Veda Hille & Bill Richardson’s original song cycle Do You Want What I Have Got? A Craigslist Cantata (playing until March 3rd at Toronto’s Factory Theatre) is a hilarious and inventive journey through the craziness of our internet culture. Using real Craigslist postings for fodder, the piece is absolutely nuts but also relatable in a completely […]
First Act Productions is a young company full of energy, abandon, and a surprising number of strong voices, perfectly suited to a production of Hair with all of its go-for-broke exuberance and and ensemble focus. In fact, for a relatively small startup company featuring mostly students and recent grads, it’s actually remarkable how excellent an […]
Mirvish’s Wizard of Oz is exactly what all of us mildly jaded theatre-saturated critics thought it was going to be- commercial nonsense. I’m a pretty populist theatre patron- I don’t need everything to be high art (in fact I don’t want it to be); I appreciate comforting, entertaining and linear shows that don’t hurt your […]
There are few feats of artistic creation more stunning than the stage musical version of Les Miserables. From Hugo’s thrilling original storytelling and Schönberg & Boublil’s adapted musical book, to the way that Schönberg’s stunning melodies circle thematically back on themselves to the lush orchestrations and groundbreaking rotating-stage direction, iconic costumes, and hundreds upon hundreds […]
I read the original version of Without You when it was first released in 2006. It was a lovely book, full of emotional memories and revealing frankness nestled among the awkward prose and insider-y Renthead bait. I, like almost every theatre-loving girl of my generation, have a very special place in my heart for Rent […]
Ross Petty’s annual holiday pantomime is an important tradition to keep alive in Toronto. There’s a depressing dearth of smartly produced kid-friendly theatre in this city and, at its best, Petty’s goofy fractured fairytale can be the clever centerpiece of a kid’s cultural year. They get to dress up, go to one of the city’s […]
SpeakEasy, you never disappoint. After a short hiatus from reviewing their shows, I’m back and more impressed than ever. While the production has some minor issues (I call them minor because they were vastly overwhelmed by the good), the production rocks. Yes, we’ve hit the era of rock musicals, which take a seemingly mundane topic […]
I think someone should start prescribing a night at the theatre for patients who complain of drowsiness, stress, mild depression or self importance. Not just any night at the theatre, I don’t think Endgame would help, but something like Alligator Pie– a piece so brimming with light, happiness and creativity that one can’t help leaving […]