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.
The Ladies Foursome is the final
production of the Scarborough Players’ 60th anniversary season. This is a community theatre, but as I walked to my seat I was surprised to see that the theatre space and set design have a professional gloss (Set Design/ Master Carpenter Greg Nowlan). Continue reading The Ladies Foursome (Scarborough Players)
The Black Drum is a fairy tale that feels like Alice meets Dracula in a black & white wonderland – and sharing the music and love we carry in our hearts and bodies defeats the evil, at least for the moment. Sounds familiar? Maybe, but I can assure you that what you can see and feel at this show is truly extraordinary.
Produced by Soulpepper and the DEAF CULTURE CENTRE, a project of the Canadian Cultural Centre of the Deaf (CCSD), The Black Drum is a visually stunning spectacle and an emotionally-engaging performance. It is also the world’s first entirely Deaf musical.
Continue reading Review: THE BLACK DRUM (Soulpepper/ DEAF CULTURE CENTRE)
Luminato presents dance by Chinese choreographer Yang Yiping for Toronto audiencesRite of Spring, playing this weekend at the MacMillan Theatre as part of the Luminato Festival, is a sumptuous dance experience that is a feast for the senses. For her first Canadian presentation, dancer and choreographer Yang Liping brings this stunning piece set to the score of the same title by Igor Stravinsky to Toronto audiences.
Luminato presents a dance tribute to Kazuo Ohno and Leonard Cohen in TorontoLuminato presents Flowers for Kazuo Ohno (and Leonard Cohen) which not only pays tribute to Ohno and Cohen, but to all of humanity.
Columbian contemporary dance company Compañía del Cuerpo de Indias provides theatre-goers with an entrancing multicultural experience as it honours Japanese dancer Kazuo Ohno and Canada’s iconic artist Leonard Cohen. Seemingly an unlikely pair, Ohno and Cohen share a common admiration for Andalusian poet and playwright Federico García Lorca. Continue reading Review: Flowers for Kazuo Ohno (and Leonard Cohen)
Luminato presents a song cycle, chronicling the life of composer Hanns Eisler, in TorontoHell’s Fury, The Hollywood Songbook, a co-production between Soundstreams, Pinkhouse Productions, Opera North UK and Luminato as part of the 2019 festival, is an intimate journey into the life of composer Hanns Eisler, written by the man himself.
Eisler, well-known for composing both Hollywood movie scores and the East German national anthem, was an Austrian born to a Jewish father and Lutheran mother. Moving to Berlin after serving in the first World War, he joined the Communist party and worked with Bertolt Brecht, scoring his plays and writing protest songs. Exiled by the rising tide of Nazism, which made his music illegal, he eventually emigrated to the United States, again working with Brecht, scoring 40 films, and receiving two Oscar nominations. He left the US after being blacklisted following interrogation by the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Fleeing to East Berlin, he found himself celebrated and then silenced by a Communist party that did not hold to his principles.
The “Hollywood Songbook” song cycle was written by Eisler as a project largely intended for his ears only, so it feels slightly voyeuristic on our part to be watching these incredibly personal songs take shape on stage. Together, the songs present an interesting portrait of a man in interesting times, who was caused great pain from continually losing his roots, driven out by fascism, capitalism, and communism alike. They provide the material for a powerhouse performance by baritone Russell Braun. Unfortunately, they are also relentlessly lugubrious, essentially a 75-minute dirge with little variation.