Flashing Lights delivers a heavy dose of theatre realism on stage in Toronto
Science fiction is a very tricky genre to pull off in a sphere such as independent performing arts. This is something that the creators at Bad News Days and Ahuri Theatre must have been aware of, given their bold, “challenge accepted” attitude in the concept and execution of Flashing Lights.
The Tragedie of Lear presents a contemporary imagining of Shakespeare’s play in Toronto
The Tragedie of Lear, presented by the eponymous company at the Palmerston Library Theatre, seeks to help audiences connect to the supposedly “modern problem” of how adult children care for their parents, particularly those with mental illness, through the lens of a venerable tragedy.
Because of the age of the actor playing Lear, Walter Borden, the play has an alternate in case of illness. This was the case the afternoon I saw the play. If nobody had told me, I would have assumed Christopher Kelk was the original Lear all along. Surrounded by cast members who seemed to tower over him, he showed a mercurial disposition conflicting with subtle physical degeneration (the production worked with a neurological consultant). Moments of respite remind us that decline is not necessarily predictable or linear. I wish I’d been able to see both Lears for the full experience, but as Lear himself proves to us, time waits for no man.
Shows That Caught Our Eye in Toronto the Week of October 16th, 2017
As the leaves begin their descent towards the ground and summer reluctantly departs, Toronto’s vibrant theatre scene is in full swing. Lin, one part of the Mooney editorial team, is on hand to highlight her most anticipated shows (in red). Check them out below the cut:
Canadian Opera Company brings shades of grey to Arabella on the Toronto stage
The final collaboration of Richard Strauss and librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Arabella is either a deceptively grim meditation on love in society, a typical comedy of manners, a proto-feminist parable of the volatile position of women in the marriage market, or a light and frothy romance. Sometimes it can be all of these things at once. I’m not entirely sure which The Canadian Opera Company‘s adaptation of Strauss’ Arabella wants to be — but that very ambiguity is what makes it interesting. Continue reading Review: Arabella (Canadian Opera Company)→
Flashing Lights delivers a heavy dose of theatre realism on stage in Toronto
The Tragedie of Lear presents a contemporary imagining of Shakespeare’s play in Toronto
Fabulously staged Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time comes to the Toronto stage
Canadian Opera Company brings shades of grey to Arabella on the Toronto stage