Shows That Caught Our Eye in Toronto the Week of March 5th, 2018

This week’s selections are full of new shows, returning hits, classics, and so much more. There is much to choose from, so here to help you chose is our Publisher Megan, with a few of her top picks in red. Check them out below the cut:

Already reviewed by Mooney on theatre:

Jerusalem by Jez Butterworth (The Company Theatre/Outside the March/Starvox). An aging daredevil fights the community council bent on bulldozing his land and putting up condos. Previews from Feb 13, opens Feb 15 and runs to Mar 10, Mon-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Wed & Sat 1:30 pm. $25-$60, at crowstheatre.com. At The Streetcar Crowsnest. Show Info.

Come From Away by Irene Sankoff and David Hein (Mirvish). Newfoundlanders open their homes to stranded passengers following the September 11 terrorist attacks. Previews from Feb 13, opens Feb 18 and runs to Sep 2, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Wed 1:30 pm, Sat-Sun 2 pm. $69 and up. At The Royal Alexandra Theatre. Show Info.

The Secret Garden. Young People’s Theatre presents a play by Paul Ledoux, adapted from the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Neglected in her uncle’s gloomy manor, a young girl finds takes refuge in a mysterious hidden garden. Previews from Feb 5, opens Feb 8 and runs to Mar 17, see website for schedule. $10-$45. Recommended for ages 6-12, runs approx. 85 minutes. At The Young People’s Theatre. Show Info.

Cottagers And Indians by Drew Hayden Taylor (Tarragon). Comedy/drama looking at conflicts between native traditional water usage and property owners in cottage country. Previews from Feb 13, opens Feb 21 and runs to Mar 25, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2:30 pm (see website for other mats). $20-$60. At Tarragon Theatre. Show Info.

And everything else:

The Monument by Colleen Wagner (Factory Theatre). A soldier desperate to escape death for his war crimes agrees to give himself to the complete servitude of an unknown woman. A harrowing and visceral journey of two people forced to confront the atrocities of war. Previews from Mar 10, opens Mar 15 and runs to Apr 1, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $20-$50. At Factory Theatre. Show Info.

4.48 Psychosis by Sarah Kane (NSK theatre). Self-exploration of petrified hope, personal despair, unconditional love and clinical depression that alters perspective on reality. Mar 9-10, Fri-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 3 pm. $25. At Daniels Spectrum. Show Info.

Animal Farm by George Orwell, adapted by Anthony MacMahon (Soulpepper Theatre). How long will the animal utopia last when a charismatic new leader emerges? An innovative new adaptation of Orwell’s classic satire about tyranny and equality. Previews from Mar 9, opens Mar 15 and runs to Apr 7, see website for times. $32-$96. At Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Show Info.

The Women by Clare Boothe Luce (Ryerson School of Performance). Colourful characters and witty dialogue make up this comedy about the pampered lives and power struggles of wealthy Manhattan socialites. Mar 8-10, Thu-Sat 7 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $20, stu/srs $15. At Ryerson Studio Theatre. Show Info.

Loot by Joe Orton (Bygone Theatre). Hours before his mother’s burial, a man uses her coffin to store the proceeds of a robbery in this dark farce. Opens Mar 8 and runs to Mar 17, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $20-$30, Mar 11 pwyc. Tickets at brownpapertickets.com. At Alumnae Theatre. Show Info.

New Ideas Festival 2018. Alumnae Theatre presents a juried festival of new writing, works-in-progress and experimental theatre. Mar 7-25, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $15, pwyc staged readings Sat at noon. At Alumnae Theatre. Show Info.

The Drawer Boy by Michael Healey (Theatre Passe Muraille). An actor goes to the country to research rural life and reawakens painful memories for two farm owners. Previews from Feb 28, opens Mar 6 and runs to Mar 25, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $17-$38 (weekend mats pwyc at the door; $22.50 in advance). TPM 50th Anniversary Gala March 8 – pre-show reception from 6 pm, performance of The Drawer Boy at 7:30 pm. Special guests, raffle prizes, gift bags, open bar & more. $125. Tickets. #DrawerBoyTO. At Theatre Passe Muraille. Show Info.

Black Boys. Buddies and Saga Collectif present a raw, intimate and timely exploration of queer male Blackness. Through dance, poetry, scripted scenes & conversation Stephen Jackman-Torkoff, Tawiah M’Carthy and Thomas Olajide explore how Black male bodies encounter the world and one another.Previews Feb 28, opens Mar 1 and runs to Mar 11, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2:30 pm. $30-$40, preview/rush $20, Sun pwyc at the door. At Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Show Info.

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike by Christopher Durang (Scarborough Players). Bickering siblings named after dysfunctional characters from Chekhov plays try to escape their melancholic curse in this comedy. Opens Mar 2 and runs to Mar 17, see website for schedule. $24. At Scarborough Village Theatre. Show Info.

Tainted Justice by Don Nigro (Village Players). Murder mystery based on a true event on Cape Breton Island in 1913. Opens Mar 2 and runs to Mar 24, Thu-Sat 8 pm (and Mar 7), mat Mar 11 and 18 at 2 pm. $20-$24. At The Village Playhouse. Show Info.

Bunny by Hannah Moscovitch (Tarragon). A woman is caught between her sexual desires and what is socially acceptable. Previews from Feb 21, opens Feb 28 and runs to Apr 1, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sun 2:30 pm (see website for other mats). $20-$60. MainSpace. At Tarragon Theatre. Show Info.

Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare (Hart House Theatre). The Bard’s bloodiest tragedy tells a tale of lust, betrayal, revenge and humanity’s most vile traits. Opens Mar 2 and runs to Mar 10, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mat Mar 10 at 2 pm. $28, srs $17, stu $12-$15. At Hart House Theatre. Show Info.

Idomeneus by Roland Schimmelpfennig (Soulpepper Theatre). A Trojan War hero must deal with the consequences of his promise to the gods in this fresh take on the Greek myth. Previews from Mar 3, opens Mar 8 and runs to Mar 24, see website for times. $32-$96. At Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Show Info.

Homewrecker by Daniel Pagett (Coyote Collective/Leroy Street Theatre/Scapegoat Collective). New play that challenges perceptions of gender, status, relationships and the very nature of love. Previews Feb 21-22, opens Feb 23 and runs to Mar 10, Tue-Sat 8 pm. $15-$20, previews pwyc. At The Assembly Theatre. Show Info. 

After Wrestling by Bryce Hodgson and Charlie Kerr (Blood Pact Theatre/Storefront Theatre). Slacker-comedy turned suicide-mystery that finds itself in a booze- and grief- fuelled magic realism debate on love, life and after-death. Previews from Feb 24, opens Mar 1 and runs to Mar 18, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $30-$50, preview $20. At Factory Theatre. Show Info.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare (The Chekhov Collective). The classic romantic comedy about lovers in a magical forest is framed in a feminine perspective. Previews from Feb 21, opens Feb 22 and runs to Mar 11, Wed-Sun 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $25-$40, at brownpapertickets.com. At The Citadel Theatre. Show Info.

Listings based primarily on NOW! Stage Listings.