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.
Our Swabby by Pirate Life was a fun afternoon for my son and his friend. The grown-ups had a great time too. After getting our pirate names, attire, and rugged tattoos we set sail for an adventure aboard a pirate ship on the high seas of Toronto harbour. The cast rotates and the production is loosely scripted with significant improvisation based on audience participation, so each adventure is a little bit different. Continue reading Kid +1 Review: Our Swabby (Pirate Life)
Monday Night Lights is an, unscripted sports melodrama presented on the last Monday of every month by Sex T-Rex at Bad Dog Cafe. Every show works with the framework of a loose narrative set around high-school melodrama in a town where sports are king, and everything revolves around what happens at “the big game.”
The episode I attended kicks off with callers dialling into a radio station to express their excitement over the big game. They hoping nothing happens to the star player, who, right on cue, is abducted by aliens.
This outdoor adaptation of The Winter’s Tale – produced by Shakespeare in the Ruff – is playing at the bottom of a little hill in beautiful Withrow Park. It boasts a superlative cast, comedy with improv’s unpredictability, and monologues that will run your heart through the emotional gamut, then give it back refreshed for the real world.
The play tells of a king’s jealousy getting the best of him, how it leads him to lose his wife and children. And how finally, the universe conspires to grant him one final chance to atone for his paranoid, authoritarian ways.
Continue reading Review: The Winter’s Tale (Shakespeare in the Ruff)
Pan’s Outcasts, is produced by Pirate Life and The Pirate Life venue is a swashbuckling, family-friendly good time on a real ship. Pirate Life is a company that puts on plays, pirate-related games, and private events. Pan’s Outcasts is still a work-in-progress and is having a limited run this weekend.
We landlubbers boarded the boat and were pirated out to sea (i.e. the Lake Ontario harbour) for an hour on the Jolly Roger, Captain Hook’s infamous pirate ship. The ship is licensed so you can enjoy a beer during the production. There is also some pirate merchandise you can purchase with your ticket.
Exciting and immersive, Jacqueries Part 2 transforms the Citadel + Compagnie theatre into a stark surveillance state. Mixing technology, dance and audience engagement; coder and choreographer Jacob Niedzwiecki leads the audience through this beautiful yet grim world.
Harsh lighting and strict paths made of banker boxes and barrier belts lead you to stern-faced performers. They ask if you are comfortable giving up your phone and passcode.
Continue reading Review: Jacqueries Part 2 (Jacob Niedzwiecki)