Franco Nguyen is thirty years old and lives with his mother. The Toronto-based comedian’s complex relationship with his Vietnamese immigrant mom is the basis of his touching comedic memoir Good Morning, Viet Mom, now playing as part of the 2018 Next Stage Theatre Festival.
DLT presents an immersive theatrical experience for a solo audience member in TorontoI’ll let you in on a secret … I loathe holiday-themed shows. Their cloying, artificial sentimentality is enough to make my cold, cynical heart mutter “bah humbug.” But when DLT (DopoLavoroTeatrale), the theatre company that brought us amazing, audience-specific experiences like The Stranger and The Invisible City, announced its new show, An Italian Christmas Carol—an immersive take on the Dickens story with an Italian twist—I was intrigued and overcame my antipathy toward Christmas shows to check it out. I’m so glad I did. Continue reading Review: An Italian Christmas Carol (DopoLavoroTeatrale/Istituto Italaino di Cultura)
Toronto artists perform Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical as a benefit for Puerto RicoBefore there was Hamilton, the phenomenally successful hip hop musical that conquered Broadway and much of the English-speaking theatre world, there was In the Heights, playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical about a Dominican-American community in New York’s Washington Heights neighbourhood. Now, a group of Toronto theatre artists is coming together to perform an in-concert version of Miranda’s seminal, semi-autobiographical show to raise funds for Puerto Rican hurricane relief via The Hispanic Federation.
We asked director Matt Lacas (Corpus Dance) a few questions about the project.
Continue reading Preview: In the Heights: In Concert (We Are Here Productions)
Mirvish presents a stage version of the classic Hitchcock film North by Northwest in TorontoI’m a big fan of Alfred Hitchcock’s repertoire, so I jumped at the chance to see North by Northwest, a stage adaptation of the director’s classic 1959 film, a mistaken identity spy thriller centred on Manhattan advertising executive Roger Thornhill. The film is brought to life on stage using a dazzling array of clever staging and effects. However, mounting a new a production that so closely adheres to the film also shines a spotlight on some of the original’s problems. Continue reading Review: North by Northwest (Mirvish)
Extreme sports inspire Cirque du Soleil’s new show VOLTA now playing in Toronto’s Port LandsCirque du Soleil has brought its signature big top back to Toronto. Following hot on the heels of last year’s Mexico-inspired LUZIA, the company is presenting its newest show VOLTA and if you’re wondering whether it’s worth springing for tickets to another Cirque show so soon; VOLTA holds some unexpected surprises. Continue reading Review: VOLTA (Cirque du Soleil)
Before the start of the Toronto Fringe Festival we told you about some of the shows that were most popular amongst our staff. Then, after reviewing all 160 shows in this year’s festival we shared our list of the shows we recommend.
Now it’s your turn; we reveal the list of our readers’ most buzzed about shows based on the popularity of their Mooney on Theatre reviews. So here’s the list of the top ten (ish) most-read Fringe reviews on Mooney on Theatre this year**: Continue reading Mooney on Theatre’s Most-Read Reviews for the 2017 Toronto Fringe Festival
This past weekend Mooney on Theatre sent its dedicated team of 30 writers and editors to cover all 160 shows in this year’s Toronto Fringe Festival! With the sheer number of shows available at the festival, picking the ones you want to see can be a daunting task.
If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by the number of shows and you’re looking for a place to start, we’ve asked our staff to tell us about their favourite shows they’ve seen at this year’s festival. We hope our staff picks can help you navigate the Fringe.
If you’ve seen something you think is amazing that you think others should go see please let us know by leaving a comment.
And don’t forget to check out our complete list of Fringe reviews, Fringe Buzz features and our daily free ticket giveaways.
Happy Fringing!
Mooney on Theatre Staff Picks – 2017 Toronto Fringe Festival Continue reading Mooney on Theatre Recommends – 2017 Toronto Fringe Festival
The Teeny Tiny Music Show produced by Sneaky Sneaky Productions is performing as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival. I’ll level with you: this was the last review assignment I picked up for this year’s Fringe coverage, and I really didn’t know what to expect.
The description—something about a singer/piano duo’s final show—sounded vague and not entirely convincing. But the fact that it was a site-specific show staged in the nondescript piano bar on the second floor of Pauper’s Pub, and that the bar would be serving during the show, was enough for me to take a chance on it.
Continue reading The Teeny Tiny Music Show (Sneaky Sneaky Productions) 2017 Toronto Fringe Review
Seeking Refuge, produced by Thick and Thin Theatre, is performing as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival. According to the UNHCR more than 65 million people were displaced worldwide in 2015. That’s the highest number since World War II.
Here in Canada, we’ve seen fear mongering in the conservative media leading to growing racist sentiment against refugees. A show about the plight of refugees couldn’t be more timely or important. Continue reading Seeking Refuge (Thick and Thin Theatre) 2017 Toronto Fringe Review
True North Mixtape, produced by Edge of Sky Theatre, is performing as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival. This is the newest show from the production company behind monster Fringe hits like Summerland and The Fence. At this point we pretty much know what to expect from them; fantastic musical performances, polished group dance numbers and an impossibly large cast of fresh-faced young performers. Once again, the team delivers, big time.
Continue reading True North Mixtape (Edge of Sky Theatre) 2017 Toronto Fringe Review