Shows That Caught Our Eye in Toronto the Week of February 27th, 2017

It’s another packed week for Toronto’s theatre scene, with countless new shows opening. With themes ranging from Vendettas to Mysteries, us theatre lovers have our work cut out for us in choosing what to see. To help you in your decision-making is our editor Lin. She’s chosen a few shows that caught her eye in red text. Check them out below the cut:

Already Reviewed by Mooney on Theatre:

Kim’s Convenience by Ins Choi (Soulpepper). The popular play about a Korean family in Regent Park struggling with their past returns to the stage. Previews Feb 8, opens Feb 9 and runs to March 4 see website for times. $32-$89. At The Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Show Info.

James and the Giant Peach by Benj Pasek, Justin Paul and Timothy Allen McDonald (Young People’s Theatre). An orphan finds adventures in a magical fruit in this musical based on the Roald Dahl book. Previews from Feb 6, opens Feb 9 and runs to Mar 18, see website for schedule. $10-$41. At Young People’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.

How Black Mothers Say I Love You by Trey Anthony (Trey Anthony/Girls in Bow Ties). This drama looks at Caribbean mothers who make the hard choice to leave children behind and go to work in Canada. Previews from Feb 4, opens Feb 9 and runs to Mar 5, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $25-$55. At Factory Theatre. Show Info.

Breath in Between by Anton Piatigorsky (Crow’s Theatre). Surreal love story about the murderer of two willing victims (who respond to his web ad) and the woman he meets soon afterwards. Previews from Feb 18, opens Feb 22 and runs to Mar 11, Mon-Sat 8:30 pm, mat Sat 2:30 pm. $20-$40. Streetcar Crownsnest. Show Info.

John & Waleed by John Millard and Waleed Abdulhamid (TPM/Cahoots Theatre). This documentary-style concert/storytelling hybrid show explores how musical traditions from the opposite ends of the earth reveal more likeness than differences. Previews on Feb 16, opens Feb 17 and runs to Mar 5, Thu-Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 2 pm. $17-$38, mat pwyc at the door. At Theatre Passe Muraille. Show Info.

Five Faces for Evelyn Frost by Guillaume Corbeil (Canadian Stage/Théâtre français de Toronto). Five friends vie to increase their online status by revealing their innermost secrets on the internet. Previews from Feb 14, opens Feb 16 and runs to Mar 5 (in English. Also runs Mar 21-25 in French w/ English surtitles) Tue-Thu & Sat 8 pm, Fri 7 pm, mat Sat-Sun 1 pm. $39-$69, under 30 from $15, Tue pwyc. At Berkeley Street Theatre. Show Info.

Peace River Country by Maria Milisavljevic (Tarragon). The health, land and way of life of a close-knit rural family becomes increasingly threatened by big corporations and government. Previews from Feb 7, opens Feb 15 and runs to Mar 19, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2:30 pm. $22-$65. At Tarragon Theatre. Show Info.

The Night Joe Dolan’s Car Broke Down by Padraic McIntyre (Toronto Irish Players) On a stormy night, a singer makes a surprise visit to a rural Irish pub. Previews Feb 16, opens Feb 17 and runs to Mar 4, Thu-Sat 8 pm, mat Feb 19 at 2 pm. $25, stu/srs $22; gala opening night reception and play $50, preview pwyc ($10 min). At Alumnae Theatre. Show Info.

Picasso at the Lapin Agile by Steve Martin (East Side Players). Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein debate the meaning of the universe and its inescapable ties with art in a Paris café in 1904. Opens Feb 24 and runs to Mar 11, Wed-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $24, stu $17. At The Papermill Theatre. Show Info.

Of Human Bondage by Vern Thiessen (Soulpepper). W Somerset Maugham’s novel is adapted for the stage in a tale of loss, lust, obsession and the pursuit of beauty. Previews Feb 23, opens Feb 24 and runs to Mar 11, see website for times. $32-$89. At The Young Centre for Performing Arts. Show Info.

And the rest:

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 Feb 10 and runs to Apr 2, Fri-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat 3:30 pm, Sun noon & 4 pm. $55-$65. At The Lower Ossington Theatre. Show Info.

HROSES: Outrage à la raison by Jill Connell (It Could Still Happen). Two rivals fall in love over one piece of land and one horse in this bilingual play. Previews Feb 22, opens Feb 23 and runs to Mar 4, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $20, preview $15, mat pwyc. At Waterworks. Show Info.

Stupid Fucking Bird by Aaron Posner (The Bird Collective). Loosely adapted from Anton Chekov’s The Seagull, this comedy looks at unrequited love and emotional misery. Previews from Feb 28, opens Mar 6 and runs to Mar 19, see website for schedule. $20-$40. At Pop-Up Toronto Theatre. Show Info.

The Book of Mormon by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone (Mirvish). Two naive missionaries go to a volatile region in Uganda in this religious satire musical. Opens Feb 28 and runs to Apr 16, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 7:30 pm, mat Sat 2 pm, Sun 1:30 pm. $49-$139. At The Princess of Wales Theatre. Show Info.

