Playlistings in Toronto for the week of October 17th

Shows That Caught Our Eye in Toronto the Week of October 17th.

Princess, prayers, politics, and post-prohibition mobster stories are just a few of the themes on Toronto stages this week. Also on offer: Several Indigenous-inspired stories, spooky Halloween-themed events, and a fan’s take on Game Of Thrones. Winter is coming! Our managing editor Wayne is here to choose a few shows that caught his eye in red text. Check them out below the cut:

Already Reviewed by Mooney on Theatre:

The (Post) Mistress. Théâtre Français de Toronto and Pleiades Theatre present a play by Tomson Highway, known in French as Zesty Gopher s’est fait écraser par un frigo. A postal worker shares her small town’s gossip and secrets in this solo musical comedy. Performances in English, French and Cree with surtitles (see website for details). Previews from Oct 12, opens Oct 14 and runs to Nov 6, Wed-Fri 8 pm (additional show Tue Oct 25, no show Wed Oct 26); mat Sat 3:30 pm, Sun 2:30 pm. $19-$49. At Berkeley Street Theatre. Show Info.

The Watershed by Annabel Soutar (Crow’s Theatre/Porte Parole/La Coop Fédérée). This play follows an artist and a nation struggling to chart a sustainable course between economic growth and environmental stewardship. Previews from Sep 20, opens Sep 28 and runs to Oct 30, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2:30 pm (see website for other matinee dates and times). $22-$65. At Tarragon Theatre. Show Info.

Noises Off by Michael Frayn (Soulpepper Theatre). A misfit company of actors juggle their lines, love lives and lunches just hours before opening night in this classic farce. Opens Sep 21 and runs to Oct 22, see website for schedule. $32-$94, youth/rush $5-$25. At The Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Show Info.

Late Night by Kat Sandler (Zoomer Live Theatre). A millennial female takes over a late-night TV talk show from an old boys club. Previews Oct 6, opens Oct 7 and runs to Oct 23, Wed-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $25-$50. At Zoomer Hall. Show Info.

Dead End by Jonny Sun (Theatre Lab). Two survivors of the zombie apocalypse contemplate survival, fear, humanness and their relationship with each other. Previews Oct 5, opens Oct 6 and runs to Oct 23, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $25-$30, preview $15, Tue pwyc. At Factory Theatre. Show Info.

The Numbers Game by The Pulp Collective (The Pulp Collective/Storefront). This six-part serial looks at the gang and race war that tore through Harlem after prohibition ended and organized crime turned from booze to gambling. Opens Sep 29 and runs to Nov 6, see website for schedule. $20 per episode, $35 for two episodes. At The Storefront Theatre. Show Info.

Graeme of Thrones. (Starvox Entertainment). Unimpressed by the TV series, a fan looks to recreate his favourite fantasy saga on stage in this Game Of Thrones parody. Opens Oct 11 and runs to Oct 23, Tue-Fri 8 pm, Sat 7 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $39.95-$99. At Panasonic Theatre. Show Info.

Frolick in the Face of Certain Death. Frolick presents an interactive theatre experiential tour of their haunted “wherehouse” featuring clowns, dancers, swashbuckling pirates, art puppets and more. Opens Oct 8 and runs to Nov 5, Wed-Sun 6-10 pm (no shows Oct 9 or Oct 21). $30, stu/arts worker $15. At Frolick Studio Theatre. Show Info.

“Master Harold”…And The Boys by Athol Fugard (Obsidian Theatre/Shaw Festival). A young man struggles with his father and racial tensions in apartheid-era South Africa. Oct 8-23. Previews Oct 8, opens Oct 12 and runs to Oct 23, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm (no Sat mat on Oct 8). $29.50. At the Toronto Centre for the Arts. Show Info.

Tire Swing by Curtis te Brinke (Filament Incubator). Queer science fiction horror story about learning to say goodbye to a fallen friend. Previews Oct 13, opens Oct 14 and runs to Oct 22, Tue-Sun 7:30 pm. $15-$18, preview $10. At Kensington Hall. Show Info.

All But Gone. (Necessary Angel/Canadian Stage). Contemporary musical exploration of the absurd and evocative imagery of Samuel Beckett through a selection of his short plays. Oct 11-Nov 6. Previews Oct 11-12, opens Oct 13 and runs to Nov 6, Tue-Thu & Sat 8 pm, Fri 7 pm, mat Wed, Sat-Sun 1 pm. $39-$69. At Berkeley Street Theatre. Show Info.

And the rest:

Breathing Corpses by Laura Wade (Coal Mine Theatre). Encountering death in life, and feeling dead while still alive, Amy has found another dead body in a hotel bedroom. Previews from Oct 23, opens Oct 26 and runs to Nov 13, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 2 pm. Tickets $35, previews $25. At the Coalmine Theatre. Show Info.

Mouthpiece / Quiver.  Nightwood Theatre (with Quote Unquote Collective) present a double bill. Mouthpiece by Norah Sadava & Amy Nostbakken/by Anna Chatterton (Nightwood Theatre/Quote Unquote Collective). A woman tries to find her voice after her mother’s death. Quiver by Anna Chatterton (Nightwood Theatre). A single mother and a teenage daughter collide when a love interest comes between them. Opens Oct 21 and runs to Nov 6, plays run in rep,  Tue-Sat 7 & 8:30 pm, Sun 2 & 3:30 pm. $20-$35. At Buddies in Bad Times. Show Info.

