Shows That Caught Our Eye in Toronto the Week of January 18th, 2015
The new year is settling in, and the theatre scene is starting to wake up from its long holiday sleep! This week, we have a lot of new additions to the listings, some of which are only playing for a limited time, so make sure to check out our picks in red under the cut!
Already Reviewed by Mooney on Theatre:
The Gay Heritage Project by Damien Atkins, Paul Dunn and Andrew Kushnir (BIBT). Theatrical exploration of the playwrights’ connections to queer people and events in the past. Previews Jan 6, opens Jan 7 and runs to Jan 31, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2:30 pm. $27-$37, preview $20, Sun pwyc. Show Info.
Click-bait and Switch The Second City presents its Fall MainStage Revue featuring sketches, songs and improv. Tue-Thu 8 pm, Fri-Sun 7:30 pm, late shows Fri-Sat 10:30 pm. Runs to Feb. 1. $16-$35. Show Info.
Kinky Boots by Harvey Fierstein and Cyndi Lauper (Mirvish). A man inherits a shoe company and teams up with a drag queen in this musical based on the 2005 film. Previews from Jun 16, opens Jun 28 and runs to Mar 6, 2016 (extended from Dec 20), Tue-Sat 8 pm, see website for other times. $35-$130. Show Info.
Fancy Nancy: The Musical by Susan DiLallo and Danny Abosch (Lower Ossington Theatre). Stage adaptation for families of the picture book Fancy Nancy And The Mermaid Ballet by author Jane O’Connor. Opens Nov 7 and runs to Jan 31, Sat 11 am, Sun 11 am & 1 pm. $25-$45, family packs $84-$124. Show Info.
The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe (Cameron Mackintosh). Super-sized staging of the iconic musical about love and obsession in 19th century Paris. Opens Dec 8 and runs to Jan 23, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 6:30 pm, mat Sat 2 pm, Sun 1 pm (see website for holiday schedule). $59-$210. Show Info.
Red Light Winter by Adam Rapp (Unit 102 Actors Company). Things take a dark turn when a depressed playwright returns to NYC from his holiday in Amsterdam. Opens Jan 8 and runs to January 23, Tue-Sat 8 pm. $25, Tue pwyc.
Spy School!: Mission Ridiculous. Written by Danny Wengle, Ken MacDougall, Brian Caws & the Cast, presented by Mysteriously Yours Dinner Theatre. James Bond and other secret agents go back to school in this interactive dinner-theatre show. Runs to Mar 26, Fri-Sat 7:30 pm (dinner from 6:30 pm), see website for other matinees & shows (no shows Dec 25-26). $45-$87. Show Info.
Within the Glass by Anna Chatterton (Tarragon Theatre). Two very different couples meet after a critical mistake at a fertility clinic. Previews from Jan 6, opens Jan 13 and runs to Feb 14, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sun 2:30 pm (see website for Wed & Sat mats). $28-$60, rush $15. In the MainSpace. Show Info.
Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen (Canadian Stage/Necessary Angel). A headstrong new bride wreaks havoc on all around her to keep her checkered past secret. Previews from Jan 12, opens Jan 14 and runs to Feb 7, Tue-Thu & Sat 8 pm, Fri 7 pm, mat Sat-Sun 1 pm. $24-$53. Show Info.
Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine (Hart House Theatre). Characters from fairy tales are shown what would happen should all of their wishes come true. Opens Jan 15 and runs to Jan 30, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mat Jan 30 at 2 pm. $28, srs $17, stu $12-$15. Show Info.
And the Rest:
Elle, adapted by Severn Thompson from the book by Douglas Glover (TPM). Based on a true story, this play chronicles the ordeals and adventures of a young French woman marooned on a Newfoundland island in 1542. Previews Jan 14-17, opens Jan 19 and runs to Jan 31, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm (and Jan 31), see website for mats. $17-$38, mat pwyc at the door. Show Info.
Great Balls of Fire. Famous People Players presents a black light dinner theatre show featuring iconic rock n’ roll anthems. Opens Jan 15 and runs to May 31, see website for times. $40-$65 (includes lunch/dinner). Show Info.
Gaslight by Patrick Hamilton (Mirvish). A woman’s husband manipulates her into believing that she’s going insane in fog-bound 1880s London. Opens Jan 17 and runs to Feb 28, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Wed, Sat-Sun 2 pm. $35-$119. Show Info.
Avenue Q by Robert Lopez, Jeff Marx and Jeff Whitty (Lower Ossington Theatre). A college grad moves to NYC and copes with grown-up problems in this adult musical puppet play. Nov 12-Feb 14, Thu-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun 3:30 pm. $50-$60. Show Info.
