Toronto’s Opera Atelier presents a double bill: Charpentier’s Actéon and Rameau’s Pygmalion

Opera Atelier’s 2018 fall production Actéon & Pygmalion is a Greek mythology double feature presenting Charpentier’s rendering of Actéon and Rameau’s interpretation of Pygmalion.  Premiering over 50 years apart in 1684 and 1748 respectively, both works are quintessential examples of early French opera and staple fare for Opera Atelier. This production branched out from the company’s usual wheelhouse by introducing Pygmalion with their first commissioned new work. Continue reading Review: Actéon and Pygmalion (Opera Atelier) →

Theory, a play by Norman Yeung, is seat-gripping thriller playing at Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre

If you’re looking for some real scares this fall season, turn your attention away from schlocky horror flicks and consider trekking out to Tarragon Theatre. Theory is on until November 25, and it’s an absolute thrill that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat.

Theory is an original play by writer Norman Yeung. It’s a sort of social justice thriller with some very relevant dialogue, but the overarching perspective is still quite sensitive and informed.  Continue reading Review: Theory (Tarragon Theatre) →

Toronto’s French-language theatre stages a new production of Pierre de Marivaux’s play

I think, sometimes, shows fall into that awkward place between comfortable and predictable. TheThéâtre français’s La Seconde surprise de l’amour/The Second Surprise of Love playing at the Berkeley Street Theatre is an eighteenth-century romantic comedy that plays out exactly as you expect. Continue reading La Seconde surprise de l’amour (Théâtre français) →

Secret Life of a Mother is a ” jewel of a play” on the Toronto stage

You should get your tickets for Secret Life of a Mother right now. While you’re at it, get one for your friend. The one who says she doesn’t like ‘theatre’, —  “all that drama and those fake sounding  voices.”  It’s playing at The Theatre Centre and it’s wonderful. I loved it. You’ll love it. Your friend who doesn’t like things that feel dramatic will love it.

It’s hard for me to think of this as a play. Even though it was in a theatre with an audience it felt like an intimate evening with  close friends, sharing stories about pregnancy, miscarriage, childbirth, and being a mother, the way that good friends do. Continue reading Review: Secret Life of a Mother (The SLOM Collective and The Theatre Centre) →

Cult films and immersive theatre collide in innovative Toronto staging of 1980’s classic

The Redwood Theatre in Toronto’s Lower East Side, formerly known as the Centre of Gravity, has already made a mark on the local theatre scene by hosting sharply entertaining and one-of-a-kind performing arts events. That said, the giant inflatable Stay Puft Marshmallow Man out front for the performance of Ghostbusters: The Movie Experience helps too.

The Secret Sessions is a local company that specializes in immersive reenactments of classic films, and their latest show is a romp through the 80’s classic, Ghostbusters.

Continue reading Review: Ghostbusters: The Movie Experience (The Secret Sessions) →