Canadian Stage brings theatre wizard Robert Lepage’s play Needles and Opium back to Toronto
Written and directed by Robert Lepage, Needles and Opium will startle your senses at Toronto’s Bluma Appel Theatre. Jazz, light and movement make the stories of heartbreak, addiction and cultural discovery come to life.
I’ve never seen such a set. The action takes place not on the stage, but in the air. A three-sided cube turns intermittently. This mobile stage, through light, projected images and changing props, becomes a recording studio, hotel room, pawn shop and other settings. Ground-breaking. Continue reading Review: Needles and Opium (Canadian Stage/Ex Machina)→
Commencement, a solo play about a school shooting takes the stage at Toronto’s Hub 14
Commencement is built of three monologues: one from mother of a school shooter; one from a classmate; and one from a victim’s mother. From the very beginning we know exactly what has happened, and playwright Clay McLeod Chapman pushes us to imagine why.
As we explore the ways in which these three women — all played by Janelle Hanna — grapple with that moment of public violence, the stories begin to blend and intertwine. And under the guise of talking about one awful day in an American high school, Chapman gets his audience thinking about bullying, parenthood, crushes, adolescence, and how “the best years of our lives” can go so horribly, horribly wrong.
The classic Sondheim musical Sweeney Todd takes to the stage at Toronto’s Al Green Theatre
Alexander Showcase Theatre’s production of Sweeney Todd now playing at the Al Green Theatre is a fresh, funny take on Steven Sondheim’s classic musical about a revenge-seeking, murderous barber and his pie-making neighbour. While some of the aspects of this musical are definitely not for the squeamish or the faint of heart, this production emphasizes the musical’s comedic aspects, making it a laugh-out-loud fun night at the theatre.
Gillian English’s new one-woman show Get Around Me playing Sunday May 3rd and Monday May 4th at the Comedy Bar is a personal and significant story. While representing Canada as a member of the Australian Football League (AFL), she was sexually assaulted by a Canadian. The attack was actively encouraged by a member of Team Canada and while it was happening Team Canada members applauded and cheered. While her attacker was charged, the AFL has not penalized any other players involved.
How did English end up deciding to bring her story to the stage? Initially, she “was already planning to do a solo show about Aussie Rules Footy. But…had planned to make it a very positive story about how team sports had changed [her] life. Then [she] was assaulted and everything changed.”
Kat Sandler presents her latest play Liver, a dark comedy at Toronto’s Storefront Theatre