Shows That Caught Our Eye in Toronto the Week of April 17th, 2017

It is weeks like this—with so many interestingly unique shows opening on Toronto stages—that we’re reminded of how amazing our theatre scene is! So many exciting choices can be daunting, but that’s ok. We’ve got assistant editor Jess on hand to pick out a few of her top choices, listed in red. Check them out below the cut:

Already Reviewed by Mooney on Theatre:

Little Pretty and The Exceptional by Anusree Roy (Factory Theatre). Two sisters and their father prepare to open a new sari shop on Gerrard Street and try to overcome demons of their past in this exploration of family ties and mental health issues in the South Asian community. Previews from Apr 1, opens Apr 6 and runs to Apr 30, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $25-$55, previews $2-$15. At Factory Theatre. Show Info.

The Clean House by Sarah Ruhl (Alumnae Theatre). A couple with marital problems hire a Brazilian maid with a penchant for jokes in this class comedy. Opens Apr 7 and runs to Apr 22, Wed-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $20, Wed $10, Sun pwyc. At Alumnae Theatre. Show Info.

Orphans by Dennis Kelly (Coal Mine Theatre). This urban play looks at the simmering class divide and the way stifled rage and violence gets passed down the generations. Previews from April 9, opens April 12 and runs to April 30, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 2 pm. $35, preview/rush $25. At The Coal Mine Theatre. Show Info.

And the rest:

Sound of the Beast by Donna-Michelle St. Bernard (TPM). An outspoken emcee finds that free speech comes with consequences. Previews from Apr 13-16, opens April 18 and runs to May 7, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $17-$38, mat pwyc at the door. At Theatre Passe Muraille. Show Info.

The Draupadi Project by Sharada Eswar (Tamasha Arts/Why Not Theatre/The RISER Project). This reimagining of the Indian epic The Mahabharat is told from the point of view of a woman who is on trial. Previews Apr 17, opens Apr 18 and runs to Apr 26, Mon-Sat 7 pm. $15 or $20 for any two RISER shows. At The Theatre Centre. Show Info.

Prince Hamlet. Adapted by Ravi Jain (Why Not Theatre/Soulpepper Theatre). This re-imagining of William Shakespeare’s classic has re-ordered scenes, action instead of exposition and a filmic language that illuminates the contemporary relevance of a 400-year-old text. Previews from Apr 17, opens Apr 19 and runs to Apr 29, Mon-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $5-$75 (Choose $5, $25, $50, $75 – pay what you can afford). At The Theatre Centre. Show Info.

Munschtime! Adapted by Stephen Colella and Allen MacInnis (Young People’s Theatre). Theatrical show for ages 4-8 based on the stories of Robert Munsch (Love You Forever, Murmel Murmel Murmel, Pigs, A Promise is a Promise and Too Much Stuff!). Previews from Apr 17, opens Apr 20 and runs to May 14, see website for schedule. $10-$34. At The Young People’s Theatre. Show Info.

The Penelopiad / A Flea In Her Ear by Margaret Atwood / Georges Feydeau (George Brown College Theatre School). The play about the wife of Odysseus and David Ives’s version of a farce about jealousy are presented as part of the Spring Repertory Season. Opens Apr 11 and runs to Apr 22, see website for performance schedule. $20, srs $15, stu $8. The Penelopiad: April 11, 13, 15, 19, 21 at 7:30 pm; April 22 at 1:30 pm. A Flea In Her Ear: April 12, 14, 18, 20, 22 at 7:30 pm; April 15 at 1:30 pm. At The Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Show Info.

Banana Boys by Leon Aureus (Factory Theatre). Five young Asian-Canadian men wrestle with issues of race and identity. Previews Apr 18, opens Apr 20 and runs to May 14, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $25-$55. At Factory Theatre. Show Info.

Century Song. Nightwood Theatre, Volcano and Moveable Beast Collective present a theatrical performance hybrid by Neema Bickersteth, Kate Alton and Ross Manson. Inspired in part by Virginia Woolf’s Orlando and Alice Walker’s In Search Of Our Mother’s Gardens, performer Bickersteth melds classical song and movement to inhabit a century of women whose identities are contained within a single performer. Previews Apr 18, opens Apr 19 and runs to Apr 29, Tue-Fri 8 pm (and Apr 22), mat Apr 24 at 1:30 pm, Apr 29 at 2 pm. $20-$35. At The Streetcar Crownsnest. Show Info.

Young Frankenstein by Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder (Spotlight Musical Productions). A man inherits his grandfather’s estate and restarts the mad scientist’s experiments with re-animating the dead. Apr 20-22, Thu-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat 1:30 pm. $28. At Fairview Library. Show Info.

