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.
Harbourfront Centre presents a futuristic and immersive dance experience in Toronto
As I got off the streetcar at Harbourfront Centre to see Lot X, a co-production with DanceWorks, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Lot X is choreographed by Heidi Strauss of adelheid and is part of the Torque contemporary dance series, so I thought it would be a dance performance. But I’d been warned to dress for the weather, be prepared to move, and to download an augmented reality app which would add another layer to my experience. We were ready for anything. Fortunately, the seemingly unrelenting rain and drizzle that has been May in Toronto held off for the evening. And Lot X did in fact deliver a little bit of everything. Some parts really did not work for me, but others were innovative and hauntingly beautiful.
WhyNot Theatre’s RISER Project (#notafestival) gives a boost to four deserving productions a year, and every year’s class is strong. 2019 brings us Samson Brown with 11:11, his first solo effort, under the directional and dramaturgical eye of hometown genius d’bi young anitafrika. Brown, whose Gillette commercial dropped just a couple days before the show opened, is having a big moment as he tends his transgender body and spirit in both media. Continue reading Review: 11:11 (AVO Collective/RISER Project)→
The RISER Project presents Cole Lewis’ unconventionally-staged coming-of-age play in Toronto
1991 is an inventive, intimate performance. Show creator Cole Lewis tells us a tragically all-too-common story about girlhood while eschewing traditions in theatrical performance and use of technology onstage.
We follow the account of 12-year-old Nicole, whom we soon realize is a younger, memory-distorted version of the playwright and creator. She spends a summer with her ill-tempered father in Delaware, ostensibly to protect her from the murders plaguing Southern Ontario. Although not stated explicitly, the lingering threat of a killer does seem to allude to notorious Canadian criminals Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka, as well as one of their many victims Leslie Mahaffy. While Nicole survives her journey, we feel every bump and bruise she endures along the way.
An award-winning adaptation mixing dance and opera returns to Toronto
Presented by Citadel + Compagnie, the 2016 Dora nominated Against Nature returns to the Citadel. The opera and dance mix adapts French/Dutch author Joris-Karl Huysman’s 1884 novel À Rebours through the direction and choreography of James Kudelka.
After living a luxurious life in Paris, Jean des Esseinte, an aristocrat played by Alexander Dobson, flees to the countryside to live in solitude. In an attempt to escape society, he aims to create a perfect world, and surrounds himself with literature, art and artifacts. Through this isolation, his mental and physical health deteriorate, leaving him unable to escape memories and experiences from his past life.
Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre showcases its young company members in Toronto
Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre (CCDT) presents Light Years at the Harbourfront’s Fleck Dance Theatre, a mixed dance bill showing the technical prowess and maturity of its young company’s members. All under the age of 19, the technically strong and agile dancers perform five works – two world premieres, two CCDT premieres and one returning piece.
Harbourfront Centre presents a futuristic and immersive dance experience in Toronto
WhyNot Theatre’s RISER Project (#notafestival) gives a boost to four deserving productions a year, and every year’s class is strong. 2019 brings us Samson Brown with 
The RISER Project presents Cole Lewis’ unconventionally-staged coming-of-age play in Toronto
An award-winning adaptation mixing dance and opera returns to Toronto
Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre showcases its young company members in Toronto