Soulpepper theatre in Toronto offers up a dramatic and intimate reading of a biblical tale
I was a little nervous entering the Young Centre to see The Gospel According to Mark. While I had a high-church upbringing (two of my grandparents were Church of England ministers) it just never took, and it’s been years since I’ve been inside a church, weddings and funerals excepted.
But the marketing promised a “fresh, transcendent and thrillingly immediate” take on the story; Kenneth Welsh is as close to a rockstar as one gets in Canadian live theatre;and even Richard Dawkins thinks the King James Bible is a beautiful work of literature on its own merits, one of the most poetic and significant texts produced in the west. Surely it’s worth a shot?
This week’s selection of theatre on a budget will sure to illicit a few laughs out of you and quite possibly a lot more. Yes, it’s comedy but not just any comedy — for a few of these selected shows there’s a twisted and darker sided edge accompanying those chuckles. So if you enjoy your laughs with a sinister twist, I encourage you to keep reading and find something fun to see! (Plus one of these shows is a must-see for fans of the late great Terry Pratchett!)
It’s another week of great theatre here in Toronto with plenty to check out if you’re looking for something different to spice up your evening or weekend. I’ve indicated the shows I’d love to check out by marking them red and staring them with double asterisks. So have a look, see if there’s something that also catches your eye and go see some theatre!
The Daisy Theatre is Heartwarming and Enlightening
I had no idea what to expect when I sat down in The Factory Theatre’s studio theatre. All I really knew is that The Daisy Theatre was an adult puppet show. I couldn’t conceive of what a puppet show that had banished children would be like. When the show had finished and the audience rose in a standing ovation, I thought: Oh, that’s what they meant.
The Daisy Theatre is said to be different every time. Ronnie Burkett has an arsenal of puppets back stage, and he picks different ones for each performance, improvising dialogue and audience interaction. For the show I witnessed, most of the jokes were for the Toronto-centric crowd. They were jabs at our hipster urbanites, nods to our neighbourhoods, and inside-jokes about the city’s theatre community. It was absolutely fantastic. As someone who’s city-born and raised, I felt like I was part of this secret club, even though a nagging part in the back of my head reminded me that he probably did the same thing back in Calgary. I still couldn’t help but love the lie.
