heartrending one-man show Mickey & Judy. My favourite production of the festival, the show was an autobiographical recounting […]
The last weekend in October was one of the coolest weekends I’ve ever spent in my beloved Toronto. Downtown, in the heart of the ever-gorgeous Distillery District, sits the city’s most valuable performance space: The Young Centre for the Performing Arts. The beautifully designed venue sports a spacious lobby with a bar that serves everything […]