Shows That Caught Our Eye in Toronto the Week of January 23rd

There are so many exciting show opening in Toronto this week, from a musical rendition of a Stephen King classic to stories about anxiety, intergenerational differences, and grief! To aid you in selecting some top choice, our editor Lin is here to highlight a fews shows that caught her eye in red text. Check them out below the cut:

Already Reviewed by Mooney on Theatre:

The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare (Groundling Theatre). The King of Sicilia descends into a world of jealousy, murder and conspiracy. Previews Jan 17-19, opens Jan 20 and runs to Feb 19, see website for schedule (runs in rep with Measure For Measure). $29-$79. At The Winter Garden Theatre. Show Info.

Avenue Q by Robert Lopez, Jeff Marx and Jeff Whitty (LOT). A college grad moves to NYC and copes with grown-up problems in this adult musical puppet play. Opens Dec 1 and runs to Jan 29, Thu-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun 3:30 pm (no shows Dec 24-25, 31, Jan 1). $50-$60. At The Lower Ossington Theatre. Show Info.

Sister Act by Cheri Steinkellner, Bill Steinkellner, Alan Menken and Glenn Slater (LOT). A wannabe diva hides out in a convent after witnessing a crime. Opens Dec 1 and runs to Jan 29, Thu-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun 3:30 pm (no shows Dec 24-25, 31, Jan 1). $60-$70. At The Lower Ossington Theatre. Show Info.

Infinity by Hannah Moscovitch (Volcano Theatre/Tarragon). Three brilliant minds – a musician, a mathematician, and a theoretical physicist – smash together like colliding particles in an accelerator in this play about love, sex and math. Opens Jan 4 and runs to Jan 29, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2:30 pm. $60, srs $49, stu $29. At Tarragon Theatre. Show Info.

Sequence by Arun Lakra (Tarragon). Two intertwined stories about the interplay between science, faith, probability and luck. Previews from Jan 3, opens Jan 11 and runs to Feb 12, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2:30 pm. $22-$65. At Tarragon Theatre. Show Info.

The Magic Flute by WA Mozart (Canadian Opera Company). The classic opera offers a both comic and profound exploration of the trials of growing up, seeking ideals and finding love. Opens Jan 19 and runs to Feb 24, see website for schedule. $35-$235 (box seats $350). At the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Show Info.

Carrie: The Musical by Michael Gore, Dean Pitchford and Lawrence D. Cohen (Hart House Theatre). A high school outcast pushes back against bullies in this musical based on the book by Stephen King. Opens Jan 20 and runs to Feb 4, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mat Feb 4 at 2 pm. $28, srs $17, stu $12-$15. At Hart House Theatre. Show Info.

The Gut Girls by Sarah Daniels (Alumnae Theatre). London women look for their place in the world after the gutting sheds close down in Victorian London in this play about women’s and workers’ rights, social expectations and the struggle for self-worth. Opens Jan 20 and runs to Feb 4, Wed-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $20, Wed $10, Sun pwyc. At Alumnae Theatre. Show Info.

Closer by Patrick Marber (Mortar & Pestle Productions). Four strangers meet and become caught up in a web of sexual desire and betrayal. Opens Jan 19 and runs to Jan 27, Thu-Sat 8 pm, mat Jan 21 & 27 at 2 pm. $15 at the door. At Gerrard Art Space. Show Info.

Unholy by Diane Flacks (Nightwood Theatre). Four women – a progressive Muslim lawyer, an Orthodox Jewish spiritual leader, an excommunicated nun and a lesbian atheist pundit – debate religion and misogyny. Previews from Jan 15, opens Jan 18 and runs to Jan 29, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2:30 pm. $20-$35. At Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Show Info.

Empire of the Son by Tetsuro Shigematsu (Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre). Shigematsu performs his multimedia solo show about intergenerational and cross-cultural conflicts between him and his father. Opens Jan 18 and runs to Jan 29, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun (and Jan 28) 2 pm. $25-$35. At Factory Theatre. Show Info.

The Wedding Party by Kristen Thomson (Crow’s Theatre/Talk Is Free Theatre). Comedy about two families, a wedding, mistaken identities and love. Previews Jan 12-17, opens Jan 18 and runs to Feb 11, Mon-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $20-$40. At Crow’s Theatre. Show Info.

