Toronto Play Listings for the Week of May 4, 2015

Shows That Caught Our Eye This Week

 

If you’ve got nostalgia for classics, new takes on old tales abound. There are also plenty of new stage productions. I’ve highlighted the shows we’d love to see this week with two asterisks ** and in red text. I hope they will strike your fancy, too.

Already Reviewed by Mooney on Theatre:

 

The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini (Canadian Opera Company). A barber helps a nobleman woo his true love in this Italian comic opera. Sung in Italian with English subtitles. Opens Apr 17 and runs to May 22, see website for schedule. $12-$424. http://coc.ca/

Creditors by August Strindberg (The Coal Mine). A vengeful manipulator turns a man against his wife in this dark comedy. Previews Apr 26, opens Apr 28 and runs to May 17, Tue-Sun 7:30 pm. $15-$30. http://brownpapertickets.com/event/1364339

Hooked by Carolyn Smart (TPM). Smart brings the stories of female poets to life onstage. Previews Apr 16-19, opens Apr 21 and runs to May 10, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $17-$33, mat pwyc at the door. http://artsboxoffice.ca/

How to Kill a Comedian Second City presents its Spring 2015 Mainstage revue.  Tue-Thu 8 pm, Fri-Sun 7:30 pm, plus Sat 10 pm. $25-$45, stu $16-$18. http://secondcity.com

Odysseo (Cavalia). Theatre artists and horses create a spectacle combining equestrian arts, stage arts and special effects. Opens Apr 8 and runs to May 10, see website for schedule. $34.50-$264.50. http://cavalia.net/

**Once by Enda Walsh, Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová (Mirvish). An Irish musician and a Czech immigrant are drawn together by their shared love of music. Previews Feb 10-21, opens Feb 22 and runs to May 31, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sat-Sun and Wed 2 pm. $29-$130. http://mirvish.com/

**Liver by Kat Sandler (The Slab Collective/Theatre Brouhaha Labs/Red One Theatre Collective). A man wakes up on a gurney missing his liver in this dark meditation on life, death, questions of youth and aging and how far we will go to live forever. Opens Apr 30 and runs to May 10, Wed-Sun 8 pm, mat Sun 2 pm. $20-$25. Show Info

Madwoman of Chaillot. by Jean Giraudoux (Amicus Productions). An eccentric Parisian woman struggles against the straitlaced authority figures in her life. Opens Apr 30 and runs to May 9, Thu-Sat 8 pm, mat May 3 and 9 at 2 pm. $22, stu/srs $20. Show Info

**Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare (Tarragon). This Bollywood-inspired adaptation of the classic comedy is set in modern-day Brampton. Previews from Apr 22, opens Apr 29 and runs to May 31, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun (and some Sat) 2:30 pm. $27-$55, rush $15. http://tarragontheatre.com

Therefore Choose Life by Kathy Kacer and Jake Epstein (Harold Green Jewish Theatre). A Holocaust survivor who made a new life in Canada receives a letter from his first true love. Previews Apr 18-22, opens Apr 23 and runs to May 10, Tue-Thu and Sat 8 pm, Sun 7 pm, mat Wed 1 pm, Sun 2 pm. $tba. In the Greenwin Theatre. http://hgjewishtheatre.com/

Tom At The Farm by Michel Marc Bouchard (BIBT). A man goes to the country for his lover’s funeral and discovers the lies he told his family. Previews Apr 11-15, opens Apr 16 and runs to May 10, Wed-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2:30 pm (all previews at 8 pm). $20-$37, rush $20, Sun pwyc at the door. http://buddiesinbadtimes.com/

 

And the Rest….

Alice in Wonderland. by Errol Gay and Michael Patrick Albano (Canadian Children’s Opera Company). This new opera for children is based on the book by Lewis Carroll. Public performances May 8-10, Fri-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $35, srs $20, stu/child $15. Visit Event Website

American Idiot. by Billie Joe Armstrong and Green Day (LOT). Three lifelong friends must choose between their dreams and the safety of suburbia in this musical based on the Green Day album. Opens May 1 and runs to May 24, Thu-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm, Sun 4 pm. $50-$60. http://lowerossingtontheatre.com/

Bedtime. (Bouge de là/Young People’s Theatre/Agora de la danse). Four phases of childhood are explored through high-energy dance in this collective creation for ages 4 and up. Opens May 6 and runs to May 14, see website for schedule. $15-$30. http://www.youngpeoplestheatre.ca/shows-tickets/bedtime/

Bluebeard’s Castle / Erwartung by Bela Bartok/Arnold Schoenberg (Canadian Opera Company). Two short operas feature women probing into chilling mysteries and madness in this double bill. Opens May 6 and runs to May 23, see website for schedule. $22-$424. May 6, 8, 12, 14 and 23 at 7:30 pm; May 10 at 2 pm; May 16 at 4:30pm. http://coc.ca/PerformancesAndTickets/1415Season/BluebeardErwartung.aspx

Brimstone and Treacle. by Dennis Potter (Precisely Peter Productions). A mysterious stranger approaches a couple struggling to deal with an accident that left their daughter bed-ridden and unable to communicate. Previews May 5, opens May 6 and runs to May 17, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sat-Sun 3 pm. $25. Show Info

Capitalism, Sex and Magic. Dancemakers presents works by Keith Hennessy, Eroca Nicols and Andrew Jay. Opens May 6 and runs to May 9, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 3 pm. $25, stu $20. Show Info

Coexisdance #71. Dance improvisers perform with AIM Toronto musicians. May 9 at 8 pm. $10. Visit Event Website

