Egyptian musicians wind up in a small Jewish town in The Band’s Visit at the Ed Mirvish Theatre

“You probably didn’t hear about it. It wasn’t very important.” That’s the tagline to the events of the David Yazbek/Itamar Moses musical The Band’s Visit, now playing on tour at the Ed Mirvish Theatre. The show, based on a 2007 Israeli film, won 10 Tonys in 2018, and comes highly celebrated for such a supposedly small story.

In 1996, the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra, from Egypt, gets invited to play a show at Petah Tikva, a suburb of Tel Aviv. Instead, due to a miscommunication, they wind up at Bet Hatikva, a (fictional) small desert town where absolutely nothing ever happens. As they wait for the next day’s bus ride out, the band members accept the initially-wary townspeople’s offer of their homes, hospitality, and the potential for unexpected, fly-by-night connections.

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Dance show based on Central Asian folktale charms audiences

If you’re struggling to find some free fun for the whole family, then I’ve got the show for you! Mother Doe by Ismailova Theatre of Dance at Lee Lifeson Art Park is a beautiful dance fairy tale sure to get kids and adults alike dancing.

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Star Trek-themed comedy show plays at the Comedy Bar in Toronto

Given these complex times we are living in, I think everyone can use a good laugh. As a fan of the Star Trek franchise, especially the Next Generation crew, I was curious and excited to see how The Dandies‘ show Holodeck Follies, playing at Comedy Bar the second Saturday of the month, spoofed the well-known and beloved characters and tropes of this cult classic, which has always used futuristic space exploration as a backdrop to explore contemporary social issues. According to The Dandies, you do not need to be a Star Trek fan, or indeed to have seen the show, to understand and appreciate the act. Continue reading Review: Holodeck Follies (The Dandies) →

We lose approximately 4,000 Canadians to suicide each year. Many of us have felt the heartbreak that comes from a friend, family member, or colleague’s very final action taken in response to a struggle with mental illness. Comedians Stand-Up to Stigma is a comedy event supporting a wonderful organization, Distress Centres of Greater Toronto, which is the recent result of a merger between Peel’s Spectra Helpline and Toronto’s Distress Centres.

The organizations’ crisis lines are open 24 hours a day, trained volunteers fielding more than 118,000 calls and texts, while 60,000 outbound calls are made a year to at-risk seniors, and volunteer grief facilitators support families and friends through their losses. As September 10th was World Suicide Prevention Day, the Thursday event felt timely and urgent, and it was good to see a large crowd at the Royal Cinema.

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The ladies take over Bad Dog Theatre Company for a night of stand up magic in YAS KWEEN

An ongoing problem in the comedy scene, basically everywhere, is jokes that “punch down”: that is, comedy that gets its laugh by taking shots at people with less cultural power, relying on stereotypes for a lazy punch line. How refreshing, then, to settle in at Bad Dog Comedy Theatre‘s YAS KWEEN, a monthly comedy show curated by Nelu Handa and featuring all women of color comedians and hear a lot of very funny women.

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