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.
Tarrare can eat anything: not just food, and not just flesh, but books, corks, bones, solid metal… And lord, how he hungers. This Toronto Fringe Festival story explores the life and times of a real historical figure, probing his journey from urchin to showman to soldier to spy, and how his lust to consume would prove his undoing.
What makes people who they are? And how does society strive to mould us to a certain form that goes directly against our human nature? This concept is explored in Curiosity Collective‘s dance/physical theatre piece Return at the Toronto Fringe Festival.
During the course of 50 minutes we see a girl grow into womanhood – from being born to becoming a young woman. She doesn’t fit in as a child, and turns to popular culture – which pushes beauty products and “reality” television on her. She’s then a teenager facing backlash after a drunken tryst at a party. She leaves town, turns to partying and alcohol, etc. Continue reading Return (Curiosity Collective) 2014 Toronto Fringe Review
When All is Said and Get Served is a contemporary dance double bill playing at the Al Green Theatre as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival. Choreographed by dancer Alexandra Elliott, these two performances explore the nuances of human communication. Did they manage to communicate and capture the audience? Not quite.
Queued at Palmerston Library for A Quest of Character, my four-year-old son Stanley – my regular Kid + 1 Toronto Fringe Festival review partner – asked whether this show would have singing? Yes, I replied. And dancing too? Yes. Would there be puppets? Why yes, yes there would. Confidently he declared “Then I will like it!” And indeed, he mostly did, and mostly so did I.
Continue reading A Quest of Character (Kid Safe Productions) 2014 Toronto Fringe Review
Little Miss Understood from Sandcastle Theatre is playing at St Vlad’s Theatre as part of Toronto Fringe 2014. I love St Vlad’s, it’s always really cold and I’m usually really warm so for me it’s a gift in the middle of summer. For normal people there are blankets.
Little Miss Understood is a glimpse into the relationship between a mother and her 14 year-old daughter. It’s written by Stephanie Fowler (the mother) and performed by Stephanie and her daughter (Beatrice Fowler Campbell). The show is delightful; the performers work well together and are comfortable on the stage.
Continue reading Little Miss Understood (Sandcastle Theatre) 2014 Toronto Fringe Review