05 April 2019
The TSO’s Best of Hollywood
By Kelly Bedard // Music
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra is world-class and their recent infusion of young new players really livens things up down at Roy Thomson Hall (always a fun venue to visit). I’m …
07 March 2019
Musician Spotlight Series: The TSO’s Kelly Zimba
By Kelly Bedard // Music
The Musician Spotlight Series shines a light on up-and-coming musicians creating heartfelt and original work across genres, giving them an opportunity to talk about their music, their collaborators, and why …
20 February 2019
The COC revisits & revises Così Fan Tutte
By Dom Harvey // Theatre (Toronto)
Opera is sustainable when you can enjoy it without fully understanding it or taking it seriously. Few works rely on this more than Così fan tutte, which continues to entertain …
12 February 2019
COC’s Elektra Returns after Twelve Years
By Lorenzo Pagnotta // Theatre (Toronto)
The Canadian Opera Company’s latest production of Elektra opened up recently to warm us right up, piercing through the snow. The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts was abuzz …
14 May 2018
The COC’s Spring: Short Fables & Anna Bolena
By Kelly Bedard // Theatre (Toronto)
The eclectic pairing of a visually ambitious but narratively light 20th century Russian mixed bill directed with theatrical ambition and a rich Italian bel canto full-length narrative with restrained character-focused …
05 April 2018
On Stage in TO: Song&Dance
By Kelly Bedard // Theatre (Toronto)
The Overcoat: a musical tailoring (Canadian Stage with Tapestry Opera & Vancouver Opera) This new opera is a strong achievement for Tapestry- a smallish contemporary opera company that suffers for …
29 March 2018
Nominee Interview Series: Marcelo Puente
By Kelly Bedard // Theatre (Toronto)
Before we announce the winners of the 2017 MyEntWorld Critics’ Pick Awards, we’re proud to present our annual Nominee Interview Series. Argentine tenor Marcelo Puente’s rich and nuanced voice stood out in the …
23 March 2018
Nominee Interview Series: Markus Marquardt
By Kelly Bedard // Theatre (Toronto)
Before we announce the winners of the 2017 MyEntWorld Critics’ Pick Awards, we’re proud to present our annual Nominee Interview Series. German bass-baritone…
17 February 2018
Problematic Systematic Operatic
By Kelly Bedard // Theatre (Toronto)
The Canadian Opera Company’s current season is an intriguing examination of a problem from two angles. On one hand, they’re presenting their Rigoletto, last seen not-so-long-ago in 2011. It’s an …
10 December 2017
The National Ballet’s Nijinsky: a multi-cast review
By Chelsea Dinsmore // Theatre (Toronto)
Beginning and ending with the last performance of Vaslav Nijinsky, widely considered one of the greatest dancers of the twentieth century, choreographer John Neumeier’s “biography of the soul” is a …
18 October 2017
On Stage in TO: Family Matters
By Kelly Bedard // Theatre (Toronto)
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (National Theatre presented by Mirvish Productions) I saw the UK’s National Theatre production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in …
27 June 2017
Luminato 2017: Bearing
By Lisa McKeown // Theatre (Toronto)
This dance-opera conceived and designed by co-directors Michael Greyeyes and Yvette Nolan and librettist Spy Denommé-Welch investigates the emotional history and contemporary cultural significance of Canada’s residential school system. The …
13 May 2017
The COC’s Tosca
By Duncan Derry // Theatre (Toronto)
The lights go down, the famous crashing motif begins and the curtain immediately flies up to reveal the chapel of a massive Roman church, into which an escaped prisoner appears, …
05 May 2017
The COC’s Louis Riel
By Kelly Bedard // Theatre (Toronto)
There are a few refreshing intellectual, social, and theatrical ideas in Peter Hinton‘s new production of Harry Sommers’ 1967 Canadian history opera Louis Riel. The judgemental chorus seated high in …
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