Shows That Caught Our Eye in Toronto the Week of February 22nd, 2016
If you’re looking to go out and enjoy some theatre to take your mind off the hideous weather, then you’re truly the kind of dedicated theatre-goer we like! We’re here to make your show-scheduling by having our team select our most anticipated picks of the week. This time around, it’s Megan up at bat! Check out her picks in red under the cut.
Already Reviewed by Mooney on Theatre:
Kinky Boots by Harvey Fierstein and Cyndi Lauper (Mirvish). A man inherits a shoe company and teams up with a drag queen in this musical based on the 2005 film. Previews from Jun 16, opens Jun 28 and runs to Mar 6, 2016 (extended from Dec 20), Tue-Sat 8 pm, see website for other times. $35-$130. Show Info.
Spy School!: Mission Ridiculous. Written by Danny Wengle, Ken MacDougall, Brian Caws & the Cast, presented by Mysteriously Yours Dinner Theatre. James Bond and other secret agents go back to school in this interactive dinner-theatre show. Runs to Mar 26, Fri-Sat 7:30 pm (dinner from 6:30 pm), see website for other matinees & shows (no shows Dec 25-26). $45-$87. Show Info.
Gaslight by Patrick Hamilton (Mirvish). A woman’s husband manipulates her into believing that she’s going insane in fog-bound 1880s London. Opens Jan 17 and runs to Feb 28, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Wed, Sat-Sun 2 pm. $35-$119. Show Info.
The Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Canadian Opera Company). Figaro and Susanna’s wedding is jeopardized by the wandering eye of their employer in this popular comedic opera. Opens Feb 4 and runs to Feb 27, see website for times. $TBA. Show Info.
Mustard by Kat Sandler (Tarragon Theatre). A teen deals with her drinking mother and an imaginary friend who lives under her bed in this darkly comic fairy tale. Previews from Feb 2, opens Feb 10 and runs to Mar 13, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sun 2:30 pm (see website for Wed & Sat mats). $28-$60, rush $15. ExtraSpace. Show Info.
Defending the Caveman by Rob Becker (I Love It Productions). This comedy looks at the ongoing misunderstandings between men and women. Opens Feb 11 and runs to Feb 26, Thu-Sat 8 pm. $16.50-$37.70. Show Info.
Dalton and Company by Paul Dunn (Cart/Horse Theatre). A newcomer shakes things up in the lives that revolve around a renowned academic in this play about wanting to be recognized. Previews Feb 11, opens Feb 12 and runs to Feb 28, Tue-Sat 7 pm, Sun 3 pm. $25, Tue pwyc. Show Info.
Bitch of the Baskervilles by SR Krieger (Socratic Theatre Collective). A female detective and her sidekick seek a killer in this gender-swapped version of Arthur Conan Doyle’s story. Opens Feb 19 and runs to Feb 28, Fri-Sat 8 pm (and Feb 28), mat Feb 21 at 2 pm. $25, stu $15. Show Info.
Anything Goes by Cole Porter, Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse (LOT). A stowaway and a nightclub singer get in trouble aboard an ocean liner in this musical. Opens Feb 11 and runs to Mar 20, Thu-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun 3:30 pm. $50-$60. Show Info.
Evil Dead: The Musical by Christopher Bond, George Reinblatt, Frank Cipolla and Melissa Morris (Starvox Entertainment). The musical based on the Evil Dead film franchise returns. Feb 12-28, see website for details. Show Info.
Venus’ Daughter by Meghan Swaby (Obsidian Theatre). Inspired by the life of Sara Baartman, this play uses song, comedy and rhythm to look at myths, fable and realities that surround how women and their bodies are viewed. Feb 14-28, details TBA. Show Info.
The Two-Character Play by Tennessee Williams (Good Old Neon Theatre). A sibling acting duo are deserted by their troupe and must “face” the audience alone. Opens Feb 16 and runs to Feb 28, daily at 8 pm (no show Feb 22 & 25), mat Feb 27 at 2:30 pm. In the Workspace. Show Info.