Toronto, Mississippi by Joan MacLeod (Panfish Productions). The lives of a teen, her mother and their tenant are disrupted when the teen’s Elvis-impersonator father comes to visit. Opens Oct 20 and runs to Nov 6, Mon and Thu-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $25, stu/srs $20, Mon pwyc. At The Box Toronto. Show Info.

Outside Mullingar by John Patrick Shanley (Toronto Irish Players). Longtime farm neighbours struggle with fading youth, unrequited love, a land feud and facing their fears. Previews Oct 20, opens Oct 21 and runs to Nov 5, Thu-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $25, stu/srs $22; opening night reception $50; preview pwyc ($10 minimum). At Alumnae Theatre. Show Info.

Disenchanted! by Dennis Giacino (Starvox Entertainment). Snow White, Cinderella and other storybook princesses go rogue and reveal what they really think about how they’ve been portrayed in this musical. Opens Oct 20 and runs to Nov 5, Thu-Sat 7:30 pm. $22.45-$69.95. At Randolph Theatre. Show Info.

Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell (Opera Atelier). Tragic opera based on Book IV of Virgil’s Aeneid. Oct 20-29, see website for times. $39-$184. At Elgin Theatre. Show Info.

Faith by Ben Heyward (Theatre by Committee). This play looks at a teenager and her complicated relationships with God, her father and the minister at the church she no longer attends. Opens Oct 19 and runs to Oct 30, Wed-Sun 8 pm. $15 advance, $20 at the door. At St. Luke’s United Church. Show Info.

Bill Clinton Hercules by Rachel Mariner (Central Standard Theatre). The 42nd U.S. president wants to speak his mind on current events, but must consider the political ambitions of his wife. Oct 19-23, Wed-Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 2 pm. $25, stu $15, Sun pwyc. At Theatre Passe Muraille. Show Info.

Sh!t I’m I Love With You Again by Rachelle Elie, music & accompaniment by Luke Jackson (BIBT). Rachelle Elie uses clown, stand-up, physical comedy, musical comedy and storytelling to tell an autobiographical story. Opens Oct 18 and runs to Oct 23, Tue-Sun 8 pm. $25. At Buddies in Bad Times. Show Info.

Hungry Hungry Hippos: The Fat Drag Musical. Krafty Queers present a musical dinner celebration of fat/thick/juicy bodied LGBT Black and POC youth saying yes to more cake. Oct 18, doors 7 pm. Pwyc. At Tranzac. Show Info.

Even This Old Town Was A Forest by Aurora Stewart de Peña (Birdtown And Swanville). Two women flee religious persecution and poverty in England, only to find that something is hunting them in 18th century Toronto. Opens Oct 15 and runs to Oct 23, Tue-Sat 7 pm, mat Sun (and Oct 22) 2 pm. At The Theatre Centre. Show Info.

The Circle by Geoffrey Simon Brown (Tarragon). A high school party features a drug dealer, a runaway, a kid with ADHD, and the son of a priest. Oct 18-Nov 27. Previews from Oct 18, opens Oct 26 and runs to Nov 27, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2:30 pm (see website for other matinee dates and times). $22-$65. At Tarragon Theatre. Show Info.

Spirit Horse by Drew Hayden Taylor (Roseneath Theatre/Young People’s Theatre). This play about two First Nations children who’s lives are changed by a special gift is based on Greg Banks’s Tir Na N’Og. Oct 18-28, see website for schedule. $10-$34. At Young People’s Theatre. Show Info.

Hold Mommy’s Cigarette. Shelley Marshall performs her solo dark comedy about life, mental illness and survival. Opens Oct 14 and runs to Oct 23, Fri-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $25. At The Full Bawdy Loft. Show Info.

The Unending. (Convergence Theatre). Three short plays by Julie Tepperman and Samuel Beckett. Oct 13-23, daily at 7 & 9:15 pm (no show Oct 18). $30-$35. At Aunties & Uncles and at two secret locations. Show Info.

Legends of Horror. Host Dracula leads an immersive theatrical 1.5 km indoor/outdoor walk through the bowels of the historic castle to encounter classic horror figures. Opens Sep 30 and runs to Oct 31, daily every half hour from 7 pm-midnight. $40-$45. Children 13 and under must be accompanied by an adult. At Casa Loma. Show Info.

Italian Mime Suicides / Three Red Days. (Bad News Days). This double bill explores the loneliness and isolation of artist by society and oppressive regime. Oct 8-23, see website for schedule and details. At The Theatre Centre. Show Info.

Turkey Shoot by Alex Dault (Single Thread Theatre). This work of historic fiction imagines a friendship between Anishnaabe holy man Kahkewaquonaby and Scottish surveyor David Gibson in the mid 1800s, and takes place in Gibson’s 180-year-old historic home. Previews Oct 6, opens Oct 7 and runs to Oct 22, see website for schedule. Free w/ museum admission ($8). At Gibson House. Show Info.

Mary Poppins by Richard Sherman, Robert Sherman and Julian Fellowes (LOT). This musical is based on the PL Travers book and the 1964 film. Opens Oct 1 and runs to Nov 20, Thu-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun 3:30 pm. $55-$65. At Lower Ossington Theatre. Show Info.

Norma by Vincenzo Bellini (Canadian Opera Company). A secret love affair brings two enemies together in a time of war in this bel canto opera. Opens Oct 6 and runs to Nov 5, see website for times. $35-$350. At the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.Show Info.

Ariodante by George Frideric Handel (Canadian Opera Company). The three-act opera about of love, honour and deception is performed in Italian w/ English surtitles. Opens Oct 16 and runs to Nov 4, see website for times. $35-$350. At the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Show Info.

Listings based primarily on NOW! Stage Listings