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.
Soulpepper brings The Road to Mecca, a story about the Apartheid struggle, to the Toronto stage
I used to think that harshly critical reviews were the hardest to pen, but I’ve since discovered that, for me, writing about the great shows is equally troublesome. When a performance is so carefully wrought and meaningful, so perfect in its blending of elements, I struggle to figure out how to best frame the experience. Such is the case with Soulpepper’s production of The Road to Mecca.
Opera Atelier recreates the story of Perseus with opera and ballet in Persée playing at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto
The head of Medusa, crawling with snakes and dripping with blood glared down at us during the opening strains of Persée by Lully in Opera Atelier’s 2014 production. In characteristic adherence to period convention there was no action during the overture, only this striking image from classical mythology that reappeared at the opening of each act.
Alexander Showcase Theatre invites Toronto audiences to solve the mystery of who killed Edwin Drood
In the world of English literature, there are few writers who are as celebrated as the late Charles Dickens. His iconic works, which include A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations and Oliver Twist – just to name a few – still figure prominently in literary discourse even today.
But unknown to many, his last work was an unfinished one. The Mystery of Edwin Drood is a murder mystery tale that Dickens was writing at the time of his passing.
And for over a century, both fans and scholars have debated the best possible ending to this story.
With no consensus in sight, the Alexander Showcase Theatre’s musical production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood allows audience members to choose the ending for themselves, centering on the most important question of the night: who killed Edwin Drood?
Naught Theatre brings Easter, a story of a family’s misfortune, to The Box Toronto
It didn’t take long to understand why The Box Toronto was chosen for Naught Theatre‘s production of August Strindberg’s Easter. A play that focuses on the shame and misfortunes of a family unit, Easter felt at home in the malleable black box, the space providing an intimate ambiance for us to be drawn into the suffering of the Heyst family.
Plagued by the debt of the family patriarch who now spends his days behind bars, the Heyst’s spend their Easter holiday dreading the arrival of Mr. Lindkvist, the man originally swindled by their father who now has a claim on their home. The son Elis, a professor and proud man who has taken on the responsibilities of the head of the family, returns home for the holiday to clean up the financial mess that his father left.
Outside the March takes audiences on call with a Toronto EMS worker in its immersive play Vitals
Life in a big city like Toronto is by its nature a bit of a dehumanizing experience. When an ambulance barrels down the street with its sirens wailing it usually just fades into the background soundtrack of the city and we never stop to think about the people whose lives are affected by the emergency at hand. Outside the March shines a spotlight on the lives of EMS workers and invites audiences on an amazingly immersive, site-specific journey in its newest production Vitals.
