In Amphitheatre’s Mandelshtam, presented as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival, a Russian poet (Osip Mandelshtam) criticizes Stalin and winds up in the Lubyanka. The tireless efforts of friends and family are able to secure a sort of pardon, but leave him with a difficult question: can he bring himself to pen a syrupy “Ode to Stalin” and thus save his skin at the expense of his ideals?
Continue reading Mandelshtam (Amphitheatre) 2015 Toronto Fringe Review
Duotang Chesterfield’s Mystery Theatre LIVE (playing at the Toronto Fringe Festival) is built around a podcast by the same name, and that’s the crux of the problem. Billed as a sort of backstage comedy set in the world of old-timey radio serials, the scripts are interesting and the actors handle them well, but — at the risk of sounding entirely too blunt — why is this on a stage?
At Mooney on Theatre, we break hearts. Every Fringe, we ask our writers to give us a list of their most-wanted shows — and because we can’t assign the same show to 9 people, most of them go home empty-handed.
But you don’t have to! Gathered here is the wisdom of our crowd: the shows which excited, interested, titillated and drew our staff towards them. We call them our Hot Tickets, and — in no particular order — here they are.
Let’s start with the lurid: Pretending Things Are A Cock, which reads like the hands-off, multimedia-enhanced successor to global hit Puppetry of the Penis. Described by the company as a “unique” experience which has already thrilled, entertained and subtly aroused audiences on three continents, our writer Jess Gillis can’t wait to “gobble it up”:
The title Pretending Things Are A Cock intrigued me immediately. It’s such a potent symbol for our sex-obsessed culture! The description “…award winning show of over 300 pretend cocks…” sealed it for me. Phalluses, photography, stand-up, and Australian accents always get a rise out of me. I’m eagerly awaiting this show!
Pretending Things are a Cock opens on July 3rd at 5:15 PM and plays its run at the St. Vladimir Institute. (620 Spadina, near Harbord.) See below for ticketing information.
Continue reading Fringe 2015: Mooney on Theatre’s Hot Tickets
Did you miss us, Toronto? We’ve certainly missed you! Fringe is our favourite time of the year, and we love nothing more than sharing it with you — so every summer, by the kindness of dozens of Fringe Festival companies, we get to literally give it away.
Starting today, we’ll be posting a daily list of 5 shows. Shoot us an email and you might win a pair of tickets to one of the hottest productions in town.
Of course, we’re posting other stuff as well: comprehensive coverage of the festival, with a review of every single production by the end of opening weekend; features, interviews, photographs and summaries; news, analysis, whimsies and warnings, we’ll have it all.
But while this is all fine and well, Fringe is about seeing theatre! So click “Read More” for the contest rules and a little something about the 5 shows we’ve got lined up for July 1st, opening day.
Continue reading Fringe for Free! Toronto Fringe Ticket Giveaways for Shows on Wednesday, July 1st
Sex. Love. Happiness. Traditional values face off against contemporary lifestyles and raise questions about the true nature of relationships in today’s world. Carefully constructed facades and ideals falter as the lives of three couples intertwine and they are each forced to examine the underbelly of their relationship in this new drama about love and the pursuit of happiness.
The basis for this new play came to Writer/Director Chantal Forde in a dream while on vacation. The scribbled early-morning notes became intense conversations addressing our preconceived notions of what a “healthy” or “normal” relationship might be. When the script was finally born, she and her husband Tim Cadeny, knew that the Toronto Fringe would be the perfect opportunity for its debut.
This unique cast brings together a group of actors who simply cannot stay away from the Toronto Fringe. Included are Joel Fishbane (Short Story Long – Fringe New Play contest winner); Tim Cadeny (Shevil – 2015 Fringe, QuarterLife – 2009 Fringe); Andrea Brown (POP: The Musical – 2012 Fringe, What is The Mango Project? – 2009 Fringe); and Chantal Forde (Shevil – 2015 Fringe, Sonnets for a New Century – 2011 Fringe, QuarterLife – 2009 Fringe).
It’s easy to say what you think is right. Come see the show that challenges not only what you think about love, but what you think you know about yourself.
Showtimes
Tickets for all Fringe productions are $10, $12 in advance. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone (416-966-1062, business hours only), in-person from the festival box office located in the parking lot behind Honest Ed’s, (481 Bloor West), or — if any remain — from the venue box office (cash-only), starting one hour before showtime.
The festival offers a range of money-saving passes for committed Fringers; see website for details.
Be advised that Fringe shows always start exactly on time, and latecomers are never admitted.
Company photograph by Tim Cadeny.