Toronto’s Lower Ossington Theatre presents Next to Normal; a rock musical about mental illness
Next to Normal is a compelling drama about one family’s struggle with mental illness; a scathing critique of psychopharmacology and the pharmaceutical industry. Overall, it’s also a big, bold rock musical. This gripping, intelligent and emotional show won the 2010 Tony Award for Best Musical as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and is easily one of my favourite musicals of the past ten years.
A visually stylized and stunning take on prison life in this Toronto theatre production of Fortune and Men’s Eyes
Written by John Herbert in 1967, Fortune and Men’s Eyes explores prison life’s brutality and degradation via Smitty (Julian DeZotti), a new naïve inmate, and his cellmates, Rocky (Cyrus Faird), Queenie (Alex Fiddes) and Mona (David Coomber) in a visually intriguing show.
We Can be Heroes at Toronto’s Second City is a hilarious sketch comedy romp about all the everyday unsung heroes who don’t wear spandex to save the day
We Can Be Heroes is the Fall Mainstage Revue presented by The Second City. The sketch comedy show is a collection of stories about everyday heroes that don’t don spandex and are never given credit for their deeds. We Can Be Heroes gives those unsung heroes the credit they deserve, along with a lot of laughs.
The songs and sketches encouraged some actual heroism in a piece about the tense homophobic situation in Russia. The injustice enforced by an entire country will not stop one brave lesbian figure skater from competing in the Olympics. The passion and courage was best expressed in the skateless skating routine to Madonna’s “Like A Prayer”. Continue reading We Can Be Heroes (The Second City) Review→
Ale House stages Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice in Toronto’s cozy Red Sandcastle Theatre
I’m always happy to have an excuse to go to Leslieville, and on Thursday night I headed down to see the opening night of Ale House’s production of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice in a cozy venue; the Red Sandcastle Theatre. This production is an intimate encounter with the impassioned characters that make up this classic drama between a merchant and his lender.
Anton in Show Business is an intelligent play within a play at Toronto’s intimate Sterling Studio Theatre
The Sterling Studio Theatre is a very charming little venue tucked away in the Bloor and Landsdown area. You’d never suspect the theatrical magic that awaits you behind its unassuming façade. Anton in Show Business is very special. It is my hope that, if I achieve nothing else in the following paragraphs, I convince you to see it!