Century Song by Neema Bickersteth, Kate Alton, and Ross Manson (Progress Festival/Volcano Theatre). This performance hybrid melds music and movement to look at the lives of women. Previews Jan 19, opens Jan 20 and runs to Jan 23, Tue-Sat 8:30 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $20-$25, preview $15. Show Info.
Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose (Soulpepper Theatre). Jurors deliberate the case of a young man accused of killing his father in a capital murder case. Previews from Jan 19, opens Jan 22 and runs to Feb 13, see website for schedule. $TBA. Show Info.
Bigmouth (Mirvish). Belgian actor Valentijn Dhaenens pays tribute to 2,500 years of oration in this solo show. Opens Jan 19 and runs to Feb 7, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $19-$89. Show Info.
Exiles by James Joyce (Sad Ibsen Theatre). An Irish couple return to Ireland after 9 years living in Italy and deal with reignited old feelings and relationships. Opens Jan 20 and runs to Jan 31, Wed-Sat 7 pm, Sun 2 pm. $20, stu $15. Show Info.
El Refugio de Freidel | The Refuge of Freidel by Liliana Suárez Henao and Beatriz Pizano (Progress Festival/Aluna Theatre/the Freidel Collective). A theatre artist describes her journey from Colombia to Canada after her husband was assassinated for making political art. Opens Jan 20 and runs to Jan 23, Wed-Fri 7 pm, Sat 3:30 pm. $20-$25. Show Info.
Germinal. Harbourfront World Stage presents a theatrical exploration of the human consciousness by Halory Goerger and Antoine Defoort (L’amicale de production/Harbourfront World Stage). A group of adventurers start out on a bare stage with a mission to remake the universe from the beginning. Opens Jan 20 and runs to Jan 23, Wed-Sat 8 pm. $15-$54. Show Info.
Rope by Patrick Hamilton (Trinity College Dramatic Society). Two young men murder a classmate just for the thrill in this 1929 play based on true events. Opens Jan 20 and runs to Jan 23, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $15, stu/srs $10. Show Info.
Uncommon Women and Others by Wendy Wasserstein (Theatre Erindale). Five women reunite to look back on their college years and where there lives are in the present. Previews Jan 21, opens Jan 22 and runs to Jan 31, Thu 7:30 pm, Fri-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm (and Jan 31). $18, stu/srs $12. Show Info.
The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown (LOT). Two 20-something New Yorkers spend five years falling in and out of love in this musical. Opens Jan 21 and runs to Feb 14, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun 3:30 pm. $50. Show Info.
Slip (Circlesnake Productions). A detective tries to solve a mysterious death while struggling to hold on to her fading memory. Previews Jan 21, opens Jan 22 and runs to Feb 7, Thu-Sun 8 pm, mat Sun 2 pm. $20, Sun mat $10 or pwyc. Show Info.
The Deadly Game, adapted by James Yaffe from a novella by Friedrich Dürrenmatt (Stage Centre Productions). Retired judges and lawyers play a creepy game with a salesman seeking refuge in a snowstorm. Opens Jan 21 and runs to Jan 30, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mat Jan 24 & 30 at 2 pm. $30, stu/srs $25. Show Info.
U of T Literary Moot. Mock trial organized by students and professors at U of T’s Faculty of Law and sponsored by Norton Rose Fulbright LLP. This year’s literary moot benefit charges Iago, Shakespeare’s archetypal villain, as “a party to the offense”. Jan 21 at 7 pm. $20.00. All proceeds to University in the Community – a free, liberal arts program for vulnerable adults held weekly at U of T’s Innis College. Show Info.
What I Learned From a Decade of Fear, by Beatriz Pizano, Lyon Smith and Trevor Schwellnus (Progress Festival/Aluna Theatre). A ritual to atone for repression, war and paranoia becomes a eulogy for the human costs of collective safety. Opens Jan 21 and runs to Jan 24, Thu-Sat 10 pm, Sun 2 pm. $20-$25. Show Info.
God of Carnage, by Yasmina Reza (Victoria College Dramatic Society). Civility turns to hostility when two couples meet to resolve their kids’ playground dispute in this comedy. Jan 21-23, Thu-Sat 8 pm. $7, stu/srs $5. Show Info.
History History History by Deborah Pearson (Progress Festival/Volcano Theatre). This work-in-progress looks at the influence of the past on present-day decisions. Jan 22-23, Fri-Sat 5 pm. $20-$25. Show Info.
Stepping Out by Richard Harris (Alumnae Theatre). Eight strangers forge friendships and reveal secrets at a weekly tap dance class. Opens Jan 22 and runs to Feb 6, Wed-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $20, Wed 2-for-1, Sun pwyc.
Siegfried by Richard Wagner (Canadian Opera Company). The third opera in Wagner’s ring cycle follows Siegfried on a heroic comin-of-age journey. Opens Jan 23 and runs to Feb 14, see website for times. $TBA. Show Info.
Listings based primarily on NOW! Stage Listings