Hadrian, on Stage at the COC in Toronto is one for the history books
The world premiere of Hadrian by Rufus Wainwright, currently being produced by the Canadian Opera Company, has nothing to do with a guy building a big wall. Since I really didn’t know anything else about Hadrian going into this performance, I had very few expectations plot-wise.
Being familiar with Wainwright’s singer-songwriter style, I had more expectations about the music. Still, I wasn’t sure how this would translate to the operatic form. It transpired that I was entranced by both the compelling story and the towering score. Continue reading Review: Hadrian (Canadian Opera Company)→
The performance is comprised of four short plays, each inspired by one of four tastes: Salty, bitter, savoury and sweet. Food and cooking are involved in each play in some way, and the dramas unfold in a kitchen at Ralph Thornton Centre.
Cabaret and burlesque meet opera in Against the Grain’s take on Orphee, on stage in Toronto
I did not know what to expect from “an electronic, baroque-burlesque, descent into hell” when I took my seat at Against the Grain Theatre’s production of Orphée. I knew what to expect from the work, having seen Opera Atelier’s interpretation of the same work in 2015, but I couldn’t really imagine how an electronic, burlesque aesthetic would fit in. Continue reading Review: Orphee (Against the Grain Theatre)→
First performed in 1639, The Return of Ulysses by Claudio Monteverdi is currently being produced by Opera Atelier. It is one of the earliest operas you are likely to see performed on a 21st century stage. The timelessness of this universally-known story likely has something to do with the work’s ongoing popularity. It’s based on the second half of Homer’s Odyssey, wherein Ulysses (Odysseus), the King of Ithaca, returns home to his faithful wife Penelope. In order to reclaim his kingdom and his wife, he must fight off three evil suitors with a little help and hindrance from the gods. The Opera Atelier production is beautifully rendered and, as usual, a feast for the eyes as well as the ears. Continue reading Review: The Return of Ulysses (Opera Atelier)→
Raven Dauda performs her new one-woman show Addicted in Toronto
Addicted, a new one-woman show produced by ADEDO Collective with The Watah Theatre is a confessional and spiritual exploration of intergenerational substance abuse stemming from colonial trauma that straddles the line between realism and surrealism. The use of mime, physical comedy, wry humour, storytelling and puppetry created a united whole that cuts a little too close to the bone emotionally. Continue reading Review: Addicted (ADEDO Collective with The Watah Theatre)→
Theatre Smith-Gilmour presents a stripped down black box take on the Victor Hugo classic in Toronto
The story of Les Misérables is well known to most as the 1980 musical by Claude-Michele Schöenberg, be it on stage or the movie starring Hugh Jackman. This theatrical adaptation by Dean Gilmour and Michele Smith, co-artistic directors of Theatre Smith-Gilmour, dives into the pathos of the story without relying on any of the big scores and big sets audiences have grown accustomed to. For me, this stripped down retelling of the well-known tale underscores some of the most timeless elements of the story. We do not need as much stuff as we think we need, and adhering to the status quo is not always the right choice. Continue reading Review: Les Misérables (Theatre Smith-Gilmour)→
Cocktales with Maria is raunchy, provocative and explicit opera at its finest, played in Toronto
I did not know what to expect from “an electronic, baroque-burlesque, descent into hell” when I took my seat at 
Opera blends with puppetry in a breathtaking performance captivating Toronto audiences
Raven Dauda performs her new one-woman show Addicted in Toronto
Tapestry Opera with Canadian Stage brings The Overcoat to Toronto in movement and opera
Theatre Smith-Gilmour presents a stripped down black box take on the Victor Hugo classic in Toronto