All posts by Sam Mooney

Always a theatre lover Sam realized in middle age that there's more to Toronto theatre than just mainstream and is now in love with one person shows, adores festivals, and quirky venues make her day.

Bite-Sized (Broadleaf Theatre) 2016 Toronto Fringe Review

Bite-Sized, Toronto Fringe

Broadleaf Theatre’s production, Bite-Sized, opened Thursday at the Factory Theatre Mainspace as part of the 2016 Fringe Festival. The title refers to the format of the show, 18 plays – all three minutes or less. And all dealing with local, national, and global environmental issues. I’m a big fan of short plays so I had high hopes for the show. Continue reading Bite-Sized (Broadleaf Theatre) 2016 Toronto Fringe Review

(in)decision (Drawing Board Productions) 2016 Toronto Fringe Review

(in)decision Tamlynn Bryson

Yay! It’s Fringe. Time for my first show. (in)decision by Tamlynn Bryson and Kyle Kimmerly, playing at the Randolph Theatre as part of the 2016 Fringe Festival.  It’s a one person show starring Bryson as Tess, a woman who has to decide how to respond to an unexpected proposal from her boyfriend Steve. Will she or won’t she marry him? Continue reading (in)decision (Drawing Board Productions) 2016 Toronto Fringe Review

The Fence (Edge of the Sky Theatre) 2016 Toronto Fringe Review

Cast of The Fence - Toronto Fringe

Before you finish reading this, stop. Go online and buy tickets to see The Fence playing at Randolph Theatre as part of this year’s Fringe Festival . It’s fabulous and it’s going to sell out. It’s from the same people who wrote last year’s sold out Fringe hit, Summerland; Anika Johnson, Barbara Johnston and Suzy Wilde. Continue reading The Fence (Edge of the Sky Theatre) 2016 Toronto Fringe Review

Review: blackShow (inspiraTO Festival)

Getting Two Gay Men Naked in Ten Minutes or Less - inspiraTO 2016Many gems in series of 10-minute plays, now on the Toronto stage

The 11th annual inspiraTO festival is under way at Alumnae Theatre. It’s a festival of 10-minute plays, 24 of them divided into four shows. I saw blackShow/powerShift on Saturday. Thanks to Teresa Bottaro for getting me a ticket at the last minute on her day off and to my migraine for easing up so I could go out.

I love short plays. Telling a story in 10 minutes is hard: the playwright has to strip out everything that isn’t essential and cut immediately to the heart of the story. Sometimes it doesn’t work, but when it does the plays are tiny gems. Continue reading Review: blackShow (inspiraTO Festival)

Review: The Testament of Mary (Soulpepper)

The Testament of MarySoulpepper’s The Testament of Mary is thoroughly satisfying, now playing in Toronto

Soulpepper’s production of Colm Toibin’s The Testament of Mary opened on Tuesday evening. It’s a one-person show starring Nancy Palk. I can’t stop thinking about it.

Although tour de force isn’t an expression I’d normally use, it’s what the couple leaving ahead of us said about the performance, and I agree. It was amazing. My friend Elaine and I were talking about it afterward and couldn’t really find a better description. Continue reading Review: The Testament of Mary (Soulpepper)