Confidential Operetta Project (Marion Abbott Productions). Actors perform an operetta in its entirety, having met just one hour before with no rehearsals; the audience shows with no knowledge of what show they will see. Feb 28 at 7:30 pm. $20-$25. At Lower Ossington Theatre. Show Info.

His Girl Friday by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur (Bygone Theatre). Recently divorced newspaper reporters find themselves thrown together to work on the biggest scoop of their careers in this 1940 screwball comedy. Mar 2-5, Thu-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $20-$25. At Daniels Spectrum. Show Info.

Cirkopolis (Cirque Éloize/Canadian Stage/Sony Centre) Circus, dance, music and theatre are combined to tell the story of a dark mechanical city that crushes individuality. Opens Mar 1 and runs to Mar 12, Wed-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun 1 pm. $39-$99. At Bluma Appel Theatre. Show Info.

Shen Yun. Falun Dafa Association of Toronto presents a traditional Chinese cultural show featuring dance, music, costumes and animated backdrops. Feb 28-Mar 2, Tue-Thu 7:30 pm, mat Thu 2 pm. $90-$235. At The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Show Info.

A Streetcar Named Desire. Previews from Feb 25, opens Mar 23 and runs to. Apr 9, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Wed, Sat-Sun 2 pm. $60-$175. At The Box Toronto. Show Info.

Sousatzka by Craig Lucas, Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire, based on the novel Madame Sousatzka by Bernice Rubens (Teatro Proscenium/Garth Drabinsky). A young musical prodigy is torn between his mother – a political refugee from South Africa – and his eccentric piano teacher in this musical drama that crosses racial and cultural divides. Previews from Feb 25, opens Mar 23 and runs to. Apr 9, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Wed, Sat-Sun 2 pm. $60-$175. At Elgin Theatre. Show Info.

Radiant Vermin by Philip Ridley (Precisely Peter Productions). This comedy about a young couple desperate to own their own home looks at the perils of getting on the property ladder and consumerism gone mad. Previews from Feb 28, opens Mar 2 and runs to Mar 19, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 3 pm. $35, previews $25. At Dirty Talk. Show Info.

The Secret of Station House No. 4 Secret City Adventures and Company & Co present an immersive theatrical experience as part of the Murdoch Mysteries Escape Series. The audience will piece together clues and evidence to find the missing Detective Murdoch in just 60 minutes. Opens Feb 23 for a limited run, Wed-Sat 5:30, 7:30 and 9:30 pm, Sat-Sun 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, 7:30 and 9:30 pm. $36-$42. At George Brown House. Show Info.

Blood Weddings by Federico García Lorca, translation by Langston Hughes (Modern Times Stage Company/Aluna Theatre). A family vendetta blows up when a bride-to-be runs away with the son of the enemy. Previews Mar 4, opens Mar 7 and runs to Mar 19, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Wed & Sun 2:30 pm. $18-$30, previews $15, Sun pwyc. At Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Show Info.

Smith / Williams (One Little Goat Theatre Company). This theatrical staging is based on the transcript of OPP Detective Jim Smyth’s interview of Colonel Russell Williams, who was convicted of two murders and multiple sexual assaults and break-ins in the Ottawa area in 2010. Opens Mar 3 and runs to Mar 12, Wed-Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 2 pm. $25, stu/srs $20, mat $15. At Theatre Passe Muraille. Show Info.

The Merry Widow / Carmen. Toronto City Opera presents operas by Franz Lehár and Georges Bizet as part of its 50th season. Lehár’s opera is performed in English and Bizet’s in French w/ English surtitles. Opens Feb 18 and runs in rep to Mar 5, see website for schedule. The Merry Widow: Feb 18, 24 and Mar 4 at 7:30 pm; Feb. 26 at 2 pm. Carmen: Feb. 25 and Mar 3 at 7:30 pm; Feb 19 and Mar 5 at 2 pm. $28, srs $20, stu $15.  At Bickford Centre Theatre. Show Info.

The Bodyguard by Alexander Dinelaris, music by Whitney Houston (Mirvish). A former secret service agent fall for the pop star he’s hired to protect in this musical based on the 1992 film that starred Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner. Opens Feb 11 and runs to Apr 9, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Wed, Sat-Sun 2 pm. $38-$139. At Ed Mirvish Theatre. Show Info.

Thank You For Being A Friend: The Ultimate Golden Girls Experience. Joseph Patrick presents an evening of laughter, taboo-pushing dialogue, put-downs and familiar friends as Miami’s most famous retirees – Dorothy, Sophia, Rose and Blanche of TV’s Golden Girls sitcom – reunite in puppet form in this comedic live tribute show. Opens Feb 10 and runs to Mar 5, Fri-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 3:30 pm. $70-$80. At The Toronto Centre for the Arts. Show Info.

Listings based primarily on NOW! Stage Listings.