Commencement by Clay McLeod Chapman (Convection Productions). One actor plays three women drawn together in the aftermath of a high school shooting. Opens May 1 and runs to May 10, Fri-Sat 8 pm, mat Sun (and May 9) at 4 pm. $15-$20. http://bpt.me/1374075

Elvis and The Man in Black. Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie presents a double bill featuring James Kudelka’s take on the music of Johnny Cash and Laurence Lemieux’s Looking For Elvis. Opens May 5 and runs to May 9, Tue-Wed and Fri-Sat 8 pm, Thu 7 pm (Rockabilly Rumble Fundraiser for CLC). $20, Thu fundraiser & show $100. http://colemanlemieux.com/portfolio/elvis/

**George F. Walker Double Bill: After Class (Crazy Lady). Two plays – Parent’s Night and The Bigger Issue – are presented as part of a new play cycle by Walker. Previews Apr 21-22, opens Apr 23 and runs to May 17, Wed-Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 2 pm. $17.50-$42.50, Sun pwyc at the door. http://crazylady.info/

God and the Indian. by Drew Hayden Taylor (Native Earth Performing Arts/Firehall Arts Centre). A Cree woman panhandling outside a coffee shop recognizes a face from her childhood, in a residential school, and seeks to confront her abuser. Previews from May 2, opens May 6 and runs to May 17, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $15-$25. In the Aki Studio. Show Info

Guddir Guddir (Harbourfront World Stage/Marrugeku). Asian-Indigenous performer Dalisa Pigram explores the rapid change affecting her land and the Yawuru people of Australia in this dance-theatre piece. May 6-9, Wed-Sat 8 pm. $35-$45  Show Info

Half a League. by Scott Garland (Rarely Pure Theatre). Three men in a junkyard play at being soldiers and await the return of their “leader” when an unexpected visitor stumbles upon their “outpost”. Opens May 6 and runs to May 31, Wed-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $20, stu/srs $15. Show Info

Idle Lessons. (Raw Matter). This immersive performance experience explores the content and controversy surrounding the province’s recently proposed Sexual Education Curriculum. Opens May 5 and runs to May 9, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $10.  Show Info

The Imaginary Invalid. by Molière (Théâtre français de Toronto). A hypochondriac pesters doctors and pressures his daughter to marry one in this comedy. Previews May 6, opens May 8 and runs to May 24, see website for schedule and prices. Performed in French with English subtitles Wednesdays May 6, 13 and 20; All other times in French only. Show Info

The Land of Promise by Somerset Maugham (Theatre Double Take/Snowdrop Productions). An English woman moves to Canada and struggles with class, culture and harsher labour in the early 1900s. Opens May 1 and runs to May 9, May 1-2 & 6-8 at 8 pm, May 3 & 9 at 2 pm. $20, stu/srs $15. Show Info

Lunacy Cabaret: Panem Hunger Games.This vaudeville-style cabaret of circus, sketch comedy, songs and more. May 9 at 9 pm. $20-$25. Show Info

Moving Memories – Creating Living Steps out of Ancient Traces. Sashar Zarif Dance Theatre presents intimate dance exploring mystic Sufi and shamanic traditions, performed by Zarif and Louis Laberge-Côté. May 8-9 at 8 pm. $15-$20. Show Info

**Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play. by Anne Washburn and Michael Friedman (Outside the March/Starvox Entertainment/Crow’s Theatre). In a post-apocalyptic world, a group of survivors search for food, shelter and classic lines from “The Simpsons” in this show staged without electricity. Previews May 9-12, opens May 13 and runs to May 31, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sun 2 pm (except May 10, at 7 pm), see website for other show. $30. Show Info

Needles and Opium. by Robert Lepage (Canadian Stage/Ex Machina). A series of vignettes explore the relationship between displacement, drug addiction and creativity. Opens May 1 and runs to May 10, Tue-Thu and Sat 8 pm, Fri 7 pm, mat Sun and Wed 1 pm. $tba.  https://www.canadianstage.com

Notorious with Colin Mochrie. The hip-hop comedy group performs with the Whose Line Is It Anyway? improv star. 7:30 pm. $20, stu $15. May 9, 2015 7:30 PM  Show Info

**Paprika Festival. New plays, dance performances, workshop productions, experimental art and more by young artists. Opens May 4 and runs to May 10, see website for schedule. $10, day pass $15, Paprika gala $30.  http://paprikafestival.com/festival-2015/

Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler (Alexander Showcase Theatre). The wrath of a wrongfully convicted barber has brutal consequences in this musical. Opens Apr 30 and runs to May 10, Wed-Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 2 pm. $32, stu/srs $27 Show Info

Tagged by Dave Deveau (Green Thumb Theatre). A party photo goes viral in this play for ages 13 and up about accountability in the social media world. Previews Apr 21, opens Apr 22 and runs to May 8, see website for schedule. $19-$24. http://youngpeoplestheatre.ca/

Thunderstick. by Kenneth T Williams (Centre for Indigenous Theatre). Indigenous cousins from different backgrounds are reunited in a chase for a big political news story in this student show. May 7-10, Thu-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $10.  Show Info

**Trudeau and Lévesque. by Michael Hollingsworth (VideoCabaret/Soulpepper). The Prime Minister and the father of Quebec separatism bang heads in this history play. Previews from Apr 27, opens May 2 and runs to Jun 13, see website for schedule. $26-$56.  Show Info

West End Girls Comedy. Monthly showcase of female stand-ups featuring Chantel Marostica, Claire Brosseau, Courtney Gilmour, Kris Siddiqi and others. 7 pm. $10 – $15. May 9, 2015 7:00 PM Show Info

 

Listings based on NOW! Stage listings.