Toronto is lucky to have Barrie-based Talk is Free Theatre producing work in the city and taking on ambitious projects like Sondheim’s Company. An amorphous narrative where lots is said and basically nothing happens, Company is a swirl of barely defined characters and extremely sophisticated ideas wrapped in some of the legendary composer’s most irresistible […]
While slow to start, Make Banana Cry is an effective and uncomfortable use and showcase of the objectification, capitalist appropriation, and fetishization of what it means to be Asian. It’s not your typical fashion show. As you enter the space, you are encouraged to explore from your seat. To take in every detail of […]
A Fear And Loathing-esque road trip journey is elevated and driven by powerful and heartfelt performances for a story about friendship, history, love, and regret. D. Halpern’s story starts off with a return to nostalgia through camcorder video tapes. Well edited and shot by designer Seamus Easton, the beginning montage evokes feelings of past […]
Shrek the Musical (Young People’s Theatre) Young People’s Theatre’s production of Shrek the Musical is lean, green, and utterly joyful. It’s one of the biggest productions in the company’s 60-year history and that investment pays off with a strong ensemble, William Layton’s vibrant set design, and an overall high standard of production that could easily […]
The Musical Stage Company’s Uncovered series is a staple on Toronto stages. Each instalment of the theatre-y concert/concert-y theatre fundraiser famously reinterprets a different massive artist (or artists)’s songbook with the help of big name and up-and-coming talent. The central recipe still works: great singers (at least a couple each year who are too big […]
Dissonant Species (written by Michel Gordon Spence and Heather Marie Annis) sings a story about trying to understand. Trying to understand music, trying to understand sound, trying to understand people. Like a jumbled up music sheet with various timings and key changes and sounds with no set patterns. It is a piece that drums an […]
The trouble with adapting most children’s books is that they are very light on plot. Niagara’s Carousel Players’ two-person production of Where the Wild Things Are (originally adapted for the stage by TAG Theatre in Glasgow) suffers from this problem- it’s only 65 minutes long and still feels like they’re filling for time. What felt […]
Do not stop. Just go to see Laura Piccinin’s production of GO, a hike full of heart, comedy, and charm Full disclosure, I do not hike. As a city boy, my version of hiking is walking from Regent Park to Parkdale. However, even I can understand the appeal of hiking. The nature, the views, […]