We have some post-apocalyptic doom on stage this week in Toronto, playing right alongside stories of war, identity, and oppressive regimes. And as usual much, much more. This week we have our editor Samantha here to choose her most-anticipated shows in red text.
Continue reading Playlistings in Toronto for the Week of October 3rd
The Trinity College Dramatic Society brought Shakespeare and Noir together on the Toronto stageThe George Ignatieff Theatre looks like any other campus building, until you walk through the front doors and see the beautiful stage. I was excited to attend the Trinity College Dramatic Society’s production of The Maltese Bodkin directed by Matthew Fonte. Yes, The Maltese Bodkin. That was not a typo.
The Maltese Bodkin written by David Belke is a culture-clash of William Shakespeare and The Maltese Falcon. The Maltese Bodkin takes from Shakespeare’s entire career as a playwright, taking influence from Macbeth, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Othello, and more. The show is set in the style of Dashiell Hammett’s novel The Maltese Falcon. Most would know it better as the noir film starring Humphrey Bogart as detective Samuel Spade. The classic is known for being full of criminals, deceit, and iconic trench coats.
Continue reading Review: The Maltese Bodkin (Trinity College Dramatic Society)
Theatre Passe Muraille brings Aldous Huxley’s dystopian classic to the Toronto stageAldous Huxley‘s Brave New World is one of the most well known dystopian science fiction novels, often mentioned in the same breath as Orwell’s 1984. I had never heard of it being staged before, so I was eager to see Litmus Theatre’s production at Theatre Passe Muraille. Matthew Thomas Walker’s adaptation is innovative and earnest; it feels exactly like a fearful vision of a commercialized, soulless future from the perspective of 1931.
Continue reading Review: Brave New World (Theatre Passe Muraille)
Soulpepper presents the comedic meta play Noises Off at the Young Centre in Toronto“Getting the sardines on, getting the sardines off. That’s farce. That’s the theatre. That’s life!” exclaims an exasperated director to his exhausted, confused and eccentric cast during a desperate, late night dress rehearsal. And so, right then, we get it. Those falling props and slamming doors feel like chaos, but farce only works when all the elements align with precision and focus!
Soulpepper’s production of Michael Frayn’s meta farce, Noises Off, is a well oiled machine. It is also, I am thrilled to report, hilarious and exhilarating. Continue reading Review: Noises Off (Soulpepper)
The Watershed, currently onstage at Tarragon Theatre, details playwright Annabel Soutar’s investigation of the Experimental Lakes Area controversy that began in 2012. Using inspired stagecraft and deft performances that recreate real people such as politicians, activists, scientists and her own family, this production dives deep into the tension between economic and environmental concerns.