Here is what’s going on in Toronto theatre this week. There are several great shows to catch for the week of November 18th, 2013. ** 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.
Continue reading Eye Catching Theatre for the Week of November 18th, 2013
On hand for the first performance of Annie at Young People’s Theatre, my small companion and I filed in between a kindergarten class and a band of gangly Grade 8s and I wondered – is this going to work? Will this production appeal to such a big range of kids? Well, yes.
This production of Annie, clocking in at 80 minutes plus a five-minute curtain speech, is the TYA or Theatre for Young Audiences version – it’s mostly songs: complex subplots are dispensed with. The worrisome abduction of Annie is deleted altogether and replaced by a version in which Mr. Warbucks’ contacts at the FBI discover Rooster and Lily’s ruse before they get anywhere with dear, orphaned Annie. It’s a solid production, just the sort of thing a whole family can safely enjoy together, and quite a nice stepping stone for younger theatre patrons — between kiddie shows and full-length musicals.
Continue reading Kid +1 Review: Annie (Young People’s Theatre)
In a quiet lobby at the Enwave Theatre I was hesitantly excited to see New Animal. I love seeing Canadian artists from out of town. By seeing these touring shows I get a taste of what else is going in our massive country. New Animal is a snap shot from Vancouver’s 605 Collective.
This piece really is all in the title. New Animal, you know what to expect. Animalistic behaviour dressed up in people clothes. It was vicious and violent. All the elements worked together to add to the voice of the work. Continue reading Review: New Animal (605 Collective)
It has often been said that in the face of adversity, there are only two courses of action a person may take: fight or flight. The Sacrifice Zone, now playing at the Factory Theatre, examines the fallout experienced by one community in the wake of a tragic industrial accident.
Continue reading Review: The Sacrifice Zone (Theatre Gargantua)
Back at Campbell House for A Room of One’s Own and a taste of 1928 I went, curious to see how my experience of Girton College would differ from my experience of the same historic home as a hand-wavy, Regency-esque haunted house from two weeks ago. Campbell House stood in charmingly for both, and A Room of One’s Own also proved charming.
Upon my arrival, I found fires were crackling, hors d’oeuvres being passed, a (cash) bar for collecting a glass of wine and retiring to the sitting room to enjoy while a cellist played. The cello was a little much for the small room, but the effect was pleasant overall in its sense of leisure.
Continue reading Review: A Room Of One’s Own (Bloomsbury Collective)