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.
Bears, created by Matthew MacKenzie and Monica Dottor for Alberta Aboriginal Performing Arts and Punctuate! Theatre, and now back at Factory Theatre after winning Doras for Outstanding Production and Outstanding New Play (Independent Theatre) last year, is a controlled explosion of a show. A longterm, trusted tar sands employee often trotted out as a token Native supporter of Big Oil, Floyd (Sheldon Elter) is now on the run to avoid the company and government’s retribution for a workplace “accident” that seems a deliberate act of sabotage.
The play starts with the action already in progress as Floyd flees, and this rapid pace, tension, and excitement don’t let up for the full, quick 75 minutes. As this sensory treat flies by, you may have to catch yourself, like Floyd does, and remember to breathe.
Intense dramas in tight spaces are a treat for me, and there is one currently playing at Red Sandcastle Theatre. Ariel Dorfman’s political thriller, Death and the Maiden, gets a modest and intimate staging at this cozy Queen East venue.
Set in an unnamed South American country after the fall of a dictatorship, the play unfolds in an isolated beach house. This is the home of Paulina, a former political prisoner and torture survivor, which she shares with her lawyer husband, Gerardo. He has recently been appointed the head of a commission tasked with investigating human rights violations from the previous regime. Continue reading Review: Death and the Maiden (Red Sandcastle Theatre)→
Preparing food is one of the most everyday experiences in the world. Yet, seeing it happen on the limitations of a stage, a space that was never designed be a kitchen, is strangely thrilling. Kitchen Chicken, performed by Québec City’s L’Orchestre D’Hommes-Orchestres at The Theatre Centre, is a wonderfully madcap demonstration of this phenomenon.
The group has a long association with The Theatre Centre, helping it open its new Queen West space five years ago. In creating tableaux vivants (living pictures) set to themed music, they intend to illustrate moments that thrive on both precision and chaos, and both were completely evident here. There is no dialogue, but a nonstop spate of songs, and the story is a simple concept: a ragtag group prepares an elaborate chicken dinner.
Since Hannah Gadsby’s Netflix special, Nanette, started doing big business in views and reviews, all sorts of comedians have written or dusted off longer solo pieces that combine comedy, storytelling, and a little good old theatrical flair. Franco Nguyen’s Good Morning Viet*Mom, playing in the Aki Studio theatre after a solid Next Stage Festival run, is an entry into this category (and a solid one at that).
Bears, created by Matthew MacKenzie and Monica Dottor for Alberta Aboriginal Performing Arts and Punctuate! Theatre, and now back at Factory Theatre after winning Doras for Outstanding Production and Outstanding New Play (Independent Theatre) last year, is a controlled explosion of a show. A longterm, trusted tar sands employee often trotted out as a token Native supporter of Big Oil, Floyd (Sheldon Elter) is now on the run to avoid the company and government’s retribution for a workplace “accident” that seems a deliberate act of sabotage.
Preparing food is one of the most everyday experiences in the world. Yet, seeing it happen on the limitations of a stage, a space that was never designed be a kitchen, is strangely thrilling. 
Since Hannah Gadsby’s Netflix special, Nanette, started doing big business in views and reviews, all sorts of comedians have written or dusted off longer solo pieces that combine comedy, storytelling, and a little good old theatrical flair. Franco Nguyen’s 