Shows That Caught Our Eye in Toronto the Week of November 7th.

There are so many wonderful post-Halloween shows to choose from this week. From shady French aristocrats causing trouble, to stories about the realities of life in Regent Park, to a woman setting fated events in motion, there is something to suit everyone’s tastes. Our editor Samantha is here to select a few of her anticipated choices in red text. Check them out below the cut:

Already Reviewed by Mooney on Theatre:

Bloodclaat. The Watah Theatre celebrates the 10th anniversary of the play by d’bi.young anitafrika, part one of The Sankofa Trilogy. A reimagined, site-specific production of the solo play about a young girl coming of age through menstrual rights of passage and her survival through childhood sexual assault. Opens Oct 26 and runs to Nov 20, Wed-Sat 7 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $30, Wed. PWYC. At the Watah Theatre. Show Info.

Acquiesce by David Yee (Factory Theatre/fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre). A young man goes to Hong Kong for the first time to bury the father he barely knew. Previews from Oct 29, opens Nov 3 and runs to Nov 27, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $25-$55, previews $2-$15. At Factory Theatre. Show Info.

The Swan Song: A Study in Terror by Mike Johnson (The NAGs Players). This murder mystery play is set in the 1950s in an isolated mansion and has multiple endings. Opens Nov 3 and runs to Nov 12, Thu-Sat 7:30 pm. $15-$20. At the Tranzac. Show Info.

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare (Hart House Theatre). Missed connections and romantic hijinks are the basis of this classic battle-of-the-sexes comedy. Opens Nov 4 and runs to Nov 19, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mat Nov 19 at 2 pm. $28, srs $17, stu $12-$15. At Hart House Theatre. Show Info.

Fight Night. (Ontroerend Goed & the Border Project). Five actors vie for audience votes in this “reality theatre” piece about democracy, elections and political manipulation. Opens Nov 4 and runs to Nov 20, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $39-$92. At Panasonic Theatre. Show Info.

The Queen’s Conjuror by Alec Toller and Joshua Browne (Circlesnake Productions). This play looks at scientist/magician John Dee, the 16th-century adviser to Queen Elizabeth. Previews Nov 3, opens Nov 4 and runs to Nov 20, Wed-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $30, stu/arts worker $20. At The Attic Arts Hub. Show Info.

Swan by Aaron Jan (Little Black Afro Theatre/Filament Incubator). A group of young queer women reunite to solve the grisly copycat murder of a swan and are forced to confront issues of race and identity. Previews Nov 2-3, opens Nov 4 and runs to Nov 13, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $12-$20. At Theatre Passe Muraille. Show Info.

Cuisine & Confessions. (The 7 Fingers/Mirvish) Acrobatic choreography, music, food and the personal stories that come with family meals and secret snacks. Nov 1-Dec 4. Opens Nov 1 and runs to Dec 4, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Wed, Sat-Sun 2 pm. $21-$99. At The Princess of Wales Theatre. Show Info.

Pomona by Alistair McDowall (Actors Repertory Company). As she searches for her missing sister, a woman feels unsure what is fantasy, what is myth, and what is the result of a society’s indifference to human evil. Previews Nov 1-2, opens Nov 3 and runs to Nov 19, Nov 1-6, 10-13 and 15-18 at 8 pm, matinees Nov 5-6, 12-13 and 19 at 2 pm. $19-$34. At Geary Lane. Show Info.

The Harrowing of Brimstone McReedy by Eric Woolfe (Eldritch Theatre). This horror play tells the tale of a grifter, unholy larceny and Klondike gold using puppets, con games and dark parlour magic. Opens Oct 27 and runs to Nov 13, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 3 pm. $25 advance, $35 at the door. At The Red Sandcastle Theatre. Show Info.

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.

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.

And the rest:

KATA. (Theatre Parallax Toronto). This devised theatre production exploring the toxic effects of hyper masculinity. Nov 11-20, see website for schedule and details. At Dancemakers. Show Info.

Secrets of a Black Boy by Darren Anthony (Playing with Crayons/TPM). Five men from Regent Park talk about Black male culture, gentrification, police brutality and more. Previews Nov 10, opens Nov 11 and runs to Nov 20, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $17-$38. At Theatre Passe Muraille. Show Info.

The Realistic Joneses by Will Eno (Tarragon). This play about neighbouring couples with the same last name explores the extraordinary heroism of the everyday. Previews from Nov 9, opens Nov 16 and runs to Dec 18, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2:30 pm (see website for other matinee dates and times). $22-$65. At Tarragon Theatre. Show Info.

Fireworks Festival. Three full-length plays are presented along with playwright talks and roundtables. The Creases In My Sari by Sindhuri Nandhakumar; Inked Heart by DJ Sylvis; and Motherland by Kristine Greenaway. Opens Nov 9 and runs to Nov 27, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $15. At Alumnae Theatre. Show Info.

Menopause Out Loud! Shaggypup Productions presents the 10th anniversary reunion staging of the play by Jeanie Linders, featuring the original cast. Four women who don’t know each other meet in a department store and talk about hot flashes, mood swings, sex, chocolate and more. Opens Nov 11 and runs to Nov 24, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Wed & Sat-Sun 2 pm. $39.95-$57.70. At Al Greene Theatre. Show Info.

Beaver by Claudia Dey (Storefront Theatre). A woman learns to grow beyond her circumscribed world in this female hero myth set in Northern Ontario. Opens Nov 11 and runs to Nov 27, Wed-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $25, Wed PWYC. At The Storefront Theatre. Show Info.

