All posts by Wayne Leung

Wayne Leung (1981-2019) Wayne was the Managing Editor of Mooney on Theatre from 2012 - 2019 and will be sorely missed. His death from an apparent heart attack was a loss not just to Mooney on Theatre, but also to the Toronto Theatre Community at large. You can read our publisher Megan Mooney's tribute to him here here. Wayne was a writer, editor and corporate communications professional who was thrilled to be a part of the Mooney on Theatre team. Wayne loved theatre ever since his aunt brought him to a production of Les Misérables at the tender age of ten . . . despite the fact that, at that age, the show’s plot was practically indiscernible and the battle scenes scared the bejeezus out of him. Wayne’s current list of likes ran the gamut from opera, ballet and Shakespeare to Broadway musicals, circus and Fringe theatre. Outside of the theatre Wayne’s interests included travel, technology and food.

I’m Right Here (Victor Theatre Productions) 2015 Toronto Fringe Review

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The paradox of the information age is that we have more and better technological means to connect to people instantly around the world yet we’re increasingly isolated and staring at screens. This concept is explored in I’m Right Here, a song cycle by composer Anthony Bastianon and lyricist Brett McCaig, playing as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival.

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Quarter Life Crisis – The Musical (Koru Labs) 2015 Toronto Fringe Review

Image of Jada Rifkin in Quarter Life Crisis - The Musical

So you’ve graduated with a liberal arts degree, you’re saddled with a crushing student debt, you’ve moved back home with your parents, and you have absolutely no idea what you want to do with your life. Quarter Life Crisis – The Musical by Lee Cohen, Evan Cohen, Dan Hunt with book and lyrics by Jennifer Turliuk, playing as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival, focuses on this phase of life that’s so familiar to so many. The subject should be a slam dunk for musical parody, unfortunately an errant script and lack of focus really tank the show.

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Everyone Loves Sea Land (EXFH Productions) 2015 Toronto Fringe Review

Everyone Loves Sea Land Poster Image

Everyone Loves Sea Land is a “Disco musical parody” by Marshall Lorenzo, playing as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival. The show was formerly titled Everyone Loves Marineland until the water park threatened legal action and issued a cease-and-desist order. You’d think that, given multiple allegations of animal abuse in its recent history, Marineland would be ripe for a satirical skewering. Unfortunately, Sea Land is less of a satire and more of a hot mess.

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Summerland (Wexford Performing Arts) 2015 Toronto Fringe Review

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Photo of the cast of Summerland

Summerland, a new musical by Anika Johnson, Barbara Johnston and Suzy Wilde presented by Wexford Performing Arts, shattered my expectations of what to expect from a high school student production and what to expect from a Fringe musical. This site-specific show is playing in the auditorium of Harbord Collegiate Institute and it’s quite possibly the best musical I’ve ever seen at the Toronto Fringe Festival.

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