Reviews of productions based in Toronto – theatre includes traditional definitions of theatre, as well as dance, opera, comedy, performance art, spoken word performances, and more. Productions may be in-person, or remote productions streamed online on the Internet.
by Alex Rayment
Being of the cynical and artistic variety, I was expecting It’s a Wonderful Life by Canstage to be essentially a live action version of a classic film – boring, bland and pointless. I was predicting a night of sitting in a theatre surrounded by retirees and grandparents wondering why I hadn’t just stayed home and watched the movie. What I was not expecting was the sarcastic voice in the back of my head to be told (quite promptly) to “sit down and shut up”.
By Megan Mooney
So, I posted a review of Festen at blogTO, I’m going to repost it here, but then, afterwards I’m going to write more, geek out theatre-wise as it were.
When I went to The Company Theatre’s production of Festen it was one of those rare opportunities for me to go to a show completely blind. I didn’t know what it was about, so I didn’t know what to expect. All I had heard about the show (even though I purposely tried not to read anything about it, there are things that always slip through) was that it was “intense”. And yes, yes it was. Intense is a good word for it. It was also great.
By Mark Augustine
A friend of mine said a while back that theatre in this country was at a standstill because everything seemed to be about identity politics. “Who are we?” “What does it mean to be Canadian?” Thankfully, Brooke Johnson doesn’t go anywhere near that.
Turdeau Stories, currently playing at Theatre Passe Muraille, gives you something very personal and delightfully offbeat that is still uniquely Canadian. In a little over an hour Johnson takes the audience down a path that shows us a side of our PM that few of us knew. It is a personal tribute to a privately shy and simple man with simple pleasures of life who, like any of us, sought the comforts of true friendship. The difference is, this man was Pierre Eliot Trudeau.
By Megan Mooney
Okay, I have to admit, when I first read about a musical love story told by Holocaust survivors, I had my doubts. But that didn’t stop me from setting up a date to see A Glimpse of the Light, being produced by Teatron Toronto Jewish Theatre. I did finally remember that musicals don’t have to be all happy, that a musical about the French Revolution, not a particularly happy theme, is probably one of the most popular musicals of all time. That helped. So, by the time I went to the show I wasn’t really trepidations anymore, I was more curious.
Continue reading A Glimpse of the Light – Teatron Toronto Jewish Theatre
By Dana Lacey
My initial disappointment at the absence of actual Lego® in Theatre Passe Muraille’s newest production was quickly replaced by never-ending giggles: Legoland made my insides bleed. In a good way.