Ghost Rings, part of the Luminato Festival in Toronto, is “whimsical” and “wonderfully wild”

David Pecault Square is home to the Famous Spiegeltent for Luminato, serving as the venue for performances including Ghost Rings, from NYC company Half Straddle. Ghost Rings is a pop-punk experimental musical about girls who are close when they are young, but grow estranged as they become adults. Continue reading Review: Ghost Rings (Luminato) →

A unique take on the Arthurian tale, on stage in Toronto as part of the Luminato Festival

New World Theatre’s production of King Arthur’s Night had its world premiere on Friday at the Berkeley Street Theatre as part of Luminato. The work was commissioned by Luminato and written by Niall McNeil and Marcus Youssef who play Arthur and Merlin respectively. McNeil is a 35-year-old playwright and actor living with Down syndrome. Youssef is the artistic director of New World Theatre. Together with director James Long and composer Veda Hille, they’ve created a wonderful and unique work. Continue reading Review: King Arthur’s Night (New World Theatre and Luminato) →

Luminato presents an epic saga of Scottish kings, The James Play Trilogy, in Toronto

Luminato scored an absolute coup when it landed the North American premiere (and sole North American engagement) of the much-lauded epic, The James Play Trilogy. Written by Scottish playwright Rona Munro and originally produced by the National Theatre of Scotland, the triad of history plays details the lives of the James kings who ruled Scotland throughout the turbulent era in the 15th century.

While it has drawn comparisons to Game of Thrones or even Hamilton, I think those claims are overselling it, or at least setting the wrong expectations. Continue reading Review: The James Play Trilogy (Luminato) →

Monumental was a cacophonous movement and sound theatre piece as part of Luminato Toronto

The Hearn is imposing even from a distance, and Monumental even more so within the space. Even when you are not sure how to get there, you can see the giant smoke stack stabbing into the sky. It is the perfect place to be washed in the music of post-rockers Godspeed You! Black Emperor, entranced and horrified by the movements of Holy Body Tattoo, and lost in consideration of the text that appears on three large screens that frame the stage. This is an immersive experience. You are small, and the industrial world is in decay. It is a terrible, and beautiful, and profoundly bodily experience.

Continue reading Review: Monumental (Luminato) →

Apocalypsis features 1000 Toronto performers on stage at the Luminato Festival

Apocalypsis, on stage now at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts as part of Toronto’s Luminato Festival, is a multidimensional, multifaceted journey for the mind and senses. The two-hour performance features 1000 local performers from actors and dancers to singers, musicians, and conductors of both professional and amateur backgrounds to create this experience.

Apocalypsis was created by Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer. This marks only the second time the piece was performed in its entirety since its premiere in 1980.

Continue reading Review: Apocalypsis (Luminato Festival) →