Til Death Do Us Part by Lauren Griffiths (Filament Incubator). A woman is offered a second chance at love by a matchmaking corporation. Opens Nov 10 and runs to Nov 19, Thu-Sat 7:30 pm. $15-$18. At the Monarch Tavern. Show Info.

Chasse Galerie. Book adapted by Tyrone Savage, music & lyrics by James Smith (Storefront Theatre/ Soulpepper/ Kabin). Four woodsmen stuck in a Quebec forest on New Year’s Eve make a deal with the devil in this French-Canadian folk tale. Opens Nov 11 and runs to Nov 26, Mon-Sat 8 pm, mat Wed & Sat 2 pm. $25-$50, rush from $5. At The Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Show Info.

Agency by Eva Barrie (Yell Rebel Theatre). A woman seeks answers regarding her father’s disappearance at the hands of the East German secret police during the Cold War. Opens Nov 10 and runs to Nov 20, Tue-Sat 7 pm, mat Sat-Sun 1 pm. $22, stu/arts workers $18, some performances PWYC  (see website). At The Theatre Centre. Show Info.

Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Christopher Hampton (Amicus Productions). Bored French aristocrats play cruel seduction games with innocent parties in this adaptation of the 18th-century novel. Opens Nov 10 and runs to Nov 19, Thu-Sat 8 pm, mat Nov 13 and 19 at 2 pm. $20-$25. At Papermill Theatre. Show Info.

Weesageechak Begins to Dance 29. Native Earth Performing Arts presents a festival of new works by Indigenous performing artists. Full-length staged readings of works-in-development by Drew Hayden Taylor, Frances Koncan, Billy Merasty, William McPherson and Brad Fraser, plus dance works by Olivia C. Davies, Christine Friday and others, film screenings, talks and more. Nov 9-19. $15, festival pass $60, Sunday reading free. At Daniels Spectrum In the Aki Studio. Show Info.

Cavalcade by Noël Coward (George Brown Theatre). A view of English life from 1899-1930 as seen through the eyes of well-to-do Londoners. Nov 9-19, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat (and Nov 16) 1:30 pm. $20, srs $15, stu $8. At the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Show Info.

Constellations by Nick Payne (Canadian Stage/Centaur Theatre). A man and woman’s chance encounter sets off a chain of events in which each choice shapes an entirely different future. Previews from Nov 8, opens Nov 10 and runs to Nov 27, Tue-Thu & Sat 8 pm, Fri 7 pm, mat Wed, Sat-Sun 1 pm. $39-$99. At Bluma Appel Theatre. Show Info.

Walk Me To The Corner. (Harold Green Jewish Theatre). Musical cabaret celebrating the company’s 10th anniversary, featuring Brent Carver. Nov 8-20, Tue-Thu & Sat 8 pm, mat Wed 1 pm, Sun 2 pm. $TBA. At the Toronto Centre for the Arts. Show Info.

Oliver! by Lionel Bart (Curtain Call Players). This family musical about the the orphan who wanted “more” is based on Charles Dickens’s novel Oliver Twist. Opens Nov 4 and runs to Nov 12, Nov 4-5 & 10-11 at 8 pm, mat Nov 5-6 & 12 at 2 pm. $28. At Fairview Library. Show Info.

The Enchanted Loom by Suvendrini Lena (Cahoots Theatre/Factory). This drama displays the devastating physical and psychological effects of the Sri Lankan civil war on a Tamil family. Previews from Nov 5, opens Nov 10 and runs to Nov 27, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $25-$55, previews $2-$15. Studio Theatre. At Factory Theatre. Show Info.

The Clergy Project. SOULO Theatre presents Father Daniel, Reverend Shawn and Rabbi Elyse – two gay men and a woman of different religious denominations. They will share stories about being a faith leader in 2016 and life behind and beyond the cloak. Nov 7 at 7:30 pm. $30, adv $25, stu/srs/arts workers/clergy/exotic dancer $20. At Revival. Show Info.

The Night of the Assassins by Jose Triana (Pacun Peras The-A-Tro). Three siblings caught in a stifling established order fantasize about and ritually enact the murder of their parents. Opens Nov 4 and runs to Nov 20, Fri-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $20, Sun $10. Tickets at eventbrite.ca or cash at the door. Arcadia Studio. Show Info.

Alex In Wonderland. Adapted by Derek Genova & Dahlia Katz (Solar Stage Children’s Theatre). A boy follows a white rabbit with a pocket watch down a hole and into a strange land in this kids’ play based on the book by Lewis Carroll. Opens Oct 1 and runs to Nov 20, Sat-Sun 2 pm. $17. At the Solar Stage Children’s Theatre. Show Info.

A Party To Murder by Douglas E. Hughes & Marcia Kash (Bloor West Village Players). A murder-mystery game on a private island takes on an ominous reality in this mystery. Nov 4 and runs to Nov 26, see website for schedule. $24, under 30/srs $20. At the Village Playhouse. Show Info.

This is The Point by Tony Diamanti, Dan Watson & others (Ahuri Theatre/Theatre Centre). Two couples draw from their lives to explore questions of representation and the nature of companionship for people with disabilities. Previews from Nov 4, opens Nov 8 and runs to Nov 20, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $22-$33, preview $17. At The Theatre Centre. Show Info.

 

A Brimful of Asha by Ravi Jain (Soulpepper Theatre/Why Not Theatre). An Indo-Canadian man learns that his Indian vacation is a wife-seeking scheme by his parents. Opens Nov 1 and runs to Nov 12, Nov 1-5, 8 and 11-12 at 8 pm. $25-$60, rush $5-$25. At the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. 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.

Listings based primarily on NOW! Stage Listings.