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.
Driftwood Theatre’s Tempest Will Transport You To Shakespeare’s Fantasy World
If you are (like me) a fan of outdoor summer theatre, then make your way to Withrow Park this week to catch Driftwood Theatre‘s production of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. There’s something great about watching a show outside as the sky gets darker and the air gets cooler. There’s something even more special about it when the show you’re watching takes place on an island, and the outdoor setting makes you feel as if you really have been transported to that setting.
The Tempest tells the story of Prospero (Richard Alan Campbell) and his daughter Miranda (Miriam Fernandes) who have been stranded on a deserted island. Twelve years after their arrival, several of Prospero’s enemies end up on the island, by some combination of fate and magic. I won’t give away the entire plot, but let’s just say that lots of fun Shakespearean things occur, including plotting, spells, plans to kill Kings, a little bit of romance and a little bit of drunkenness.
The bloody Shakespeare tragedy Titus Andronicus is playing this summer at Toronto’s High Park
This year, Canadian Stage brings another duo of Shakespearean theatre to the ampitheatre in Toronto’s High Park. Playing alongside the comedy As You Like It is Shakespeare’s first tragedy, Titus Andronicus, known as his bloodiest production. It’s a shocking choice to make, bringing this lesser known and rather gory production to Shakespeare in High Park — an event known to be family friendly. It’s a production that is comparable to Game of Thrones simply for the staggering body count.
Spamalot is a fun musical for Monty Python fans playing at Toronto’s Lower Ossington Theatre
Spamalot tells the legendary tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table – sort of – and features a wide variety of silly things, including flying cows, killer rabbits, Knights who say “Ni”, men-who-are-almost-but-not-quite-dead-yet, and shrubberies. In short, it’s what you would expect of a work written and reworked by a member of Monty Python.
Shakespeare’s Gender-Bending As You Like It Opens In High Park
I attended Tuesday night’s performance of As You Like It a little daunted as it’s been a while since I’ve seen Shakespeare live and because I’ve never read the play. As a young person, it took about one act before I became somewhat comfortable with the language of Renaissance England. I was pleasantly surprised by the accessibility of Canadian Stage’s production.
As You Like It is a comedy full of romance, intrigue and gender reversal. Frederick usurps his older brother’s kingdom, banishes him to the woods and allows his daughter, Rosalind, to remain at court to keep her cousin, Celia, company. The usurping duke fears Rosalind will overtake him and forces her into exile as well.
This fun musical about presidential shootings is on stage at the George Ignatieff Theatre in Toronto
In simple terms, Assassins (playing the George Ignatieff Theatre) is a musical about shooting the president. Each of the nine men and women featured is based on a real historical figure, and through Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics and music (built around John Weidman’s story), we get a unique perspective on the American dream. How much do these people — the insane, the desperate, the thwarted and the under-appreciated — have in common? How well do we really understand their motives? And what does this uniquely American habit of killing their leaders say about the conscience and nature of that nation?
Heavy stuff for a musical, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s StageWorks. Here, supported by some outstanding character work and several bold staging decisions, they make delightful stuff out of one of Sondheim’s darkest, most difficult, and most rewarding pieces.
