Shows That Caught Our Eye in Toronto the Week of November 2nd, 2015
Lots of shows added to the listings this week, some of which are only around for a short time, so make sure you don’t miss out! We’ve highlighted those that our editor Samantha Wu is most looking forward to in red text. Here are the picks:
Already Reviewed by Mooney on Theatre:
Pyramus and Thisbe. Canadian Opera Company presents the contemporary opera by Canadian composer Barbara Monk Feldman and two Baroque works by Claudio Monteverdi (Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda & Lamento D’Arianna). Opens Oct 20 and runs to Nov 7, see website for times. $50 and up; under 30 $22-$35, limited standing room $12. Show Info.
Age of Arousal by Linda Griffiths (Factory Theatre). An ex-suffragette runs a secretarial school in 1885 England. Previews Oct 20-22, opens Oct 23 and runs to Nov 8, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $35, preview $25. Show Info.
Old Jews Telling Jokes by Peter Gethers and Daniel Okrent (Playhouse Productions Inc). One-liners, double-entendres, songs, skits and comedy routines. Opens Oct 14 and runs to Dec 6, Wed-Thu 7 pm, Fri-Sat 8 pm, mat Wed, Sat-Sun 2 pm. $45-$65. Show Info.
** Butcher by Nicolas Billon (Why Not Theatre/Butcher’s Block). A mysterious old man appears at a police station wearing a foreign military uniform and a meat hook in this play about a past that won’t stay buried.Opens Oct 24 and runs to Nov 15, see website for times. $22-$30. Part of the November Ticket @ Theatre Centre ($60 for all three shows). Show Info.
** Click-bait and Switch The Second City presents its Fall MainStage Revue featuring sketches, songs and improv. Indefinite run, Tue-Thu 8 pm, Fri-Sun 7:30 pm, late shows Fri-Sat 10:30 pm. $16-$35. Show Info.
** Empire. Spiegelworld presents burlesque artists, live musicians, foot jugglers, contortionists, daredevil roller skaters and others create a 21st-century circus/cabaret spectacle. Previews from Sep 1, opens Sep 8 and runs to Nov 8 (extended from Sep 27; final extension, must close Nov 8), Tue-Wed 8 pm, Thu-Sat 7 & 9 pm, Sun 7 pm. $45-$129. Show Info.
** La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi (Canadian Opera Company). A Parisian courtesan finds true love in this tragic Italian opera. Opens Oct 8 and runs to Nov 6, see website for times. $50 and up; under 30 $22-$35, limited standing room $12. Show Info.
And the Rest:
Finding Funny by Daniel Stolfi (You and Me Entertainment). Stolfi performs his solo show about losing his comedy mojo and seeking to rediscover what drove him to make people laugh in the first place. Opens Oct 1 and runs to Nov 5, Thu 8 pm (no show Oct 22). $15-$20. Show Info.
The Trouble With Mr. Adam by Gord Rand (Tarragon Theatre). A high school volleyball coach falls in love with his star player in this dark comedy. Previews from Oct 20, opens Oct 28 and runs to Nov 29, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2:30 pm (and Sat mats at 2:30 pm on Oct 31, Nov 7, Nov 14). $28-$60, srs $45-$49, stu $29, rush $15. Tarragon ExtraSpace. Show Info.
Legally Blonde: The Musical by Laurence O’Keefe, Nell Benjamin and Heather Hach (Lower Ossington Theatre). A sorority girl makes it to law school in this musical based on the 2001 film. Opens Oct 22 and runs to Nov 22, Thu-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm, Sun 4 pm. $50-$70. Show Info.
** Frankenstein Live. The Arts Engine presents an immersive reading of a new adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel set on board an ice-bound ship, adapted by Warren MacDonald. Opens Oct 22 and runs to Nov 8, Wed-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm.. $25. Show Info.
Wonder of the World by David Lindsay Abaire (East Side Players). A shocking discovery in her husband’s sweater drawer leads a woman to Niagara Falls on a journey of self-discovery. Opens Oct 22 and runs to Nov 7, Wed-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $24, stu $17. Show Info.
** Sherlock Holmes by Greg Kramer (Starvox Entertainment/June Entertainment). David Arquette stars in this stage adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic tales. Opens Oct 27 and runs to Nov 8, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 7 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $40-$120. Show Info.
** House at Poe Corner by Michael O’Brien and Eric Woolfe (Eldritch Theatre). Works of Edgar Allen Poe are re-imagined and enacted by twisted little stuffed animals. Opens Oct 29 and runs to Nov 7, see website for times. $25. Show Info.
Shannon 10:40 by Rob Kempson (Videofag/timeshare). A student and teacher clash in this drama about making a statement and dealing with the consequences in an archaic public school system. Oct 29-Nov 8, Wed-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $20. Show Info.
The Immigrant: A Musical by Mark Harelik, Sarah Knapp and Steven M Alper (Harold Green Jewish Theatre). A young Jew flees Russia and lands in Texas in 1909. Previews Oct 31-Nov 4, opens Nov 5 and runs to Nov 22 see website for times and prices. In the Greenwin Theatre. Show Info.
