Lisa McKeown

Kate Hennig’s contemporary history play traces the story of King Henry VIII’s sixth and last wife, Catherine Parr (Kate) – beginning with his awkward and aggressive pursuit of her, her negotiation of their marriage (and sex life, which was pretty impressive), to Kate’s attempt to be both a mother and political advocate for Mary and […]

  Kelly Bedard

Toronto Fringe’s winter mini-fest Next Stage is in a tricky spot. It plays host to the first productions of every year in Toronto theatre; the audience full of hope and anticipation and ready to have the bar set for the year to come. Curated and titled as it is, it’s not hard to expect something […]

  Kelly Bedard

Toronto’s (Canada’s?) most ambitious professional theatre company is undoubtedly Soulpepper. The artist-led organization has never been shy about making their mark on the city but lately they’re expanding at a rate worth noting. This is especially noticeable at Christmas time, a season which used to consist of just two signature productions remounted in alternating years […]

  Duncan Derry

I can only imagine that the experience of a refugee is one of exhaustion, fear, and utter resolve. But it must be one of tedium as well; so much time spent travelling in such uncomfortable, de-humanizing surroundings. Set in a literal shipping container which has been set up in the Berkeley Street Theatre courtyard, Zachary […]

  Lorenzo Pagnotta

Be sure to check out our Full List of Fringe Reviews Knots (A) It’s a big task keeping an audience engaged at 10:30pm but Lucy Meanwell and Jake Runeckles have no problem doing that whatsoever in their show Knots. You might think a show about a topic as broad as knots sounds too experimental – […]

  Lisa McKeown

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I walked into the Young Centre for a performance of Neil Simon’s the Odd Couple. On the one hand, this is a Soulpepper production, which suggests a high bar of artistic talent. On the other hand, this is a comedy from the 1960s, an era that is rife […]

  Kelly Bedard

There are six days left in The Toronto Fringe’s annual Next Stage Theatre Festival. See below for my thoughts on nine of the ten shows (the performance of Urban Myth I was scheduled to attend was cancelled because of a fire alarm) then Click Here to buy your pass and schedule your trip to the Factory […]

  Lisa McKeown

Written and performed by Sarah Thorpe, Heretic is a modern retelling of the story of Joan of Arc. Currently at the Theatre Passe-Muraille Backspace, this Soup Can Theatre production is a remount of an earlier version that Thorpe helped to produce last spring. In the programme, Thorpe tells us that the show was inspired by […]