Native culture and social work collide in A Spirit’s Face playing at the Aki Studio Theatre in Toronto
A Spirit’s Face, presented by Spiderbones Performing Arts and playing at the Aki Studio Theatre (Daniels Spectrum) is a heartfelt piece. It’s clear that Jeff D’Hondt’s script is sincere and comes from a dark yet loving place. A lot of care has gone into this production, but it didn’t quite reach me.
This is the story of Jake (Cole Alvis) and Hunter (Madison Walsh)—both social workers, both damaged individuals who grew on up on the same native reserve—trying to forge a relationship while healing from old wounds. Their shared emotional baggage becomes their bond. The ghosts of abusive, afflicted and dying parents loom over their professional and personal lives. Continue reading Review: A Spirit’s Face (Spiderbones Performing Arts)→
Gods, Kings, Mothers and Sex in The God That Comes, Playing Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre
Hawksley Workman is a god. And a mother, and a tyrant. He plays all three roles in his new rock opera, The God That Comes, currently on at Tarragon Theatre. In doing so, he proves himself a god of musicianship and showmanship, if not one in the literal, immortal sense.
Created with Christian Barry, The God That Comes tells the fable of a cruel king, the king’s, and Bacchus. The god of sex and wine takes up residence on the mountain above the city where the king rules and welcomes the citizens to worship him in drunken orgies. Dictators are known for being party-poopers, and this king is no exception. He disapproves of the hedonism happening in the hills above him and when he hears his own mother has attended a bacchanal it’s the final straw and he sends his army to capture the deity. What ensues shows us the psychological torment that has turned a little boy into a sadistic, power-hungry monster. Continue reading Review: The God That Comes (Tarragon Theatre/2b theatre company)→
I love cloudy days in Toronto. Sure, the city’s great when its sunny and you can enjoy being outside. But there’s something to be said for a quiet (or rowdy) day indoors, where you can take a moment and catch up with your thoughts – or catch a good show. This week’s Cheap Theatre features a number of productions that are sure to get you thinking, all for $20 or less. So you can get lost in thought without losing your money.
The Doras honour excellence in the performing arts in Toronto. This year’s awards ceremony will once again be hosted by Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus, founding Co-Artistic Directors of the three-time Canadian Comedy Award-winning The National Theatre of the World. For the first time, the awards will be taking place outside, at Harbourfront Centre, on June 23rd.
Kudos to all of the nominees! Here’s the full list of nominees (with links to our reviews of each production):
There’s a lot of great theatre going on in Toronto for the week of June 2nd, 2014. ** Shows marked with the double asterisks and in red are the ones that make Wayne, our Managing Editor, wish there were more hours in a day so he could check all of them out.
