Review: The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs (Outside the March/Theatre Passe Muraille)
By Wayne Leung
Outside the March turns Mike Daisey’s quasi-factual monologue exposing Apple’s labour practices into a fascinating piece of meta-theatre.
I find it extremely difficult to discuss the abuse of workers in Chinese factories because the issue is so close to my heart. My family is from the Guangdong province of China, the heart of the country’s manufacturing sector. I have relatives there still and I’ve been to the Zhuhai Special Economic Zone and seen first-hand the horrible conditions these workers are subjected to on a daily basis.
Review: West Side Story (Dancap Productions)
Dancap Productions presents West Side Story in Toronto at the Toronto Centre for the Arts
The musical adaptation of West Side Story is an old sentimental favourite of mine. Although the script shows its age in its language – “hoodlum” and “play it cool, real cool” – the ill-fated tale of romance and poetic songs strewn throughout are what always made this play incredibly appealing to me.
Review: The Shipment (Young Jean Lee’s Theater Company)
By Sam Mooney
When I read that The Shipment “dissects what it means to be black in America in this hilarious and shocking play” I immediately wanted to see it. Hilarious racism? Is it possible? Yes, it is. The Shipment is hilarious. It’s only playing until Saturday so get your ticket now. Cancel a prior engagement if you have to. This is one of the most amazing pieces of theatre that I’ve ever seen. Read the rest of this entry »
Review: Baobab (Young People’s Theatre)
Young People’s Theatre welcomes Montreal’s Théâtre Motus in a co-production with the SÔ Company of Mali for Baobab, presented in the Studio from May 8 to 17, 2012. Baobab is recommended for children ages four to eight. Baobab features Ralph Prosper, Mireille Tawfik, Nathalie Cora and Aboulaye Koné, and is written and directed by Hélène Ducharme.
The story, inspired by West African legends, is about an ancient baobab tree during a drought. One day the tree produces an egg, from which a little boy, Amondo, hatches. The villagers recognize that Amondo is the only one who can undertake the quest to bring water back to the land, completing three tasks that will lead him to the heart of the sun.
Review: Mister Paradise & 27 Wagons Full of Cotton (Another Theatre Co. & Theatre Brouhaha, as part of The Tennessee Project)
By Adam Collier
Amongst Tennessee Williams’ most memorable characters, there’s Blanche DuBois, of course, and Laura Wingfield.
Then there’s Flora Meighan.
Cheap Theatre in Toronto for the Week of May 7, 2012
Five For Twenty (or Less)
This week’s cheap theatre post has an exciting variety of shows to choose from. For $20 or less, you can watch a play about appearances, teen mental health, a tent city, Steve Jobs, and even cross-disciplinary works. See the full post for more details on our five picks.
Review: The Innocents (Tango Co.)
The Innocents is playing at Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre
In the end, it’s usually all about sex. Maybe. I think.
The Innocents, a play written by Daniel Karasik, is currently playing in its latest version at Tarragon Theatre. Karasik himself is backed by a stellar cast, but the production itself left me somewhat bewildered. Read the rest of this entry »
Review: Pantheon by Kids on TV (Hatch at Harbourfront)
Watch for Toronto’s Kids on TV tours in September
Kids on TV are well known in the queer community as a band who plays catchy electropop music with flashy costumes and video projections. Their shows have always been very theatrical, so it’s fitting for them to have been involved with Hatch, an incubator program at Harbourfront that develops multi-disciplinary performances. Pantheon is more of a concert than a play; in fact it is the name of Kids on TV’s upcoming album, and the event at Harbourfront is the beginning of what will become the show they take on tour. Read the rest of this entry »
Eye-Catching Toronto Theatre for the Week of May 7, 2012
Here is what’s going on in Toronto theatre this week. There are several great shows to catch for the week of May 7, 2012: ** Shows marked with the double asterisks and in red are the ones that make Wayne, our Managing Editor, wish he could exist in multiple parallel universes so he could check them all out.
Review: The Unsatisfactory Supper and Something Unspoken (The Tennessee Project)
By Sam Mooney
Tonight my friend Debbie and I saw two short plays by Tennessee Williams. We were at the Cabbagetown venue, The Kiwanis Boys and Girls Club, not a theatre but a good space for theatre. Hopefully we’ll see more theatre here.
The Unsatisfactory Supper (Black Tea Productions)
Tennessee Williams described this as his favourite short play. It wasn’t my favourite of the ones I’ve seen so far but I did enjoy it. Parts of it were quite funny and the underlying theme resonates today – or resonates with me. What do you do with the old relative who lives with you and is losing it. We’ve all heard that Eskimos used to put their old people on ice floes to die. Apparently in the South they left them out in a tornado. (I really hope my son-in-law isn’t reading this.) Read the rest of this entry »