Shows That Caught Our Eye in Toronto the Week of September 26th.
There’s a great selection of themes to choose from on stage this week in Toronto: Burlesque! Comedy! Politics! A whole lot of musicals! And much, much more. We have a huge list this week, but don’t worry: Our Publisher Meghan is here to help you choose by picking out her most-anticipated shows in red text.
Already Reviewed by Mooney on Theatre:
One Things Leads to Another returns to Young People’s Theatre (YPT) by popular demand. An innovative work of theatre commissioned by YPT and created specifically for infants, One Thing Leads to Another transforms everyday objects into fabulous, fanciful phenomena. Sep 22 – Oct 8. $18.65. At Young People’s Theatre. Show Info
what it’s like. what it’s like uses brotherhood to consider personal, situational and systemic engagement. It walks the audience through a series of experiences, inviting questions about comfort, agency, complicity and responsibility. How responsible are we for each other? How are we here, together? Sep 21 – Oct 2, Wed-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2pm. $30. At The Theatre Centre. Show Info.
Blind Date by Rebecca Northan (BIBT). This new version of the clown play see Mimi and Mathieu finding love with a different person (from the audience) every night. Previews from Sep 20, opens Sep 22 and runs to Oct 9, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2:30 pm. $29-$39, previews $25, rush $20, Sun PWYC at the door. At Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Show Info.
Salt by Erin Vandenberg (Lark & Whimsy Theatre Collective). This drama explores the impact of addiction and mental illness on the relationship between two teenage sisters and their alcoholic mother. Previews Sep 17-18 (Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 1:30 pm), opens Sep 20 and runs to Sep 28, Tue-Sun 7:30 pm, mat Sep 21 & Sep 24 at 1:30 pm. $25, previews $15. At Alumnae Studio. Show Info.
Tideline. Hart House Theatre, Canadian Rep & ENSEMBLE: Canadian Youth Theatre present a play by Wajdi Mouawad. A man must confront family secrets and feelings of displacement after the sudden death of the father he barely knew. Opens Sep 16 and runs to Oct 1, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mat Oct 1 at 2 pm. $28, srs $17, stu $12-$15. At Hart House Theatre. Show Info.
Hot Kitchen / Second Shift. (Filament Incubator/Raw Matter). This collective creation explores the dirty depths of domesticity within the nucleus of society: the home. Previews Sep 22, opens Sep 23 and runs to Oct 1, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sep 24 at 2 pm. $15-$18, preview $10. At Kensington Hall. Show Info.
Matilda: the Musical by Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin (Mirvish/Royal Shakespeare Company/The Dodger). A gifted girl uses her imagination and sharp mind to fight against the cruel and cynical people in her life in this musical based on the novel by Roald Dahl. Opens Jul 5 and runs to Oct 16, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm. mat Wed, Sat-Sun 1:30 pm (no performances Sep 6-11). $38-$139. At Mirvish Theatre. Show Info.
Luzia by Daniele Finzi Pasca and Julie Hamelin Finzi (Cirque du Soleil). Acrobats, musicians, dancers, storytellers and more are used to tell a story inspired by the monarch butterfly’s journey from Canada to Mexico. Opens Jul 28 and runs to Oct 2, see website for schedule. $49 & up. At The Port Lands. Show Info.
And the rest:
The Stranger. DopoLavoro Teatrale presents the walkabout theatrical production by Daniele Bartolini, in which the city is the stage and the audience is the protagonist. Sep 20-Oct 9, Tue-Fri 5-9:20 pm (shows every 25 minutes); Sat-Sun 3-8:10 pm (shows every 25 minutes). Location revealed with ticket purchase (Queen West area). $30. Show Info.
The Watershed by Annabel Soutar (Crow’s Theatre/Porte Parole/La Coop Fédérée). This play follows an artist and a nation struggling to chart a sustainable course between economic growth and environmental stewardship. Previews from Sep 20, opens Sep 28 and runs to Oct 30, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2:30 pm (see website for other matinee dates and times). $22-$65. At Tarragon Theatre. Show Info.
Milf Life Crisis. Anne Marie Scheffler performs her hit comedic solo play about mid-life dating after divorce. Opens Sep 20 and runs to Oct 1, Tue-Fri at 8 pm (plus Oct 1). $20. At Red Sandcastle Theatre. Show Info.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, adapted by Matthew Thomas Walker (Litmus Theatre/KABIN/TPM). Stage adaptation of the novel by Aldous Huxley about a dystopian future society of infinite distractions and what it means to be human. Previews Sep 27-28, opens Sep 29 and runs to Oct 16, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 2 pm (see website for other times). $22-$42. At Theatre Passe Muraille. Show Info.
Concord Floral by Jordan Tannahill (Canadian Stage). Teens deal with a mysterious plague they’ve brought upon themselves in this re-imagining of Boccaccio’s Decameron. Previews from Sep 27, opens Oct 4 and runs to Oct 16, Tue-Thu & Sat 8 pm, Fri 7 pm, mat Wed, Sat-Sun 1 pm. $35-$79. At Bluma Appel Theatre. Show Info.
