Theatre Reviews

Reviews of theatre, dance, opera, comedy and festivals. Performances can be in-person or streamed remotely on the web for social-distancing.

Review: Bad Dog Theatre Short Play Festival

by Dorianne Emmerton

The Bad Dog Theatre Short Play Festival showcases original Canadian comedic short plays and runs for one week, with four shows a night.  Don’t worry though, you don’t have to go to all four shows in one night, you can just pick one if you’d prefer, there’s one every hour from 7 to 10pm.

Starting Over (by Adam Hunter Collier)

On Wednesday the evening started off with Starting Over, a twenty minute comedic piece about a young man, Richard (Philippe Poirier) at his first psychiatrist appointment. He had felt insincere in his corporate job so he tried being “open and honest” in the office which led to him being fired.

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Review: Cancer Can't Dance Like This

Cancer Can't Dance Like ThisBy Amber Landgraff

On Thursday June 22 I went to see Daniel Stolfi’s Cancer Can’t Dance Like This, presented by the Sunnybrook Foundation as part of a fundraiser for Cancer research and facilities.  I’ll admit that I’ve been struggling with writing this review because I am having trouble finding the words to convey just how amazing this show really is.

I’ve been trying to see the show since it first came out, but due to a busy schedule and the short run times for the show (it usually only plays one or two nights at a time), its taken me a long time to see it.  I was genuinely blown away.  Let me just say that the show was worth the wait.
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A Month In The Country – Soulpepper brings cottage country to downtown Toronto

By George Perry

Fiona Byrne is amazing as Natalya Petrovna, the matriarch in A Month in the Country. She reminds me of my Lithuanian mother-in-law.  This Soulpepper production is currently onstage at the Young Theatre in Toronto’s Distillery District

Fiona Byrne by Cylla von Tiedemann

Ivan Turgenev first wrote this play in 1855.  At first, the Russians censored it, then they ignored it for 17 years.  A Month in the Country didn’t gain popularity until Constantin Stanislavsky directed and acted in an interpretation in 1909. 

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Review: Stephen Harper the Musical (The Shehori Brothers)

by Lucy Allen

New musical shows just how entertaining our PM is on the Toronto stage

Oh, Stephen Harper.  He’s been the butt of so many jokes, and yet has managed to get elected successfully without any real problem.  How on earth does he do it?  More importantly, after many poorly executed decisions, how does he hope to get popular again?  Daniel and Steven Shehori explore this in their new show, Stephen Harper the Musical currently playing at Second City. Continue reading Review: Stephen Harper the Musical (The Shehori Brothers)