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.
Despite the melodramatic nonsense title, The Ashes of Forgotten Rain at the 2019 Toronto Fringe is a comedy — a theatrical comedy. As in, it’s a comedy about working in theatre, full of in jokes and meta-references and pleasingly-headshaking “ah, the theatah.” For this kind of show to work at all, it needs actors that can commit fully to a high level of nonsense and then ride it through the grave and back to life. To the benefit of my funny bone, to say nothing of my spirits, this exceptionally well stage-managed play had them.
The second doomsday is looming and Mother (Earth) is dying. The witches cast spells with dance as they desperately try to save Mother. I particularly love the Bacchic revelry of spell-casting, and celebrating witches. The melodic sighs and screams that accompany their songs are the perfect soundtrack for a coven. Continue reading Omen: The Musical (Eighteen Productions) 2019 Toronto Fringe Review→
Eric Andrews is a Canadian Comedy Award-winning stand-up comedian currently performing a show called Audience of One, presented by New King Productions at the Tarragon Theatre Solo Room as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival. Stand-up comics will often book a slot in the Fringe and present a show that’s usually a variation on their stand-up set. This show is decidedly not that; Andrews goes for something a bit more conceptual and the result isn’t necessarily what you’d expect of a solo show by a stand-up comedian. Continue reading Audience of One (New King Productions) 2019 Toronto Fringe Review→
Night Cows, presented by MoonCow Theatre Co., is a poetic monologue movement piece that takes place in the fantastical realm of night. This theatrical experience blurs the lines between human and non-human worlds, language and the body, and French and English. It’s playing at Factory Theatre Studio, part of the 2019 Toronto Fringe Festival.
Eric Andrews is a Canadian Comedy Award-winning stand-up comedian currently performing a show called 