Suburban Motel / Filthy Rich by George F Walker (Ryerson Theatre School) Series of plays by Walker set in Toronto’s Leslieville neighbourhood. Opens Oct 30 and runs to Nov 8, Tue-Fri (and Nov 7) at 7:30 pm, mat Oct 31 and Nov 8 at 2 pm. $10-$20. Show Info.
Caminos 2015: Re-Imagining Las Americas. Aluna Theatre presents a week of performance experiments to showcase local voices working in theatre and dance. Nov 3-8, Tue-Fri 7 pm, mat Sat 2 pm, Sun 2:30 pm. $5-$20, festival pass $50 before Nov 1. Presented in partnership with Native Earth Performing Arts. In Aki Studio & Ada Slaight Hall. Show Info.
** Banana Boys by Leon Aureus (Factory Theatre). Five young Asian-Canadian men wrestle with issues of race and identity. Previews Nov 3-5, opens Nov 6 and runs to Nov 22, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $35, previews $25. In the Studio. Show Info.
Talking Heads by Alan Bennett (Precisely Peter Productions). The Outside Dog, Playing Sandwiches and A Lady Of Letters are performed from Bennett’s collection of BBC monologues. Opens Nov 3 and runs to Nov 22, see website for schedule. $25. Show Info.
We are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, From the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915. Theatre Centre presents the Obie Award-winning play by Jackie Sibblies Drury. A group of young actors come together to tell the little-known story of the first genocide of the 20th century. Previews Nov 3-4, opens Nov 5 and runs to Nov 29, see website for times. $22-$30, preview $17. Show Info.
** The River by Jez Butterworth (Coal Mine Theatre). A man takes his girlfriend to a secluded cabin in this drama about the darker side of human nature. Previews Nov 1, opens Nov 3 and runs to Nov 22, Tue-Sun 7:30 pm. $35, preview $20. Show Info.
Uncovered: Simon & Garfunkel Acting Up Stage presents a theatrical musical tribute show created by Reza Jacobs. Performers include Sara Farb, Kelly Holiff, Jeigh Madjus, Robert Markus, Louise Pitre and others. Nov 3-5, Tue-Thu 8 pm. $32-$100. Show Info.
The Ties That Bind by James Ince (Our Souls). Ince performs his semi-autobiographical solo show about the facts and fictions society tells itself regarding mental illness. Previews Nov 4, opens Nov 5 and runs to Nov 8, Wed-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sun 2 pm. $20-$30, mat pwyc at the door. TPM Backspace. Show Info.
Avaricious (Theatre Gargantua). This collectively created play explores greed, hope and humanity at the end of the world. Previews Nov 4, opens Nov 5 and runs to Nov 21, Wed-Sat 7:30 pm. $25, stu/srs $21, preview $19. Show Info.
Fireworks Festival. Three full-length plays are presented in repertory along with playwright talks and roundtables. Divine Wrecks by Chloe Whitehorn (Nov 4-8); Cottage Radio by Taylor Marie Graham (Nov 11-15); and Radical by Charles Hayter (Nov 18-22). Opens Nov 4 and runs to Nov 28, see website for schedule. $15, Sun pwyc. Show Info.
** Hamlet by William Shakespeare (Hart House Theatre). Staging of the classic tragedy about betrayal, revenge and murder. Opens Nov 4 and runs to Nov 21, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mat Nov 21 at 2 pm. $28, srs $17, stu $12-$15. Show Info.
Spoon River adapted by Mike Ross and Albert Schultz (Soulpepper Theatre). A forgotten town comes back to life in this show inspired by Edgar Lee Masters’s 1915 poetry collection. Nov 5-22, see website for schedule. $29.50-$94. Show Info.
Speak Truth to Power: Voices From Beyond the Dark by Ariel Dorfman, from the book by Kerry Kennedy (WIN Drama Society). This drama presents the stories of real-life human rights defenders around the world. Nov 5-7 at 8 pm. Pwyc ($10 sugg). In Kruger Hall. Show Info.
A View from the Roof by Dave Carley (Between Stages). Staged reading of a play based on stories by Helen Weinzweig, narrated by survivors of war, as part of Holocaust Education Week. Nov 5 at 1:30 pm. Free. Show Info.
An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde (Toronto Irish Players). A rising politician is confronted with a secret from his past in this comedy. Opens Oct 22 and runs to Nov 7, Thu-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $18-$21. Show Info.
** Edmond by David Mamet (The Storefront Theatre). A tarot reading leads a morally adrift businessman to act on violent instincts in NYC. Previews Nov 5, opens November 6 and runs to Nov 22, Wed-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $20-$25, preview $10. Show Info.
Mistletoe Magic, Famous People Players black light theatre company presents an all-ages seasonal production. Opens Nov 7 and runs to Jan 2, see website for times. $40-$68 (includes lunch/dinner). Show Info.
The Stone Princess by Zoe Henderson (Solar Stage Children’s Theatre). Two princesses are born as twins, but only one can be Queen in this fairy tale about sibling rivalry, stolen identities, magic and the importance of appreciating your own special gifts. Opens Nov 7 and runs to Nov 29, Sat-Sun 11 am & 2 pm. $16. Show Info.
Listings based primarily on NOW! Stage Listings