Soulpepper revives the classic courtroom drama, on stage at the Young Centre in Toronto
Jury duty. There may be no better way to understand how people truly are, to see how personal biases and prejudices actually affect an individual, than to sit 12 strangers in a room for a few days straight, abruptly interrupting their lives for that time, and have them unanimously decide a person’s fate in court. It’s why so many people do their best to avoid being summoned for it.
In 1954, playwright Reginald Rose wrote Twelve Angry Men to explore humanity trapped in this microcosm at play: 12 men locked in a room decide the fate of a 16-year-old boy accused of manslaughter. If he is guilty, he gets sentenced to the chair. If he is not guilty, he walks away. The television play was made successfully into a stage play and then later a successful movie. The text has been studied in theatre and English classes for years. To start off the 2016 season, Soulpepper brings Twelve Angry Men to the Young Centre for the Performing Arts stage and it is incredible.
Mirvish celebrates famous orators in Bigmouth on stage at the Panasonic in Toronto
Belgian actor Valentijn Dhaenens is currently taking over the stage at the Panasonic Theatre to deliver the most unique one-man show you’re likely to see in Bigmouth. This show, celebrating famous speeches through the ages and the people who delivered them, was a huge success in Edinburgh and has received great acclaim across the globe. It now makes its debut in Toronto.
The beauty of this show is that Dhaenens not only recreates the famous speech, he embodies the person making it. His tonality, timbre, and body language are matched to the individual speaker, making for an entrancing show. I only wish there was more to it.
Mirvish’s Gaslight, now on the Toronto stage, will set hearts racing
Gaslight, playing at the Ed Mirvish Theatre, premiered in London in 1938 and has stood the test of time. It feels old-fashioned in a good way: a traditional, popular, entertaining play. My friend Janet and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Century Song is a unique experience, on stage now in Toronto
There are no words.
Referring to Volcano Theatre‘s Century Song, now playing as part of the Progress Festival at The Theatre Centre, I mean this literally. Other than a few disparate syllables, the piece, a “music recital” study of ephemeral aspects of the Black Canadian experience over the past century, is completely wordless.
“Highly acclaimed” production Germinal plays on stage in Toronto
Tonight I caught the opening night performance of Germinal, a unique production from France, as part of Harbourfront Centre’s World Stage 2016 — and am I ever glad I did! I had no idea I was in for a theatrical experience of such epic proportions.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I read the show synopsis, but what I saw was pure magic. In Germinal, created by Halory Goerger and Antoine Defoort, four adventurers begin to remake the world from the beginning, right before our eyes. I was mesmerized by the section where they begin to discover voice, words, communication and social order.
Soulpepper revives the classic courtroom drama, on stage at the Young Centre in Toronto
Mirvish celebrates famous orators in Bigmouth on stage at the Panasonic in Toronto
Mirvish’s Gaslight, now on the Toronto stage, will set hearts racing
Century Song is a unique experience, on stage now in Toronto
“Highly acclaimed” production Germinal plays on stage in Toronto