Naught Theatre brings Easter, a story of a family’s misfortune, to The Box Toronto
It didn’t take long to understand why The Box Toronto was chosen for Naught Theatre‘s production of August Strindberg’s Easter. A play that focuses on the shame and misfortunes of a family unit, Easter felt at home in the malleable black box, the space providing an intimate ambiance for us to be drawn into the suffering of the Heyst family.
Plagued by the debt of the family patriarch who now spends his days behind bars, the Heyst’s spend their Easter holiday dreading the arrival of Mr. Lindkvist, the man originally swindled by their father who now has a claim on their home. The son Elis, a professor and proud man who has taken on the responsibilities of the head of the family, returns home for the holiday to clean up the financial mess that his father left.
The struggle of Gen Y vs the career market is tackled in Unemployment Unanimous at Toronto’s Mixed Company Theatre
Theatre that’s successfully interactive and relatable isn’t the easiest feat to perform, but Project Boomerang, Mixed Company Theatre’s emerging artists collective, does a solid job of building an experience that’s thoughtful, immersive and truly entertaining.
A workshop production that tackles the ever-talked about issue of Millenials and their stigma of laziness and entitlement, Unemployment Unanimous is performed like a support group for Gen Y-ers. A mock 12-step program to help young people forgo the perils of unemployment and work towards the goal of finding that elusive career.
Kinky, sexy kitsch get a rise out of the audience at 50 Shades! The Musical at Toronto’s St. Lawrence Centre
If you’ve noticed a haze of sexy steam rising up from the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts these past couple of nights, it’s probably thanks to the touring production of 50 Shades! The Musical that’s rolled into town.
A musical parody of the smutty bestseller Fifty Shades of Grey, the show follows a threesome of housewives in a book club who choose the E.L. James novel as their next read. Through a bevy of clever musical numbers and raunchy choreography, the story of the innocent and naive Ana, and her unorthodox sexual awakening at the hands of the elusive Christian Grey, unfolds on stage with much hilarity and a few unexpected turns.
Fairy tales spring to life and intertwine in Into the Woods playing at Toronto’s George Ignatieff Theatre
Bringing the classic musical Into the Woods to the George Ignatieff Theatre, the Trinity College Dramatic Society does an admirable job at tackling Stephen Sondheim’s difficult score with a crew of talented young artists.
The musical that might’ve started the fairy tale mash-up trend, Into the Woods follows the tale of a baker and his wife as they seek to lift a family curse that’s left them unable to have children. Following the directions of the witch who initiated the curse, the couple venture into the woods to ward off the spell and meet a variety of fairy tale characters along the way, from Cinderella to Little Red Riding Hood to Jack (and the beanstalk) and more. Each character’s story intertwines with the others as we’re drawn into their plights and self-discoveries, and how complicated it actually is to live “happily ever after”.
Music, laughs and impressive ensembles rounded out the festivities at the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival
Friday night at the Lower Ossington Theatre hub of the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival was definitely a lively one featuring the Chicago-based Shock T’s and Canadian Comedy Award nominees Hot Thespian Action, hailing from Winnipeg. It’s great to see such a Toronto-centric comedy festival, densely packed with talented local troupes, keeping its door flung open for the out of towners. In the case of these two acts in particular, it’s a smooth move that brings in some quality A-game humour.
Bringing the classic musical 