The Audience by Peter Morgan (Mirvish/Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre). This play imagines the meetings between Queen Elizabeth II and various British prime ministers over the course of 60 years. Opens Jan 17 and runs to Feb 26, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Wed, Sat-Sun 2 pm. $35-$119. At The Royal Alexandra Theatre. Show Info.

And the rest:

Passing Strange by Stew, Heidi Rodewald and Annie Dorsen (Acting Up Stage Company/Obsidian Theatre). In the late 1970s, a Black teen is driven from L.A. to Amsterdam and Berlin in search of himself and a place to call home in this rock/soul coming-of-age musical. Opens Jan 24 and runs to Feb 5, Tue-Sun 8 pm. $35-$55. At The Opera House. Show Info.

Rabbit Hole by David-Lindsay Abaire (DEELEN with TROUBLE). This blend of drama and comedy looks at the way a family deals with the loss of a child. Opens Jan 24 and runs to Feb 11, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $20. At Red Sandcastle Theatre. Show Info.

Liv Stein by Nino Haratischwili (Canadian Stage). A famous pianist gives up her career and retreats from life after the death of her son, until she meets a young piano student who claims to have known him. Previews from Jan 24, opens Jan 26 and runs to Feb 12, Tue-Thu and  Sat 8 pm, Fri 7 pm, mat Wed, Sat-Sun 1 pm. $35-$99. At Bluma Appel Theatre. Show Info.

Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare (Groundling Theatre). The classic tale is staged in a gender-twist production. Previews Jan 24, 25 and 27, opens Jan 28 and runs to Feb 19, see website for schedule (runs in rep with The Winter’s Tale). $29-$79. At The Winter Garden Theatre. Show Info.

Métis Mutt by Sheldon Elter (Native Earth Performing Arts). Elter recounts his coming-of-age story amid two distinct cultures. Using music, comedy, storytelling and multi-character vignettes, Elter reveals a personal tale that unravels racial issues and embraces the choice of life. Opens Jan 25 and runs to Feb 5, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $15-$25 (Jan 25 and 31 pwyc at the door). At Daniels Spectrum. Show Info.

Blanket Fort (Art Is Hard). Interactive installation that empowers participants to create, change and take ownership of the space around them. Opens Jan 24 and runs to Jan 29, daily 10 am-11 pm. Daytime pwyc, evenings $15. At The Theatre Centre. Show Info.

The Last Wife by Kate Hennig (Soulpepper). Sex, violence and women’s rights shape a contemporary look at Katherine Parr, the last wife of Henry VIII. Previews from Jan 20, opens Jan 24 and runs to Feb 11, see website for times. $32-$89. At the Young Centre for Performing Arts. Show Info.

The Big “What Now?” by Sandra Shamas (Everything But the Kitchens Inc). Comic artist Shamas performs a solo show about her personal exploration of life after age 50. Opens Jan 25 and runs to Feb 5, Wed-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $45-$55. At Fleck Dance Theatre. Show Info.

Surfacing by Laurel Brady (Lemontree Creations). A young woman opens up to her mother about her experiences with anxiety and depression in this poetry/movement solo show. Jan 26-28, Thu-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $20-$25. lemonTree Studio Theatre. Show Info.

John by Annie Baker (The Company Theatre). A young couple struggling to stay together meet a cheerful innkeeper. Previews Jan 29, opens Jan 31 and runs to Feb 19, see website for schedule. $20-$47. At Berkeley Street Theatre. Show Info.

The Ugly Duckthing by Marty Stelnick (SSCT). Re-telling of the Hans Christian Andersen classic using puppetry, music and multimedia for ages 5 and up. Jan 14-Feb 5, see website for schedule. $17. At Solar Stage Children’s Theatre. Show Info.

Alien Creature by Linda Griffiths (TPM). A poet uses magic, stories and rhymes to entice audiences with a glimpse of her life. Previews from Jan 12, opens Jan 17 and runs to Feb 5, Wed-Sat 7:30 pm (and Jan 17), Sat-Sun 2 pm (no Sat mat on Jan 14). $17-$33, mat pwyc at the door. At Theatre Passe Muraille. Show Info.

Listings based primarily on NOW! Stage Listings.