The Toronto Symphony Orchestra welcomed audiences back to Roy Thomson Hall last week with a short intermission-less concert of contemporary classical music chosen to honour what we’ve lost, celebrate where we are, and welcome the company’s new music director Gustavo Gimeno whose 2020 grand debut was the victim of almost uncannily terrible timing. The […]
James Ehnes is a thrilling violinist, a brilliant technician who…
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 partial to new associate principal bassoon Darren Hicks and our recent spotlightee principal flute Kelly Zimba. And if you haven’t googled associate principal clarinet Eric […]
Jason Robert Brown is a name that is maybe unfamiliar to the casual theatregoer, but you wouldn’t think that was the case sat in the packed London Palladium for his BBC Radio 2 concert. It is a treat in itself to have Brown in the UK, but the extra appeal of this occasion was that […]
Soulpepper, a company of Toronto-based Canadian theatre artists, is doing a residency at the Signature Theatre complex for the month of July. If the concert they served up in honor of Canada Day (July 1st and 2nd) is any indication, New York City is having a wonderful month. From the opening speech by Artistic Director […]
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 […]
Facing the garlanded stage with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra warming up, looked down on by the Etobicoke School of the Arts Holiday Chorus, I can’t help but feel the buzz of holiday cheer. I have not had the privilege to attend the symphony since I was a child, and am enjoying the energy of Roy […]
I recently had the extreme pleasure of seeing The Lone Bellow at Boston’s House of Blues, and I can’t have asked for a better way to spend a Wednesday night. The first opener of the show was Hugh Masterson, a singer-songwriter out of my very own Nashville, TN. He said at the beginning of his […]
Two nights in October, I did something I haven’t done in far too long- I went to the symphony. But these were not regular nights at the symphony. There was no Peter Oundjian, an uncharacteristic smell filled Roy Thomson Hall, the average age of the patrons was at least 20 years below expected and, when […]
Performing with a symphony orchestra is a tricky thing, especially for a musical theatre performer. On a stage that likely has better acoustics than your usual proscenium, in a space traditionally occupied by concert cellists and world-class operatic sopranos, without the help of your costume or your co-stars, the story or the special effects, you […]
Broadway’s golden boy will be taking the Roy Thompson Hall stage tomorrow night to sing Stephen Schwartz songs alongside the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Fresh off his pre-Broadway run in the new Finding Neverland musical and a movie star turn as Jamie in the Last Five Years film adaptation, Tony-nominated (and My Theatre Award-winning!) Newsies star/Smash saviour […]
Be sure to check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and our Full Listing of SummerWorks 2014 reviews. New This Year: The My Theatre Favourite Discount If your Fringe or SummerWorks show scores an A+ or A, you can cash in on that goodwill with a 50% discount on advertising your next show on My Entertainment World. If you scored […]
As the smell of weed wafted through the air, the lights dimmed, and Beyoncé and Jay-Z took the stage at Gillette Stadium. The two walked out with one of their first musical collaborations “’03 Bonnie & Clyde.” The duo was perfectly in sync and rocked out the start to one of the most fun concerts. […]
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 […]
The place was packed with pretty girls lining the bar and guys in loose jeans nursing their beers. It was Friday night so everyone was out to let loose and take in some good old rock “n” roll. The music was blaring even from outside the famous Bitter End, the same Bitter End that hosted […]
Old Man Luedecke Feb 18, Hugh’s Room “Who feels like a little call-and-response?” calls Chris Luedecke, AKA Old Man Luedecke, of Halifax. There is a halfhearted smattering of applause. “That’s ok,” he deadpans, “if I was holding out for a majority I would have given-up a long time ago. Banjo! The most universally hated of […]
If you could re-create your world, who would be part of your family? How would you choose to express your love for them? To what lengths would you go to protect and keep them? And what would you do if you feared losing them forever? Music helps us answer difficult questions and imagine a world […]
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 […]
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 […]
May 9, 2013- Kool Haus Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are one of those inimitable few acts who persist, year in and year out, relatively unchanged. Since the 2001 release of their debut, B.R.M.C., the band has continually been producing records of the same consistent quality and touring with a widely renown passion and intensity. No, their […]
Before we announce the winners of the 2012 My Theatre Awards, we’re proud to present our annual Nominee Interview Series. As Glinda the Good Witch from Wicked, the affable and sweet-voiced Mindy Perlmutter was the highlight of Encore Entertainment’s My Theatre Award-nominated showcase Songs in the Key of Stephen. But it was her professional-calibre turn in their community theatre production of Fiddler […]
Omar Thomas Large Ensemble took the stage at Berklee Performance Center on July 25th to a packed house. This was Thomas’s second concert at BPC with his 18 piece jazz ensemble since becoming a faculty member at Berklee College of Music in 2008 at the age of 23- making him one of the youngest professors […]
Encore Entertainment’s concert production, Songs in the Key of Stephen, was a joyous evening of entertainment. Their stirring production of The Laramie Project had featured a mixed bag of talent, so I was a little worried that they might not attract the kind of voices they needed to pull off an evening of Sondheim and […]
Nowadays, it’s really easy to get lost on the Internet. Days can go by before you realize you haven’t left that blue glow and you’re still wrapped in the towel you showered in from Tuesday morning. It happens to the best of us; I know from personal experience. And don’t get me wrong – the […]
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of seeing one of my favourite singer/songwriters live. I first fell in love with Dar Williams’ quirky lyrics and sweet, folksy guitar melodies back in the days when I used to go to summer arts camp. During something called “unit hour”, my counsellor would pull out her guitar […]
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 […]