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.
New Jerusalem examines an outcast’s trials at the Harold Green Jewish Theatre in Toronto
It’s difficult to grasp, through a modern lens, what risks Baruch de Spinoza was taking when he refused to recant his early theories about body and mind, God and man, in Amsterdam in 1656. But indeed he was cast out of his community, and his city, from the affections of his family and his teacher and his friends during a time when most people never travelled more than 25 miles from their homes. New Jerusalem, at the Harold Green Jewish Theatre, re-enacts the final trial with bravado and style, if also perhaps a little more verbiage than necessary (not unlike Spinoza himself).
Eunoia, based on the anthology by poet Christian Bök, is a fresh take on modern dance at Toronto’s Enwave Theatre
The evening started with a casual game of hangman, with the audience guessing letters and killing lots of stick figures–but somehow still managing to guess all the words. Eunoia has a gradual start, where really you are never sure when it has actually begun. Somewhere in the middle of our games the lights dimmed on Fujiwara Dance Inventions‘ new work in the Enwave theatre, and the show began.
The show works its way alphabetically through the vowels, each one taking on a very distinct characteristic. “A” started off the show with the dancers dressed all in black pants, and was a dash jazzy. “E” traced the Greek story of Helen, and saw a costume change into Greek dress. We also had a spot of Greek wrestling thrown in for good measure. Continue reading Review: Eunoia (Fujiwara Dance Inventions)→
Secrets are revealed when a little girl goes missing in Under the Skin playing at Toronto’s Unit 102
As I was picking up my tickets at Unit 102 on opening night of Under The Skin, the front of house manager’s words echoed in the space: “The show is an hour and forty-five minutes, no intermission.” In my recent theatre-going experience, nothing fills me with dread more than such an utterance. I subscribe to the ‘cap-it-at-eighty-minutes-and-call-it-a-day’ philosophy of one-act plays. However, even the wisest among us are wrong at times, and I am happy to report that I enjoyed every one of the performance’s one hundred and five minutes. Continue reading Review: Under The Skin (Unit 102 Actors Company)→
Fairy tales spring to life and intertwine in Into the Woods playing at Toronto’s George Ignatieff Theatre
Bringing the classic musical Into the Woods to the George Ignatieff Theatre, the Trinity College Dramatic Society does an admirable job at tackling Stephen Sondheim’s difficult score with a crew of talented young artists.
The musical that might’ve started the fairy tale mash-up trend, Into the Woods follows the tale of a baker and his wife as they seek to lift a family curse that’s left them unable to have children. Following the directions of the witch who initiated the curse, the couple venture into the woods to ward off the spell and meet a variety of fairy tale characters along the way, from Cinderella to Little Red Riding Hood to Jack (and the beanstalk) and more. Each character’s story intertwines with the others as we’re drawn into their plights and self-discoveries, and how complicated it actually is to live “happily ever after”.
Alanna Mitchell’s Sea Sick opens at The Theatre Centre’s new home in Toronto.
Last night saw the unveiling of Toronto’s newest live theatre venue. When you first step into the Theatre Centre’s new home at 1115 Queen Street West in the former Carnegie Library you can’t help but be impressed. Following a $6.2 million renovation the building has been transformed into a beautiful collection of multi-purpose spaces that can transform from rehearsal hall to exhibition space to auditorium. The entire space feels airy, contemporary and vibrant and is sure to be a major asset to the neighbourhood. Continue reading Review: Sea Sick (The Theatre Centre)→
Bringing the classic musical 