Author Archive
Mirvish announces its 2012 – 2013 season, including Book of Mormon
By Megan Mooney
Toronto’s Mirvish Theatre announces a season of musicals with something for everyone
I won’t lie, the show I was most hoping would be announced at today’s launch was The Book of Mormon. Obviously I was not the only one. It was the first show announced, and in the opening bars of the music, before a word was spoken, the audience erupted into cheers.
The Book of Mormon (brought to us by Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park and Team America fame) will be playing at Mirvish in the coming year. There are a few other shows that I’m personally pretty excited about, like La Cage Aux Folles, and Honeymoon in Vegas.
Below you’ll find more details on the season, and some pictures from the launch to whet your appetite. Read the rest of this entry »
Review: Penny Plain (Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes | Factory Theatre)
By Megan Mooney
Ronny Burkett’s Penny Plain at Factory Theatre in Toronto is far more than a playful puppet show
These days we have a tendency to think of shows involving puppets as light fun fare meant for children. Let me assure you, this is not the case with Ronny Burkett’s Penny Plain, currently playing at Factory Theatre.
The show is funny, but it’s also heartbreaking and dark, and it is most definitely not for children. In fact, the Factory Theatre website notes that children under 14 will not be admitted into the show, and with good reason. In parts it’s downright scary, not to mention more than a little creepy.
It’s also wonderful.
[Sponsored] Hart House 2012 Winter Classes – Empowerment Through the Arts
By Megan Mooney
University of Toronto’s Hart House classes in Toronto offer Empowerment Through the Arts – for anyone moved by an image, a word or an idea.
There’s little in this world I love more than learning something new. Technically any learning goes to personal development, but the best kind of learning is stuff that is both fun AND intended for personal development.
The biggest life-changing learning I ever did was in my grade 10 drama class. It taught me how to interact with the world in a whole new, and far more effective, way. It also started an introduction to my passion – theatre – but that was a ways down the road. In my business-world career doing performance measurement and program evaluation I used the skills I learned through arts classes every day.
That’s what Hart House is offering with its “Empowerment Through the Arts” classes. I don’t doubt that these will offer you skills that you will use in all sorts of areas of your life. In addition to their previous offerings in Filmmaking, Photography, Music and Theatre Arts, they now offer classes in Comedy, Creative Living & Careers, Movement/Dance and expanded Voice offerings.
It’s a wide ranging selection, with offerings from The Art of Conversation and Communication to Free Your Inner Comedian to Art of Acting: Finding Personal Liberation and Authenticity. Generally, the classes are aimed to those who but do not already have training in the specific class they are taking. There’s a full list of the various classes here, most of which begin the week of January 29.
Review: Kim’s Convenience (Soulpepper Theatre)
By Megan Mooney
Ins Choi’s Kim’s Convenience steals the stage at Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre
What I really want my whole review for Kim’s Convenience, now playing at Soulpepper, to say is “The show is fantastic, you should really go see it.” Unfortunately, I suspect that kind of thing won’t cut it. So, I’ll work on telling you about the piece, but just remember, it’s wonderful, and you should go see it.
Review: The Golden Dragon (Tarragon Theatre)
By Megan Mooney
Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre presents The Golden Dragon, a play that will make you laugh and leave you thinking
The Golden Dragon, currently playing at Tarragon Theatre, is a well executed piece of theatre that will make you laugh, cringe, and think about stuff you wish wasn’t really happening in this world.
If you like your theatre in the form of traditional linear storytelling, with realistic costumes and characters, a play you can ‘lose yourself in’, this will not be a show for you. You will never forget that you’re watching a play. If the cross-gender, cross-age and cross-ethnicity (is that a term?) characters doesn’t pull you out of the experience enough, then the spoken stage directions and occasional ‘nudge-nudge-wink-wink’ type of action to the audience will.
[Sponsored] Cabaret makes its way to Hart House Theatre in Toronto
By Megan Mooney
I first saw Cabaret when I was in high school. It was a high school production. I loved it. I loved it enough that I immediately went out and rented the movie. I was sorely disappointed by the movie, it was SO much better live.
Well, this month we in Toronto have an opportunity to see it live again. Hart House Theatre is presenting Cabaret from Friday January 13, 2012 to January 28, 2012. I can also guarantee that as much as I loved it the first time I saw it live, this one will be even better than that production of long ago.
Announcement: Lucy Eveleigh appointed the new General Manager of Toronto’s SummerWorks Theatre Festival
By Megan Mooney
The Mooney on Theatre team would like to congratulate our writer Lucy Eveleigh on her new appointment as the General Manager of the SummerWorks Theatre Festival.
Lucy became a regular contributor to Mooney on Theatre last year and has since become a unique voice on the site; leveraging her wealth of experience as an actor, improv performer, theatre publicity and outreach coordinator and festival organizer.
Lucy will undoubtedly be an incredible asset to SummerWorks as the festival continues its important work developing emerging theatre and arts in Canada.
Congratulations Lucy and best of luck in your new endeavour!
- The Mooney on Theatre Editorial Team
The official release from the SummerWorks blog is below:
2012 Next Stage Theatre Festival Review: Love is a Poverty You Can Sell (Soup Can Theatre)
By Megan Mooney
I’d like to see Soup Can Theatre’s Love is a Poverty You Can Sell done in a proper cabaret set up. I mean, it’s meant to be an old-style cabaret, so it would be nice to see it in that kind of a setting (I didn’t get to see it when it was at the now-defunct Bread and Circus). During Next Stage it’s in the “Ante-Chamber” otherwise known as the small bar at Factory Theatre.
Read the rest of this entry »
2012 Next Stage Theatre Festival Review: Uncalled For Presents Hypnogogic Logic
By Megan Mooney
I think it’s safe to say that not everyone will love Hypnogogic Logic, but personally, I loved it.
Kind of hard to describe it exactly, one audience member said: “If you like Monty Python, you’ll probably like this.” I suspect that’s true, although, it isn’t particularly reminiscent of Monty Python, other than having elements of “weird”. It’s sketch comedy, but smoother, surreal and absurd. The surreal and absurd make a heck of a lot of sense since it’s billed as “trip through the world of dreams”.
2012 Next Stage Theatre Festival Review: Tiki Bikini Beach Paradise Party-A-Go-Go
By Megan Mooney
Looking for an hour of pure fun? Pure don’t-think-about-anything-deep-just-smile fun? Then go see Tiki Bikini Beach Paradise Party-A-Go-Go at the Next Stage Festival on now until January 15, 2012.
You can expect singing, dancing, corny jokes, scantily clad men and women and eyerolling (I mean that in a good way) sexual innuendo. If you’ve ever seen Beach Party (or any of the 1960s Beach Party movies) then just imagine that, only live, and more fun.
Read the rest of this entry »