Gelato Fest. Act 2 Studio Works presents five plays offering different flavours of life. Apr 21-22, Fri 2 and 7 pm, Sat 4 pm. $20. A Promise To Mary by Pat Cochrane /// Posterity by Richard Ellen /// Out And About by Michel Crete, Mairy Beam, Dick O’Connor and Neila Lem /// Killing Time by Clive Randewich /// Our Friend Peaches by Cathy Shilton. At Red Sandcastle Theatre. Show Info.

Afrogalactica. The Power Plant and Images Festival present artist Kapwani Kiwanga performing a live reading with video projections. Kiwanga takes on the role of a fictional anthropologist investigating Afrofuturism as a means to examine the past from an African or African diasporic subjectivity. Apr 21 at 9 pm. $10-$15. At Innis Town Hall. Show Info.

Medea and Jason by Marc-Antoine Charpentier (Opera Atelier). The powerful princess forsakes her family and country to assist her lover in his quest for the Golden Fleece. French w/ English surtitles. Opens Apr 22 and runs to Apr 29, see website for times. $39-$194. At Elgin Theatre. Show Info.

Spring Moon by Diana Tso (Mixed Company Theatre). Chinese youth and seniors perform in this exploration of intergenerational relationships in the Toronto Chinese community. Apr 20-23, Thu-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $10. At The Citadel. Show Info.

Midsummer (A Play With Songs) by David Greig and Gordon McIntyre (Tarragon). A failing car salesman and a divorce lawyer hookup for an ill-advised weekend fling. Previews from Apr 18, opens Apr 26 and runs to May 28, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2:30 pm. $22-$65. At Tarragon Theatre. Show Info.

Blood Links by William Yang (Canadian Stage). Yang’s solo show tells a family story of birth, traditions, love and food. Apr 19-23, Wed-Thu & Sat 8 pm, Fri 7 pm, Sun 1 pm. $29-$69. At Berkeley Street Theatre. Show Info.

Pearle Harbour’s Chautauqua by Justin Miller (Pearle Harbour Productions/The RISER Project). All-American World-Wartime gal Pearle Harbour performs a musical solo show. Previews Apr 19, opens Apr 20 and runs to Apr 26, daily at 9:30 pm. $15, or $20 for any two RISER shows. At The Theatre Centre. Show Info.

Illusions by Ivan Viripaev (SideMart Theatrical Grocery). This play unravels the story of two couples in a story of friendship, and crossed loves. Previews from Apr 19, opens Apr 21 and runs to May 8, Wed-Sat 8:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2:30 pm. $35, stu/srs $25. At The Streetcar Crownsnest. Show Info.

Mies Julie adapted by Yael Farber (Baxter Theatre Centre/Harbourfront World Stage). The August Strindberg play about class, sex and gender is transported into apartheid-era South Africa. Opens Apr 19 and runs to Apr 22, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $15-$35. At Harbourfront Centre. Show Info.

I’m Doing This For You. Soulpepper presents a solo work created and performed by Haley McGee. A woman travels halfway around the world to give the man she loves the thing she thinks he wants the most in this show that blends storytelling, live-art and improvisation. Previews May 3, opens May 4 and runs to May 6, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $25-$50. At The Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Show Info.

Binti’s Journey adapted by Marcia Johnson (Theatre Direct). Following the death of her father, a young girl escapes from uncaring relatives and sets out to find her grandmother in sub-Saharan Africa. Opens Apr 8 and runs to Apr 23, see website for schedule. $15. At Artscape Wychwood Barns. Show Info.

Tons of Money by Will Evans and Arthur Valentine (Scarborough Players). A debt-ridden inventor fakes his own death in order to claim an inheritance without tipping off his creditors. Opens Apr 7 and runs to Apr 22, Thu-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $22. At Scarborough Village Theatre. Show Info.

Little Shop of Horrors by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken (LOT). A flower shop clerk raises a plant that feeds on human blood in this musical. Opens Mar 24 and runs to May 14, Fri-Sat 7:30 pm, mat. Sat 3:30 pm, Sun 4 pm. $55-$65. At The Lower Ossington Theatre. Show Info.

Mrs. Henderson Presents by Terry Johnson and Don Black (Mirvish). An eccentric UK socialite invests in and transforms London’s Windmill Theatre in 1937 in this biographical musical based on the 2005 screenplay by Martin Sherman. Opens Mar 15 and runs to Apr 23, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mats Wed, Sat-Sun 2 pm. $38-$139. At Royal Alexandra Theatre. Show Info.

Listings based primarily on NOW! Stage Listings.