Here is what’s going on in Toronto theatre this week. There are several great shows to catch for the week of March 4th, 2013: ** Shows marked with the double asterisks and in red are the ones that make Sonia, our Editor, wish she could quit her evening job so she could check them all out.
Continue reading Eye-Catching Toronto Theatre for the Week of March 4th, 2013
Laws of Motion playing at Jam Factory is a perfect fusion of cast, director, script and venue. It’s rare for every element of a show to coalesce in this manner: seeing it happen before your eyes is a wonderful thing to behold. There are bumps, scrapes and skids along the way, but the energy, verve, vitality and all-around oomph of this company deliver on every promise, and every possibility, offered by a truly wonderful script.
Continue reading Review: Laws of Motion (Small Elephant Co-Op)
I knew as soon as I saw the lighting fixtures. Not the regular instruments, but the lights onstage used to illuminate the small moments of the show. Three of them stood out from each of the rough beam columns that made up a large portion of the set, and they looked just like showerheads, and so I knew. Knew that someone at Hart House Theatre (Dominic Manca, the set and lighting designer) had done their research into Nazi death camps, and knew that the show was going to hang right in the sweet spot where Bent should hang – right on the rising edge of misery and hope.
pomme is french for apple is racy, fun and definitely ooh la la for Toronto the Good. Listen up when they warn of “mature content.” Judging by the audience reaction, it wasn’t just me that thought so.
The title is a slipcover for a no-holds-barred exploration of womanhood. The pum (pun on pomme), which is West Indian slang for a woman’s private parts, is the topic of focus.
I haven’t yet seen Vagina Monologues. But from what I remember, these actresses may be going one step beyond. They don’t just talk from the pum, they become it. Continue reading Review: pomme is french for apple (Young Centre for the Performing Arts)
When we slip into our seats four minutes after curtain at the Young People’s Theatre due to an unforeseen travel glitch, the last chords of Fred Penner’s The Cat Came Back were fading away. My small companion said “We missed it…” somewhat forlornly, as he’d been eagerly anticipating the title song. “They’ll play it again,” I said, confidently. He nodded and settled in, excited to have his first, live Fred Penner experience.
Unfortunately, the settling in was somewhat short lived.
Continue reading Review (Kid Plus One): The Cat Came Back (Young People’s Theatre)