Shows That Caught Our Eye in Toronto the Week of June 20th
The Fringe Festival is right around the corner, but there are plenty of great shows opening in the city this week to whet your appetite! This week, the new picks tend to favour less traditional fare and more open mics, mash-ups and unique cabarets. It’s Wayne’s turn this week to select his particular picks in the customary red text!
Already Reviewed by Mooney on Theatre:
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder by Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutvak (Mirvish). A man finds out he’s of aristocratic lineage and sets out to get rid of other heirs in this musical comedy set in Victorian England. Opens May 25 and runs to Jun 26, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm, Wed, Sat-Sun 1:30 pm. $35-$130. Show Info.
Incident At Vichy by Arthur Miller (Soulpepper Theatre). Eight men await interrogation in a room in Vichy, France, in 1940. Previews from May 19, opens May 26 and runs to Jun 23, see website for schedule. $32-$94. Show Info.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice (LOT). This musical reinvents the Biblical story of Joseph and his brothers. Opens Jun 2 and runs to Jun 26, Thu-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun 3:30 pm. $50-$60. Show Info.
And the Rest:
52 Pick-Up by TJ Dawe and Rita Bozie (The Howland Co). A mix of writing and improvisation is used in this intimate look at relationships told through a game of 52 Pick-up. Opens Jun 1 and runs to Jul 27, Wed 8 pm. $15-$20. Show Info.
Skylight by David Hare (Hidden Cove Productions). Three years after their split, a man looks to reclaim his former mistress after the death of his wife. Previews from Jun 9, opens Jun 15 and runs to Jul 9, Tue-Thu and Sat 8 pm, Fri 7 pm, mat Sat-Sun 1 pm. $38-$64. Show Info.
Situation Rooms (Luminato Festival/Rimini Protokoll). Multi-player video/theatre experience where the audience follows 20 lives shaped by the arms trade. Opens Jun 10 and runs to Jun 26, see website for times. $20. Show Info.
Off Limits Zone. Luminato Festival and DopoLavoro Teatrale present a new iteration of DLT’s theatrical walkabout performance The Stranger (SummerWorks 2015) in which the city is the stage and the audience is the protagonist. Opens Jun 11 and runs to Jun 26, Tue-Sun departures every 30 min between 3-8 pm. $30 and up. Active audience participation (walking) dress accordingly; please bring a fully charged cellphone. You will be informed of the exact starting location 24 hours before your show time. Show Info.
A Rose Upon the Blood by Paddy Gillard-Bentley (Flush Ink Productions). An Irish woman sees her lover before his execution following the Easter Rising of1916. Opens Jun 16 and runs to Jun 25, Thu-Sat 8 pm. $15-$20. Show Info.
Changeling: A Grand Guignol of Murderous Times by Julian R Munds (Desiderata Theatre Co/the Changeling Collective). Postmodern version of a 17th-century play by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley. This play about a woman condemned to be married and a man who’ll do anything to have her looks at the horrors of misogyny. Opens Jun 9 and runs to Jun 26, Thu-Sat 8 pm, Sun 6 pm. $20. Show Info.
The James Plays Trilogy by Rona Munro (Luminato Festival/the National Theatre of Scotland) This modern cycle of history plays connects those who ruled from 1406 to 1488 to the political climate of today. Opens Jun 16 and runs to Jun 26, see website for schedule. $39 and up. Show Info.
Den of Thieves by Stephen Adly Gurgis (Triple ByPass Productions). Four petty criminals must beg for their lives when a heist goes bad. Previews Jun 16, opens Jun 17 and runs to Jun 26, Tue-Sun 8 pm, mat Sun 2 pm. $25, preview $20. Show Info.
Vaudeville Revue. Bygone Theatre presents Vaudeville, adult comedy and burlesque with Sketchy the Clown, Jean-Paul Mullet, Nicole Byblow, mentalist Leigh Beadon, the Vintage Taps and more. Opens Jun 22 and runs to Jun 24, Wed-Thu 7:30 pm, Fri 8:30 pm, family-frinedly mat Thu 2 pm. $20-$25. Show Info.
My Co-Mates and Brothers in Exile by Eva Barrie (Shakespeare in the Ruff). Forced to leave her war-torn country, a young woman starts to build a new home in this site-specific promenade piece created using Shakespeare and contemporary text. Opens Jun 22 and runs to Jun 26, Wed-Sun 7:30 pm. Free. Starts at the basketball courts. Show Info.
4.48 Psychosis by Sarah Kane (NSK theatre). Kane’s emotionally raw play about self exploration of petrified hope, personal despair, unconditional love and clinical depression. Jun 23-25 at 8 pm. $25. Show Info.
Rough. Presented by Queer Pride 2016. Flying Solo explores the earth element in a dirty circus of art, dance and aerial acrobatics. Jun 24 at 8:30 pm. $20-$25. Show Info.
Too Queer: A Bi Visibility Cabaret. Presented by Queer Pride 2016. Art and performance celebrating bisexuality and pansexuality featuring Olive-or-Oliver, Sharrae Lyon and Sofí Gudiño. Jun 25 at 7:30 pm. $10-$20. Show Info.
Free Jane. Queer Pride 2016 presents the annual show hosted by Sky Gilbert, featuring a reading of Smashes, a play by Franny McCabe-Bennett, followed by an open mic. Jun 26 at 8 pm. Free. Show Info.
Listings based primarily on NOW! Stage Listings