Shows That Caught Our Eye in Toronto the Week of March 6th, 2017
Who runs the stage? GIRLS! With International Women’s Day happening on Wednesday, it’s fitting that our listings this week have so many woman-centric choices. If sexy, beautiful, powerful, and/or political women are your thing, do not miss the amazing shows on Toronto stages this week!! To help you in your decision-making is our managing editor Wayne. He’s chosen a few shows which caught his eye in red text. Check them out below the cut:
Already Reviewed by Mooney on Theatre:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
And the rest:
Sexual Awakening: A Tribute to 90s RnB. Zyra Lee Vanity presents a burlesque show tribute to 90s R&B love and sex jams and a celebration of unapologetic self love & sexuality. Featuring Coco Framboise, Carmen LaBomba, Kage Wolfe, Knox Harter, Ava Noir, Zyra Lee Vanity and others. Mar 9 at 8 pm. $15-$20. At Round Venue. Show Info.
Feathers of Fire: A Persian Epic. Tirgan and the Aga Khan Museum present an all-ages cinematic shadow play by Hamid Rahmanian. Puppets, costumes, masks, scenography and digital animation are used in this play about star-crossed lovers Zaul and Rudabeh (from the 10th-century Persian epic Shahnameh) and their triumph over inconceivable odds. Mar 10-12, Fri-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 3 pm. $25-$85. In the George Weston Recital Hall. At The Toronto Centre for The Arts. Show Info.
Proof by David Auburn (Theatre UnBlocked). A young female mathematician wonders if she has inherited her father’s mental instability. Previews Mar 9 at 8 pm. Opens Mar 10 and runs to Mar 19, Fri-Sun 8 pm, mat Mar 12 at 2 pm. $20 adv, $25 at the door; stu/arts worker $15, preview pwyc. At Red Sandcastle Theatre. Show Info.
Cage. Soulpepper presents a theatrical work by Diego Matamoros, Lorenzo Savoini and Richard Feren. Ideas of Zen Buddhism and composer John Cage inspire this meditation on time, space, memory and the human animal. Previews form Mar 11, opens Mar 21 and runs to Mar 25, see website for schedule. $32-$96. At The Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Show Info.
The Announcement Made to Mary by Paul Claudel (Red Flagg). A 15th century French farm girl contracts leprosy, is exiled by her family and asked to resurrect the dead. Opens Feb 25 at 8 pm and runs to Mar 12, Sun 8 pm. At a site-specific venue off Dundas West near Trinity Bellwoods Park. Admission by donation, email for tickets and location details.
The Man Who Married Himself by Juliet Palmer, Anna Chatterton and Hari Krishnan (Toronto Masque Theatre). Unwilling to marry a woman, a man fashions a lover from his own left side. Told in song, music and dance, this South Asian-influenced masque explores sexuality and the war within. Mar 10-11, Fri-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $50, srs $43, under 30 $20 at crowstheatre.com. Show Info.
Hard Core Logo. BFL Theatre presents a play/punk rock concert adapted by Michael Scholar Jr., based on the book by Michael Turner and the 1996 film by Noel S. Baker and Bruce McDonald. New songs written by Joe “Shithead” Kiethley and Michael Turner. Buried conflicts resurface when a defunct Vancouver punk band reunite for one last tour across Canada. Opens Mar 9 and runs to Mar 26, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm (and Sun Mar 19 & 26). $35. At The Dance Cave. Show Info.
Tartuffe by Molière (Scarborough Theatre Guild). A conman feigns piety to get close to a man’s wife in this comedy. Opens Mar 10 and runs to Mar 25, Thu-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm (Mar 25 at 2 pm, no eve show). $22. At Scarborough Village Theatre. Show Info.
7 Stories by Morris Panych (Hart House Theatre). A man on the ledge of a condo building contemplates jumping, but is interrupted by the absurd residents within. Opens Mar 3 and runs to Mar 11, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mat Mar 11 at 2 pm. $28, srs $17, stu $12-$15. At Hart House Theatre. Show Info.
International Women’s Day: Goddess Worship. Belle Jumelles, Dainty Smith and Ivory present an art, storytelling, music and burlesque show celebrating women, also starring Stella Saint, Coco Framboise, Catherine Hernandez, Maya Hall, Helene Ducharme and others. Mar 8 at 7:30 pm. $25, adv $20. At Pilot Tavern. Show Info.
New Ideas Festival 2017. Alumnae Theatre presents a juried festival of new writing, works-in-progress and experimental theatre. Opens Mar 8 and runs to Mar 26, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $15, free staged readings Sat at noon. At Alumnae 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.
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.
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.
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.
Listings based primarily on NOW! Stage Listings.