The Canadian Opera Company presents Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro in Toronto
There are two reasons that The Canadian Opera Company and I get along so well: fashion and spectacle. I enjoy and appreciate the COC in its daring displays, its peacockery and preening; from the fashion-infused annual gala to the richly appointed productions well-stocked with talent and excitement.
It’s hard to say that this production of The Marriage of Figaro, directed by Claus Guth, was disappointing, that seems unfair – everyone involved was certainly talented and turned in a solid performance. The set was fine, as were the costumes and the lighting. The orchestra sounded pretty good, and so on. But at the opera, I expect to be stirred (especially at 3.5 hours long). I expect to be moved out of thinking “this staging is interesting” and into delight, or despair, or the difficult recognition of universal truth. This Figaro felt like the taupe raincoat that Figaro himself wears in the opening scene of this staging: perfectly serviceable and quite practical.
It is unusual that after seeing the show, I still can’t really say exactly what it was. It’s passionate, moving, melancholy, ethereal, rowdy, haunting, sexy, and funny. It’s circus-like (Cirque de Soleil, not Ringling Brothers). There’s a narrative thread but it isn’t a musical. It’s not a cabaret.
Audio-based endurance performance plays at the FADO Performance Art Centre in Toronto
Monomyths is an ambitious, experimental, and multi-part event. Part 1 (of 3), consisting of of 5 stages, is happening from February 3rd – 7th at The Theatre Centre as part of the Progress Festival. It endeavours to be a sort of feminist re-imagining and disruption of Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero With a Thousand Faces,” a seminal work that’s influenced and shaped the myth of the archetypal hero. With regards to Part 1, Stage 1, which I saw last night, I have good news and bad news.
Soulpepper show incorporates clowning, improv into relationship play, now on stage in Toronto
What did I just watch? I’ve never seen anything quite like The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine, playing at The Young Centre For The Performing Arts. I was expecting a simple comedic two-hander and instead got a package so stuffed with little treats and surprises, I couldn’t pull my eyes away for fear I would miss something.
This week, it’s all about the kids. We’ve got tons of fairy-tale fare on order, as well as some festivals and circus acts–maybe even a unicycle or two if you’re lucky. Check out our budget-friendly picks, great for the whole family, under the cut! Continue reading Cheap Theatre in Toronto the Week of February 1st, 2016→
The Canadian Opera Company presents Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro in Toronto
The songbook of Leonard Cohen comes to the Toronto stage
Audio-based endurance performance plays at the FADO Performance Art Centre in Toronto
Soulpepper show incorporates clowning, improv into relationship play, now on stage in Toronto