Lion in the Streets (Theatre by Committee)

Lion in the Streets Poster

Theatre by Committee presents Lion in the Streets on stage in Toronto

Lion in the Streets, the surreal story of a murdered 9-year-old and the community where she lost her life, opened last weekend at the Glad Day Bookshop. Put on by the seven-member collective Theatre By Committee, the show has moments of extremely compelling drama but due to the bizarre nature of the script these often give way to moments of confusion for the audience.

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Review: Armstrong’s War (Canadian Rep Theatre)

Armstrong's WarArmstrong’s War avoids the typical clichés, now playing on the Toronto stage

When I first heard the premise of Armstrong’s War (Canadian Rep Theatre) — a 12 year old, paraplegic Pathfinder scout attempts to earn a badge by reading to a 21-year-old Afghanistan War veteran in a rehab hospital — I feared it would be Lifetime Original Movie-style saccharine, ending with hugs and tears and life lessons learned.

I shouldn’t have worried. The play comes with some serious pedigree (playwright Colleen Murphy is a Governor General’s award winner, and it’s directed by Ken Gass), and though it does feature some tears and maybe even a lesson, it’s more unflinching than saccharine, and leaves us with questions rather than comforts.
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Review: Sex Tape Project (fu-GEN Theatre)

fuGEN - Sex Tape Project 4Sex Tape Project, a series of three plays in Toronto, explores intimacy and voyeurism

Voyeurism: I dig it. My favourite Hitchcock film is Rear Window. It’s no stretch to imagine myself getting in trouble for seeing something I shouldn’t have through a pair of binoculars. fu-GEN Theatre’s Sex Tape Project appeals to that part of me that yearns to see private lives unfold behind distant windows. Continue reading Review: Sex Tape Project (fu-GEN Theatre)