I love seeing a show that when it is over you have so much to talk about that you have to go and get hot chocolate immediately afterwards. And that is exactly what happened after watching Those Who Can’t Do at Theatre Passe Muraille’s BackSpace. This play has so much content that includes so many points of view, that I firmly believe kids, parents and teachers should watch this show, preferably all together and then go away and TALK! Continue reading Review: Those Who Can’t Do (Theatre Passe Muraille) →

The Ugly One, presented by Theatre Smash  at the Tarragon Extra Space, is the second German play I have seen in the last month (last month I saw The Underpants) and I am beginning to have a new found appreciation for the German style since my days of studying theatre at university.

This is a very absurd and quick one act play that focuses on the story of Lette, an unspeakably ugly man, who doesn’t know he is ugly until his boss tells him. His wife is surprised as she thought he knew, so he decides to have plastic surgery and his face is transformed into an Adonis. His new looks afford him a new lifestyle, and so we are taught a lesson of the adage of being careful what you wish for as other people start to ask for the same face. Continue reading Review: The Ugly One (Theatre Smash) →

It might be that I am not the right demographic for the show Suddenly Mommy, performed and written by Anne Marie Scheffler. I am not an old or new mum, in fact I am not a mum at all – and after watching this show I am not sure I want to be. This speaks more to the fact that for me Scheffler presented a horrifying picture of being a mother, which judging by the laughter in the audience had to be realistic. If she was out to dispel the myth that motherhood is fun and easy and every woman should do it, then her show was spot-on. Continue reading Review: Suddenly Mommy (Perfectly Norma Productions & Red Sandcastle Theatre) →

From Thine Eyes is an ambitious piece of dance theatre  and it is the first time I have seen a combination like this. Brought to us by DanceWorks, Signal Theatre and Native Earth Performing Arts and choreographed by Michael Greyeyes. The piece is an examination of several characters that are trying to find meaning in their life as they hover in the state between living and dying,reflecting on certain important ‘scenes’ of their lives.  I would strongly recommend that you read the synopsis of the play beforehand, as I found it much easier to understand the piece when I knew what each story was about. Continue reading Review: From Thine Eyes (DanceWorks, Signal Theatre and Native Earth Performing Arts) →

The Underpants, adapted by Steve Martin and based on the 1910 German play Die Hose by Carl Sternheim, is a very funny and intelligent play about a woman whose underpants accidentally fall down during the King’s parade. This performance is brought to us by the new-to-Toronto theatre company Coffeehouse Theatre and is a great way for them to make their debut.

Continue reading Review: The Underpants (Coffeehouse Theatre) →