LULU v.7 takes on Frank Wedekind in this Toronto stage production

In LULU v.7 // aspects of a femme fatale, currently playing at Buddies In Bad Times, the creative team re-interprets Frank Wedekind‘s 1894 play Pandora’s Box. Lulu is sexually voracious, and either a malignant temptress or a victim of men who only see in her what their lust wants to see. “Why not both?” you may ask, and I and the show both agree. This productions’ first act is an atmospheric and inspired rendering of Lulu as both, including a meta-theatrical critique of the text and its place in patriarchy.

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Speaking of Sneaking entices Toronto audiences again as part of The Riser Project 2018

Before the house doors have closed, before anyone has had a chance to settle into their seats, the mischievous and energetic Ginnal is up and about: introducing himself, making sure you have a program, that you’ve gone to the bathroom, that you fully understand that he is—beyond any doubt—the focus of this show and that he demands your full attention.

Part of The Riser Project 2018, Speaking of Sneaking is created and performed by daniel jelani ellis. Based on experiences growing up queer in Jamaica and, later, making a home in Canada, the show has been in development since 2010 when he introduced it as part of the Emerging Creators Unit at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Since then, he has presented a version of it for the Rhubarb festival and now, for Riser, he has teamed up with director/dramaturge d’bi.young anitafrika and choreographer Brian Solomon.  Continue reading Review: Speaking of Sneaking (The Riser Project 2018/Why Not Theatre) →

Toronto’s Cahoots Theatre presents Jovanni Sy’s  cross between a play and a cooking demo

Something delicious is cooking on stage at the Factory Theatre where Cahoots Theatre is presenting a new Cantonese-language version of its 2010 show 食盡天下 (A Taste of Empire). The show is essentially a satirical, comedic play mixed with a live cooking demonstration mixed with a TED talk and somehow manages to pull off all three of those aspects well; the end result is funny, delicious and eye-opening. Continue reading Review: 食盡天下 (A Taste of Empire) (Cahoots Theatre/rice & beans theatre) →

Measure for Measure doesn’t break molds but delivers stellar performances, playing in Toronto

If a company attempts to reinterpret a text as more progressive than it is, does the play overcome its era?

Shakespeare BASH’d‘s Measure for Measure playing at the Junction City Music Hall might not rewrite the history books but it  offers its own rewards for the audience.

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