Co-written by Jani Lauzon and Kaitlyn Riordan and directed by Lauzon, and originally produced in 2022 at the Stratford Festival, this Canadian Stage remount depicts the story of a fictional residential school in Northern Ontario in 1939. An English teacher, anticipating a visit by King George VI, enlists her students in a production of All’s […]
For the past few seasons, my favourite programming at the Shaw Festival has been Outdoors at the Shaw, a somewhat informal series of concerts and variety shows the bulk out the mainstage programming. These performances would take place across the festival grounds, at the outdoor BMO stage, and, starting last season, at the fun and […]
Thousand Islands Playhouse in Gananoque has just about the best programming strategy I’ve seen for a small company, especially one serving a remote community without a ton of access to live theatre. Managing Artistic Director Brett Christopher smartly programs all the big fun musicals you’d expect, crowd-pleasers that never fail to slap (this season has […]
Staged for a small (but packed) audience in a tent outside the Stratford Perth Museum, 12 Dinners is an intimate and humble piece of hyper-personal storytelling produced six minutes down the road from the Avon Theatre where stalwart character actor Steve Ross is having the run of his career as the sparkling lead of the […]
Click Here to read all our reviews from Toronto Fringe 2024. Artificially Intelligent (A-) Anesti Danelis is one of the most consistently funny and engaging comedians in Toronto and his latest solo show is yet another reliable hit. His self deprecating charm, musical talent, and clever writing are all showcased well in this meta hour […]
Click Here to read all our reviews from Toronto Fringe 2024. Patty Picker (A) Written by Evan Bawtinheimer, One For One Collective’s production brings us the story of Patty, a teenage girl who gets bullied and ostracized when the school learns a shameful secret. Bawtinheimer’s story examines a prevalent theme in teenage maturation without veering […]
Click Here to read all our reviews from Toronto Fringe 2024. Rooted: A Musical Poem (A) Ambitious, substantive, and memorable, this full-scale musical is one of the most polished pieces at the Fringe and definitely deserves a bigger run in a larger theatre. Jewelle Blackman’s book is a bittersweet and deceptively mature Giving-Tree-esque coming of age […]
Click Here to read all our reviews from Toronto Fringe 2024. Desperate Measures (A) Cameron Kneteman and Hilary Wirachowsky anchor this charming but thoughtful comedy about financial desperation with charisma and chemistry. Rachel Moore & Catherine Teichman’s script is funny but not too goofy and rooted at all turns in believable human behaviour. A fresh […]