Rhubarb Festival The 37th edition of Buddies’ new works festival features plays, dance, performance art and more. Program includes a visual art exhibition by Rajni Perera; n interactive videogame performance by Neil LaPierre; a collaboration between Gavin Crawford and Buddies‘ founding artistic director Sky Gilbert; music by Girls Rock Camp TO; short works from Donna Michelle St Bernard & Virgilia Griffith, Bruce Gibbons Fell, Heidi Strauss, Alex Tigchelaar, Walter Scott, Clayton Lee and more. Feb 17-28, see website for schedule and more details. Wed-Sat $20 evening pass, Emerging Creators Presentations pwyc. Show Info.
Picasso at the Lapin Agile by Steve Martin (Seven Siblings Theatre). Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein debate the meaning of the universe and its inescapable ties with art in this surreal comedy. Previews Feb 18, opens Feb 19 and runs to Feb 28, Thu-Sun 7:30 pm (except Feb 27, at 2 pm). $20-$25, preview $15. Show Info.
And the Rest:
Great Balls of Fire. Famous People Players presents a black light dinner theatre show featuring iconic rock n’ roll anthems. Opens Jan 15 and runs to May 31, see website for times. $40-$65 (includes lunch/dinner). Show Info.
Fancy Nancy: The Musical by Susan DiLallo and Danny Abosch (LOT). Stage adaptation for families of the picture book Fancy Nancy And The Mermaid Ballet by Jane O’Connor. Feb 13 to May 1, Sat 11 am, Sun 11 am & 1 pm. $25-$45. Show Info.
Contempt by Brandon Crone (Storefront Theatre). A mother hires a woman to have sex with her paralyzed and mute son. Feb 19-Mar 5. Details TBA. Show Info.
Grey Gardens by Doug Wright, Scott Frankel and Michael Korie (Acting Up Stage Company). Two female relatives of Jacqueline Kennedy go from wealth and status to an isolated existence in a home overrun by cats in this play based on a 1976 documentary. Previews from Feb 19, opens Feb 22 and runs to Mar 6, see website for times. $35-$55, stu $30. Show Info.
The Clowns by Michele Smith and Dean Gilmour (Humber Theatre/Theatre Smith-Gilmour). This production draws inspiration from the works of Federico Fellini and Vaudeville-era burlesque comedy to explore the everyday and the absurd through words and music. Opens Feb 19 and runs to Feb 27, Feb 19-20 and 23-26 at 7:30 pm, mat Feb 21 and 27 at 2 pm. $20, stu/srs $10. Show Info: humber.theatre@humber.ca.
Old Man and the River by Lynda Hill and Thomas Morgan Jones (Theatre Direct). A solitary, grumpy old man finds a friend in this puppetry show for ages 3 and up. Opens Feb 20 and runs to Feb 28, Sat-Sun 11 am and 2 pm. $15, family 4-pack $52. In Studio 176. Show Info.
Salt-Water Moon by David French (Factory Theatre). A young man returns home to woo a former sweetheart who has moved on in 1926 Newfoundland. Previews Feb 23-25, opens Feb 26 and runs to Mar 13, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $35, preview $25. Show Info.
Addicted. The Watah Theatre presents a play by Raven Dauda as part of the Audre Lorde Works-In-Progress Festival. An alcoholic woman in rehab befriends a cocky teen and goes on a preternatural quest where she must face her past in order to save her future. Opens Feb 23 and runs to Feb 28, Tue-Sat 7 pm, Sun 2 pm. $15-$20. Show Info.
Espoir/Espwa by Edwige Jean-Pierre, Djennie Laguerre and Carline Zamar (Théâtre français de Toronto). Three Haitian women share a common desire to not dwell on sadness and misery. French w/ some English surtitled performances. Previews Feb 24-25, opens Feb 26 and runs to Mar 6, see website for details. Show Info.
The Space Between by Simeon Taole (Cinematoscape/North York Arts). A boy in South Africa longs to reunite with his childhood sweetheart in Canada in this solo show. Previews Feb 24, opens Feb 25 and runs to Mar 6, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $20-$25. In the Aki Studio. Show Info.
Mind Games: Hypnosis, Hallucinations & Hy-Jinx. Brandon the Hypnotist presents mental experiments combined with comedic storytelling. 7:30 pm. $15-$22. Show Info.
Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward (Mortar & Pestle Productions). The ghost of his first wife pesters an author and his new spouse in this comedy. Opens Feb 25 and runs to Mar 5, Feb 25-27 and Mar 3-4 at 8 pm, mat Feb 27 and Mar 5 at 2 pm. $15. Show Info: mortarandpestleproductions@gmail.com.
Just For A Moment by Tien Providence (Things Falling Apart Theatre). A painter returns to his island home 15 years after leaving his fiancée to seek success in Canada. Opens Feb 25 and runs to Mar 6, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $20. Show Info.
Well Born by Celeste Percy-Beauregard (SoCo Theatre/Truth’n’Lies Theatre). An expectant mother must confront her past in order to embrace her future. Opens Feb 25 and runs to Mar 6, Thu-Sat 8 pm (and Mar 6), mat Sat 2 pm. $20-$25, pwyc Feb 27 mat*. Show Info.
*Relaxed Performance: The 2:00 pm performance on Saturday, February 27 will have a relaxed attitude toward noise and movement from the audience. Patrons who meet any challenge attending the theatre (including but not limited to Parents with Babes in Arms and individuals with an Autism Spectrum Condition) are encouraged to attend. This performance is also open to the general public.
Anne Boleyn by Howard Brenton (East Side Players). Henry VIII’s second wife takes on the vicious world of Tudor Court politics. Opens Feb 25 and runs to Mar 12, Wed-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $24, stu $17. Show Info.
Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss (Toronto City Opera). The comedy of mistaken identity, tricksters and love is sung in English. Opens Feb 25 and runs to Mar 6, Feb 25, 27 and Mar 4 at 7:30 pm, Mar 6 at 2 pm. $28, srs $20, stu $15. Show Info.
The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown (YES Theatre). Two 20-something New Yorkers spend five years falling in and out of love in this musical. Opens Feb 26 and runs to Mar 7, Fri-Mon 8 pm (except Jan 28 at 2 pm). $20-$25. Show Info: info@yestheatre.com.
L’Elisir D’Amore by Gaetano Donizetti (Toronto City Opera). The romantic opera is performed in Italian with projected English titles. Opens Feb 26 and runs to Mar 5, Feb 26, Mar 3 and 5 at 7:30 pm, Feb 28 at 2 pm. $28, srs $20, stu $15. Show Info.
Our Town by Thornton Wilder (The Passionate Players). A stage manager paints a portrait of life in a small American town around 1900. Feb 26-28, Fri-Sat 7 pm, Sun 5 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $35 (proceeds support Convergence Theatre and Outside the March). Show Info.
Foxfinder by Dawn King (Village Players). Personal tragedy, social paranoia and scapegoating are themes of this dystopian drama. Opens Feb 26 and runs to Mar 19, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mat Mar 6 & 13 at 2 pm. $22, stu/srs $18. Show Info.
Cultures of China, Festival of Spring. Performance of Chinese traditional arts including dance, folk music, Beijing opera singing, acrobatic performances, Chinese Kung-Fu and more. 7:30 pm. $28-$118. Show Info.
Boeing Boeing by Marc Camoletti (Hart House Theatre). A man juggles three flight attendant fiancées in this comedy. Opens Feb 26 and runs to Mar 5, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mat Mar 5 at 2 pm. $28, srs $17, stu $12-$15. Show Info.
Munsch Mash adapted by Michelle Gram and Bill Martyn (SSCT). Robert Munsch stories performed as one play for ages 3 and up. To Mar 20, Sat-Sun 11 am & 2 pm (and March Break: Mar 14-18 at 10:30 am, 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm). $16. Show Info.
Toronto Cold Reads. Incubator reading series for new film, TV and theatre scripts read by professional actors. Weekly, Sundays at 9 pm. Pwyc. 2nd floor. Show Info.
Listings based primarily on NOW! Stage Listings
Hideous weather?! What part of the world are you reporting from?
Hello Bill,
Because of the sheer volume of information our staff must parse in order to prepare the weekly listings, much of the content (including the blurb) is drafted several days in advance so we aren’t scrambling to get it done to the deadline. Today was beautiful, you’re absolutely right — but we’ve had some nice, strong winter weather as well, and are due for more soon!
Mike Anderson
Editor, Mooney on Theatre