Shows That Caught Our Eye in Toronto the Week of January 25th, 2015
If you’re eager to get out of the cold and into some theatre this week, we’ve got you covered! It may be rotten outside, but the theatre scene in Toronto is really starting to heat up this week with a number of new and diverse shows opening. Our picks are 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. Show Info.
And the Rest:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine by Robert Morgan, Martha Ross and Leah Cherniak (Soulpepper Theatre). Repressed anger rears its head as a couple strive to maintain the veneer of a perfectly ordered world. Opens Jan 25 and runs to Feb 20, see website for schedule. $25-$60. Show Info.
Cowboy Versus Samurai by Michael Golamco (Soulpepper Theatre). A Korean high school teacher falls for a colleague in a small American midwest town in this romantic comedy. Opens Jan 26 and runs to Feb 20, see website for schedule. $25-$60. Show Info.
The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare (Groundling Theatre Company/CMT). Leontes, King of Sicilia, descends into a world of jealousy, murder and conspiracy. Previews from Jan 26, opens Jan 28 and runs to Feb 20, Tue-Sun 7:30 pm. $35, rush $30, preview $25, Sun pwyc. Show Info.
One Night Only: The Greatest Musical Never Written (Kliffer Entertainment). Fully improvised musical that challenges assumptions about improv and theatre. Previews Jan 27, opens Jan 28 and runs to Feb 14, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $45-$55, stu/srs $30. Show Info.
Karla and Grif by Vivienne Laxdal (Outlaw Theatre Collective). After the death of her abusive father, a woman seeks closure from a former friend. Opens Jan 27 and runs to Jan 30, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $20-$25. Show Info.
The Trial of Judith K by Sally Clark (Thought For Food Productions). This reimagining of Franz Kafka’s novel The Trial sees a woman arrested for an unnamed crime in 1980s Vancouver. Previews Jan 28, opens Jan 29 and runs to Feb 14, Wed-Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 2 pm. $30, stu/srs $25, preview $20, mat pwyc at the door or $20 adv. Backspace. Show Info.
The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov (The Chekhov Collective/Theatrus). The lives of a dozen Russians undergo enormous change after the 1861 emancipation of the serfs. Previews Jan 28, opens Jan 29 and runs to Feb 14, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $24-$48. Show Info.
Forest Fringe Microfestival (Progress Festival/SummerWorks Performance Festival). International performance work is paired with work-in-progress showings from Canadian artists Julie LeGal, Stephen Jackman-Torkoff, Kiera Sangster and Brian Solomon. Jan 29-31, see website for times. $15, pass $50. Show Info.
Taking Care of Baby by Dennis Kelly (Storefront Theatre). A woman is accused of murdering her two infant children. Jan 29-Feb 14. Details TBA. Show Info.
Sheep in Wolf’s Clothes by Derek Genova (SSCT). A wolf, Little Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs tell a story about bullying in this musical theatre show for ages 3 and up. Jan 16-31, Sat-Sun 11 am & 2 pm. $16. Show Info.
Hogtown (The Hogtown Collective). An immersive theatre experience delving into Toronto’s dark past. Open Jan 27 and runs to Jan 31. Wed-Sat 7:30 pm, Sat & Sun 2 pm. $25. Show Info.
Listings based primarily on NOW! Stage Listings