The Supine Cobbler by Jill Connell (It Could Still Happen/Ontario Coalition for Abortion Clinics). Reading of a play that explores the experience of a clinical abortion, set in the spirit of a Western. Q&A to follow. Sep 28 at 8 pm (doors 7:30 pm). Free. At Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Show Info.
The Numbers Game by The Pulp Collective (The Pulp Collective/Storefront). This six-part serial looks at the gang and race war that tore through Harlem after prohibition ended and organized crime turned from booze to gambling. Opens Sep 29 and runs to Nov 6, see website for schedule. $20 per episode, $35 for two episodes. At The Storefront Theatre. Show Info.
LASER: In-Between Algorithms. Science and artistic experimentation come together in a collaborative event featuring a curated series of performances, presentations, exhibitions and mini-lectures. Takes place in various locations between 214-222 College (Robert Gill Theatre/Bahen Centre/Fields Institute). Register at eventbrite.com. A co-production with The Fields Institute, Leonardo Network, Artssci Salon, Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies U of T and York University. Sep 29 at 6:30-11 pm. Free. Show Info.
Curtains Up On 50+: That’s Life. (Well Seasoned Productions). This musical revue features older theatre artists and explores the challenges and joys of aging. Sep 30-Oct 2, Fri-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $28-$35. Curtains Up On 50+ is a three-revue series; a pass for all three revues is $85. At Aki Studio. Show Info.
Gay Play Day. Festival of short plays written by LGBTQ playwrights and their allies. Works by Tina McCulloch, Philip Cairns, Darren Stewart-Jones, Lynn Rafferty and others. Sep 30-Oct 1, Fri-Sat 8 pm, solo shows mat Sat 1 pm. $15 at the door or online. At Alumnae Theatre. Show Info.
Coal from Hades: The Story of Les Mouches Fantastiques. Storytellers Jeffrey Canton and Marcus Peterson present a series of interlocking stories and letters that re-imagine well-known and obscure gay pairings throughout history. Oct 1 from 2-4 pm. Free (presented as part of Culture Days). At the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives. Show Info.
Not A Special Snowflake. (Joy-making Productions). Shaina Follis performs her solo show about going through two provinces, five jobs, three apartments and twelve steps to figure out that life goes on after drinking. Oct 1 at 8 pm. $10. At The Second City Training Centre. Show Info.
The Little Mermaid. Ismailova Theatre of Dance presents a family-friendly physical theatre adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen tale. Oct 1-2, Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 & 7 pm. $15-$25, child under 5 free. At Scotiabank Studio Theatre (Pia Bouman School). Show Info.
Two Kittens and a Kid: A Gay Man Raising His Inner Diva. Christopher Wilson performs his new comedic solo musical cabaret about a gay, white, suburban man who suddenly becomes “Mr Mom” to an adolescent, Black, urban girl. Oct 1 at 3 and 8 pm. $15, stu/srs/arts workers $10. At Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Show Info.
Two Holidays. by Frank Canino (Albert Invincible Theatre/Pacun Peras Theatro). Reading of a short farce and a serious comedy about ex-pats, refugees and the darker moments of cultural assimilation. Oct 2 at 3 pm. Free. At Arcadia Artists’ Co-op. Show Info.
Upside Down Dad. Lori Lane-Murphy performs her comedic solo tribute to her father, touching on optimism, cartoons and mental illness. Oct 2-3 at 8 pm. $15-$20. At Red Sandcastle Theatre. Show Info.
Diaspora Dub – Performance #1. b current takes their cue in this return to their roots from legendary poet and theatre artist ahdri zhina mandiela’s original work, dark diaspora….in dub. The series of performances is popping up throughout Toronto October 1, 7 and 9, 2016. Saturday Oct 1 – 10PM. $13-$30. Various Locations. Show Info.
Junie B. Jones The Musical. A delightful adaptation of four of Barbara Park’s best-selling books, brought to life in a genuinely comical (and not strictly-for-kids) musical developed by TheatreworksUSA. Awaken a young person’s desire to read with the sassy little diva, Junie B. Jones, and her adventures in first grade! Oct. 1-16. $29.99-$39.99. At Lower Ossington Theatre. Show Info.
Hosanna by Michel Tremblay (Soulpepper Theatre). A drag performer and her partner confront insecurities and illusions about identity. Opens Sep 23 and runs to Oct 15, see website for schedule. $32-$94, youth/rush $5-$25. At The Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Show Info.
Noises Off by Michael Frayn (Soulpepper Theatre). A misfit company of actors juggle their lines, love lives and lunches just hours before opening night in this classic farce. Opens Sep 21 and runs to Oct 22, see website for schedule. $32-$94, youth/rush $5-$25. At The Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Show Info.
Les Belles-Soeurs by Michel Tremblay (Bloor West Village Players). Working-class women in a poor Montreal neighbourhood discuss their lives, religion and small joys. Opens Sep 9 and runs to Oct 1, see website for schedule. $24, under 30/srs $20. At The Village Playhouse. Show Info.
Listings based primarily on NOW! Stage Listings.