Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre presents (re)Birth: E. E. Cummings in song as part of their Global Cabaret Festival

In his curtain speech before (re)Birth: E. E. Cummings in Song, artistic director Albert Schultz welcomed us home. On his account, (re)Birth represents one of Soulpepper‘s great successes. Not just a marvelous piece of theatre on its own merits, and not just a testament to the strength of their Academy program — perhaps the best early-career program for theatre workers in English Canada — (re)Birth is a tiny glimpse at the beating heart of Soulpepper: musical, lively, accessible, unpredictable, polished and — above all — playful. Its initial run did do so well that it was brought back, extended, remounted, and here it is, alive once more, to open their 7th annual Global Cabaret Festival.

The hour-long show presents somewhere between 12 and 15 of Cummings’ poems in varied musical styles: “goodbye Betty, don’t remember me” as dixieland jazz; “maggie and milly and molly and may” as heavy metal;  “i like my body when it is with your” as a sultry Parisian waltz. The company of 10, dressed in utilitarian Edwardian costumes — all tweeds and browns, accessorized with oversized gumboots, images of sparrows, and newspaper pirate hats — play their own instruments and do their own stagecraft. The whole thing is sweet and innocent, like a school play or a community pantomime.

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Unit 102 Actors Company’s Lobby Hero strikes the perfect balance at The Theatre Machine in Toronto

Lobby Hero is the first show put on by Unit 102 Actors Company in the newly re-branded venue, The Theatre Machine. Hot on the heels of their intense production of American Buffalo comes this very funny and occasionally poignant tale of a laid back security guard who just wants to “do the right thing.”

That particular phrasing sounds bland and painfully conventional. It conjures up the sort of slacker-hero worship that pops up frequently in American comedies. That is, a twenty-something, straight,white dude who just doesn’t quite have his act together, whose struggles will (ostensibly) inspire himself and others! Continue reading Review: Lobby Hero (Unit 102 Actors Company) →

The Confidential Musical Theatre Project tackles Zombie Prom in its second Toronto instalment

The Confidential Musical Theatre Project is an innovative new performance concept that recently held its second show in Toronto. You can click here to find out more about the core concept, but it basically boils down to: No group rehearsals before the performance, and keeping the audience in the dark about which show is being performed right up until curtain time.

This time, the play was Zombie Prom – which took the CMTP in a direction that didn’t resonate with me, but I can certainly see why they attempted it.

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Superhero antics take over the stage at Toronto’s Fraser Studios in Sidekicks & Secret Identities

Up, up and away! If you’re into comic book conundrums, venture over to Toronto’s Fraser Studios for Monkeyman Productions‘ Sidekicks & Secret Identities.

Our evening about undercover wonders was made up of three stories: Sidekicks by Manda Whitney and Errol Elumir, and two shorter pieces Fortress of Solitude and Super by D.J. Sylvis.

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Hip hop infused contemporary dance lit up Toronto’s Citadel in Uplica

Commissioned by Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie, Uplica is a beautifully choreographed one hour dance show that features two of Toronto’s top dancers, Laurence Lemieux and Erin Poole. It was the choreographers of this show, Apolonia Velasquez and Ofilio Sinbadinho (Gadfly), that captured my attention and piqued my interest to watch the show. Not really knowing what to expect, I went into the theatre with the slightest hunch that I was about to see some very interesting choreography and dancing. And luckily, my hunch was right!

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