Playlistings in Toronto for the Week of April 25th

Shows That Caught Our Eye in Toronto the Week of April 25th

The summer is just over the horizon, and with it has come a storm of new and exciting theatre. There’s so much opening this week that it took me twice as long as usual to compile these shows!  This week, Megan is here to let us know what she’s most excited about! Check out her picks in red under the cut.

Anne of Green Gables: The Musical by Lucy Maud Montgomery (LOT). A red-haired orphan lands in a PEI farm in this musical version of the classic story. Opens Apr 14 and runs to May 8, Thu-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun 3:30 pm. $50-$60. Show Info.

The Summoned by Fabrizio Filippo (Tarragon Theatre). The friends and family of a billionaire tech visionary gather for the reading of his will. Previews from Apr 20, opens Apr 27 and runs to May 29, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sun 2:30 pm (see website for Wed & Sat mats). $28-$60, srs $45-$49, stu $29, rush $15. MainSpace. Show Info.

Scarberia by Evan Placey (YPT). Two sets of youth – one in Scarborough, Ontario and one in Scarborough, England – are linked by one body found washed up on a beach in this mystery for ages 14 & up. Previews from Apr 18, opens Apr 21 and runs to May 1, see website for schedule. $19-$24. Show Info.

Refuge by Mary Vingoe (Nightwood Theatre). An Eritrean army deserter seeks refugee status to join his mother in Nova Scotia in this play about seeking sanctuary in today’s suspicious world. Previews Apr 19-20, opens Apr 21 and runs to May 8, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2:30 pm, Apr 27 & May 4 at 1:30 pm. $45, preview $30. ExtraSpace. Show Info.

Iceland by Nicholas Billon (Why Not Theatre). Set against the backdrop of the banking crisis, a confrontation between a real estate agent and a tenant takes an unexpected turn. Opens Apr 25 and runs to May 14, see website for schedule. $20-$30. Show Info.

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg (YPT). A tornado takes Dorothy and her dog on a fantastical journey in this classic family musical. Opens Apr 4 and runs to May 15, see website for details. $10-$45. Show Info.

Read Stuff With Eric. Eric Miinch presents writers and performers workshopping original material in front of other artists and an audience. Apr 26 at 9:30 pm. Pwyc. 3rd floor. Show Info.

Shakespeare 1600: The One-Man Show. (Chris Humphreys). Actor/swordsman Humphreys performs his solo show about how William Shakespeare observed the late Elizabethan world. Apr 26 at 7 pm. Free. Show Info.

Botticelli in the Fire/Sunday in Sodom by Jordan Tannahill (Canadian Stage). A play about the Renaissance painter and a re-imagining of the story of Lot’s wife make up this double bill. Previews Apr 26-27, opens Apr 28 and runs to May 15, Tue-Thu & Sat 8 pm, Fri 7 pm, mat Wed, Sat-Sun 1 pm. $24-$53. Show Info.

The Socap Short Short Play Festival. Works by new and established writers, actors, directors and producers, including Nina Kaye, Rob Salerno, Chantal Forde, Matt Sadowski, Nicholas Surges, Joanne Latimer, Kyle Capstick and others. Apr 27-May 1, Wed-Sat 8 & 10 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 & 4 pm. $15, stu $12, Wed-Thu pwyc, festival pass $48. Show Info.

Los Gavilanes by Jacinto Guerrero (Toronto Operetta Theatre). Having made his fortune in the New World, a landowner returns to Spain from Peru in this Spanish zarzuela about unrequited love and ambition. Opens Apr 27 and runs to May 1, Wed & Fri 8 pm, Sat-Sun 3 pm. $72-$95. Show Info.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (Unit 102 Actors Co). Two drifters’ search for a place to call home ends in tragedy in this classic story on themes of women’s rights, race relations, the pursuit of money and the search for belonging. Opens Apr 27 and runs to May 14, Tue-Sat 8 pm. $25, pwyc Apr 28-29. Show Info.

The Forest: An Exhibition of Cautionary Tales. (Red One Theatre Collective). More than a dozen 19th-century cautionary tales for children are re-imagined for the stage. Opens Apr 22 and runs to May 8, Wed-Sun 8 pm, mat Sun 2 pm. $25. Show Info.

Viva Cabaret: Tribute to the Greatest Divas. Yury Ruzhyev presents a musical cabaret tribute to Cher, Tina, Liza, Madonna, Freddy, Gaga and many more. Apr 27 at 8 pm. $20-$25. Show Info.

Looking for Paul: Inez Van Dam vs. The Buttplug Gnome by Wunderbaum and Richard Jordan Productions (Harbourfront World Stage). A Dutch woman confronts an American artists whose controversial sculpture sits outside her Rotterdam home. Opens Apr 27 and runs to Apr 30, Wed-Sat 8 pm. $15-$34. Show Info.

Baby Put Me In a Corner by Steve Patrick Adams (The Brunch Club). Comedian Adams weaves together a personal story of pending birth, loss and fitting one’s life into a rental car using a blend of oral storytelling and animation. Apr 27 at 9:30 pm. $10. Show Info.

Opera Peep Show. Liederwölfe presents bite-sized moments of opera in a party atmosphere, where the curious can sample the best opera companies in the city. Features four Toronto indie opera companies in four rooms. Try one or all four rooms. Apr 28-30, doors 6:30 pm. $15-$30. Show Info.

Charlie by Brian Kennington (Bear Productions). Beach Boys’ drummer Dennis Wilson deals with pressures from his own family and those of Charles Manson and his followers, who are crashing at his house, in this play based on true events. Apr 28-30, Thu-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $20, mat pwyc. Show Info.

Ultrasound by Adam Pottle (Cahoots Theatre/TPM). A couple with varying degrees of hearing impairment struggle over the identity of their child in this play about perspectives on deaf culture. Previews from Apr 28, opens May 3 and runs to May 15, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm, mats May 7, 8 & 15 at 2 pm. $17-$38.

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas by Carol Hall, Larry L King and Peter Masterson (Curtain Call Players). A sheriff lets a brothel operate until a nosy TV reporter comes to town in this musical. Opens Apr 29 and runs to May 7, Apr 29-30 and May 4-6 at 8 pm, May 1 and 7 at 2 pm. $28. Show Info.

Maometto II by Gioachino Rossini (Canadian Opera Company). A Turkish sultan launches his quest to conquer the Holy Roman Empire in this historical opera. Opens Apr 29 and runs to May 14: Apr 29, May 3, 5, 7 and 11 at 7:30 pm; May 1 at 2 pm; May 14 at 4:30 pm. $50-$435, specially priced $22 tickets available for people under the age of 30. Show Info.

Oraltorio: A Theatrical Mixtape by Motion (The RISER Project). This coming-of age-story traces the personal and collective journey of Northside-born girls as they grapple with identity, migrate through their histories and manifest their lineages through ancient, contemporary and Afro-futuristic soundscapes. Opens Apr 29 and runs to May 12, see website for times. $20, youth under 25 $10. The RISER Project is a collaborative producing model presented by Why Not Theatre. Show Info.

The Rape of Lucretia by Benjamin Britten (My Opera). The story of the sexual assault of a Roman housewife has been reimagined by an all-female artistic team. Apr 29-May 1, Fri-Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 2:30 pm. $35, srs $30, stu $20. In the Aki Studio. Show Info.

Listings based primarily on NOW! Stage Listings