Wayne is a writer, editor and corporate communications professional who is thrilled to be a part of the Mooney on Theatre team. Wayne has loved theatre ever since his aunt brought him to a production of Les Misérables at the tender age of ten . . . despite the fact that, at that age, the show’s plot was practically indiscernible and the battle scenes scared the bejeezus out of him. Wayne’s current list of likes runs the gamut from opera, ballet and Shakespeare to Broadway musicals, circus and Fringe theatre. Outside of the theatre Wayne’s interests include travel, technology and food.
Written by Erica Wood and Bruce Hunter, the show is described in the Fringe program as “part contemporary vaudevillian comedy with a little existentialist dilemma and a few musical numbers of sorts thrown in.” If that description sounds vague and a bit unfocused, the show matches.
Soulpepper, Mirvish and Canadian Opera Company lead noms for the 38th Dora Awards
The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) revealed the nominations for the 38th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards at a press conference early this morning. The Dora Awards seek to recognize excellence in the Toronto performing arts community. This year’s ceremony will take place on Monday, June 26 at the Elgin Theatre and will be hosted by prolific Toronto actor and musician Raoul Bhaneja.
Mirvish presents Baz Luhrmann’s musical stage adaptation of his film Strictly Ballroom in Toronto
Australian director Baz Luhrmann has adapted his 1992 cult hit film Strictly Ballroom into a stage musical and yes, it features all the razzle-dazzle dance numbers and brightly sequinned costumes you’d expect. The result is a show that provides some frivolous, superficial fun but that also gets a bit lost in the transition from screen to stage. Continue reading Review: Strictly Ballroom (Mirvish)→
A Toronto adaptation of Hamlet features American Sign Language and a female lead
For its tenth anniversary, Why Not Theatre and director Ravi Jain re-visit their first-ever production: Prince Hamlet, Jain’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. For this new production the director set about—as described in the press materials—to “illuminate the contemporary relevance of the 400-year-old play and ask the question ‘who gets to tell this story?’”
Canadian Stage presents the return of Robert Lepage’s memory play 887 in Toronto
887 is just an extraordinary piece of theatre. Written, directed, and performed by prolific Quebec theatre artist Robert Lepage, the autobiographical solo show is his most personal to date and is in turns thought-provoking, deeply affecting, and technically dazzling. Continue reading Review: 887 (Canadian Stage/Ex Machina)→
Mirvish presents Nicolas Billon’s theatrical thriller play BUTCHER in Toronto
It’s now hours after I’ve left the theatre and I think I’ve finally caught my breath after seeing BUTCHER, a stunning thriller of a play by Canadian playwright Nicolas Billon, presented by Mirvish as part of their Off-Mirvish series. As I collect my thoughts and sit down to write about the show, I get a text from the co-worker I brought with me tonight: “I’m still thinking about the play … it delivers such a striking note that lingers.” Continue reading Review: BUTCHER (Mirvish/Why Not Theatre)→
Cirque Éloize brings a unique blend of circus and dance to the Toronto stage with Cirkopolis
Cirque Éloize is the other theatrical circus troupe from Quebec. A younger cousin to the juggernaut Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Éloize is known for creating more intimate shows staged in proscenium theatres. What Éloize may lack in scale and technical complexity they more than make up for in artistry. Evident in their show Cirkopolis, now being presented in Toronto by the Sony Centre and Canadian Stage, they bring a level of craftsmanship and attention to detail that surpasses that of their bigger, more famous peer. Continue reading Review: Cirque Éloize – Cirkopolis (Sony Centre for the Performing Arts/Canadian Stage)→
Mirvish presents a play about Queen Elizabeth II by the creator of Netflix’s The Crown, in Toronto
Writer Peter Morgan has built a career writing biographical scripts about Queen Elizabeth II, including the 2006 film The Queen and the current Netflix series The Crown. Morgan wrote his play The Audience between these two projects.
The title is a reference to the weekly private meeting or “audience” given by the Queen to the sitting British Prime Minister. The Audience details the Queen’s weekly audience with the PM from her ascension to the throne in 1952 through to 2016. Continue reading Review: The Audience (Mirvish)→
Falling Angel produced by RealSpace Theatre is a site-specific show performing at Shaw Park, next to the CAMH campus on Queen West, as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival.
Soulpepper, Tapestry Opera and The Theatre Centre, the big winners at the 38th Dora Awards
Soulpepper, Mirvish and Canadian Opera Company lead noms for the 38th Dora Awards
Mirvish presents Baz Luhrmann’s musical stage adaptation of his film Strictly Ballroom in Toronto
A Toronto adaptation of Hamlet features American Sign Language and a female lead
Canadian Stage presents the return of Robert Lepage’s memory play 887 in Toronto
Mirvish presents Nicolas Billon’s theatrical thriller play BUTCHER in Toronto
Garth Drabinsky brings Sousatzka – A New Musical to the Toronto stage
Cirque Éloize brings a unique blend of circus and dance to the Toronto stage with Cirkopolis
Mirvish presents a play about Queen Elizabeth II by the creator of Netflix’s The Crown, in Toronto