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.
Toronto’s Factory Theatre closes its season with Erin Shields’ searingly feminist satirical play
On Wednesday night, a few friends and I watched a popular sci-fi movie in celebration of its 10th anniversary. Though the film had positive aspects, we were struck by how terribly it treated the few women on screen; they seemed to be there almost solely either to give birth to more important characters, undress for viewer enjoyment, or die in horribly violent ways to create pain for the male protagonists. Erin Shields’ Beautiful Man, the last show of Factory Theatre’s 49th season, is a searingly feminist reaction against the long-standing male gaze in media, which tends to reduce women to objects, or a means to an end.
Robert Lepage brings 887 back to Toronto audiences at Canadian Stage
Canadian arts eminence Robert Lepage, notable as a director and designer for decades, has been making new narrative work the last few years. This includes the recent 887, a memory play currently running at Canadian Stage, tracing an early part of Lepage’s history with his family, childhood home, class, and relationship to the FLQ and the Quebec separatists movement.
The Second City Toronto presents a sequel to its first all-female sketch comedy show
She the People: The Resistance Continues, is The Second City’s sequel to its first all-female revue, featuring the same cast of Kirsten Rasmussen, Ann Pornel, Ashley Comeau, Karen Parker, Paloma Nuñez and Tricia Black, but with all-new material. Putting issues of sexism and misogyny front and centre, this is a highly political show that also deals with a host of current social problems. It’s sharp and incisive, and funny as hell.
VideoCabaret debuts a new play by Cliff Cardinal in their new venue in Toronto
Too Good To Be True is a new play written and directed by Cliff Cardinal and produced by VideoCabaret. The play is a darkly comic exploration of family relationships, the power of storytelling, and what it means to have a home. Fittingly, it is performed in VideoCabaret’s new home at 10 Busy Street. It’s a short wild ride of just over an hour with some very funny moments and some very strong performances. Continue reading Review: Too Good To Be True (VideoCabaret)→
Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg returns to Toronto with a ballet inspired by Tchaikovsky’s life
Robert Lepage brings 887 back to Toronto audiences at Canadian Stage
The Second City Toronto presents a sequel to its first all-female sketch comedy show
VideoCabaret debuts a new play by Cliff Cardinal in their new venue in Toronto