Drink of Choice is a choose-your-own-adventure story about dating as an an asexual

A storytelling show with an orange-peel twist, Drink of Choice, plays at the Factory Studio Theatre. This Fringe Festival Patron’s Pick is co-produced by Alma-Matters and HollyWould productions.

Drink of Choice is a choose your own adventure storytelling show, created and performed by Holly Wyder. The show is set in a bar, ‘Ex Machina’, in which Wyder’s nameless bartender shares stories based loosely on experiences from her life. These stories largely revolve around her experience navigating the dating world as someone who is asexual. Continue reading Review: Drink of Choice (Alma Matters/HollyWould) →

Canadian Stage presents a solo show exploring a son’s tenuous relationship with his mother

Daniel MacIvor (writer and performer) and Daniel Brooks (director and dramaturge) bring us the world premiere of their seventh solo show, Let’s Run Away, playing at Canadian Stage. Peter (Daniel MacIvor) tells the story of his complicated and infrequent relationship with his birth mother by reading her unpublished memoir while interjecting with objections, angry outbursts, and a punk song. Continue reading Review: Let’s Run Away (Canadian Stage) →

Citadel + Compagnie present a stunning dance piece exploring human connection

Citadel + Compagnie presented the world premier of In The Abyss and it’s a breathtaking, celestial work. The performance, choreographed by Aria Evans, seeks to explore the need for human connectivity. Inspired by the idea that we are all made of stardust, this show feels like it was created by humanity, for humanity.

Continue reading Review: In The Abyss (Citadel + Compagnie) →

Opera Atelier presents the classic Don Giovanni at the Ed Mirvish Theatre

Opera Atelier’s fall production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni at the Ed Mirvish Theatre is a well-known opera by perhaps the most well-known classical composer. So, I thought it would be a good one for me to see, since I know almost nothing about the art form. I was hoping it would be an accessible introduction for a relative novice like me and I’m happy to say it was. Don Giovanni has something for everyone – lovely music, energetic dance, beautiful costumes and sets, and a variety of dramatic styles. My guest and I had a great time. Continue reading Review: Don Giovanni (Opera Atelier) →

The Good Thief explores morals and ethics while being set in a bar

The story of a hired goon and a job gone horribly wrong, Fly On the Wall Theatre’s The Good Thief, currently playing at the Dora Keogh pub, whispers a tale into your ear as you sit on a banquette or stool, and sip at a pint of Guinness or Harp. Written in 1994, the monologue was then-23-year-old playwright Conor McPherson’s second effort, winning him the Stewart Parker Award for best debut Irish play.

Tony-winner McPherson, currently also showing on Toronto stages as the book writer for Girl From the North Country, is well known for his plays which tell Irish stories featuring troubled people, and our Narrator (David Mackett) certainly has his share of troubles. Imbibing in the alcohol, he pours out his heart to the assembled crowd. The ambiance is just right in this piece of site-specific theatre, making it seem like the person sitting next to you has turned to you and said, “You’ll never believe what happened,” or, in this case, “Shall we begin?”

Continue reading Review: The Good Thief (Fly on the Wall Theatre) →