Shows That Caught Our Eye in Toronto the Week of February 29th, 2016
This week, we’ve got a bit of everything, from massive Disney musicals to tributes to ABBA, generational tales and storytelling festivals! Check out Editor Samantha’s picks in red under the cut.
Already Reviewed by Mooney on Theatre:
** 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 May 15th, 2016 (extended from Dec 20), Tue-Sat 8 pm, see website for other times. $35-$130. Show Info.
The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown (YES Theatre). Two 20-something New Yorkers spend five years falling in and out of love in this musical. Opens Feb 26 and runs to Mar 7, Fri-Mon 8 pm (except Jan 28 at 2 pm). $20-$25. Show Info: info@yestheatre.com.
** 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.
Mustard by Kat Sandler (Tarragon Theatre). A teen deals with her drinking mother and an imaginary friend who lives under her bed in this darkly comic fairy tale. Previews from Feb 2, opens Feb 10 and runs to Mar 13, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sun 2:30 pm (see website for Wed & Sat mats). $28-$60, rush $15. ExtraSpace. Show Info.
Anything Goes by Cole Porter, Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse (LOT). A stowaway and a nightclub singer get in trouble aboard an ocean liner in this musical. Opens Feb 11 and runs to Mar 20, Thu-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun 3:30 pm. $50-$60. Show Info.
** Contempt by Brandon Crone (Storefront Theatre). A mother hires a woman to have sex with her paralyzed and mute son. Feb 19-Mar 5. Details TBA. Show Info.
** Grey Gardens by Doug Wright, Scott Frankel and Michael Korie (Acting Up Stage Company). Two female relatives of Jacqueline Kennedy go from wealth and status to an isolated existence in a home overrun by cats in this play based on a 1976 documentary. Previews from Feb 19, opens Feb 22 and runs to Mar 6, see website for times. $35-$55, stu $30. Show Info.
Just For A Moment by Tien Providence (Things Falling Apart Theatre). A painter returns to his island home 15 years after leaving his fiancée to seek success in Canada. Opens Feb 25 and runs to Mar 6, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $20. Show Info.
Espoir/Espwa by Edwige Jean-Pierre, Djennie Laguerre and Carline Zamar (Théâtre français de Toronto). Three Haitian women share a common desire to not dwell on sadness and misery. French w/ some English surtitled performances. Previews Feb 24-25, opens Feb 26 and runs to Mar 6, see website for details. Show Info.
The Space Between by Simeon Taole (Cinematoscape/North York Arts). A boy in South Africa longs to reunite with his childhood sweetheart in Canada in this solo show. Previews Feb 24, opens Feb 25 and runs to Mar 6, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $20-$25. In the Aki Studio. Show Info.
** Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward (Mortar & Pestle Productions). The ghost of his first wife pesters an author and his new spouse in this comedy. Opens Feb 25 and runs to Mar 5, Feb 25-27 and Mar 3-4 at 8 pm, mat Feb 27 and Mar 5 at 2 pm. $15. Show Info: mortarandpestleproductions@gmail.com.
Well Born by Celeste Percy-Beauregard (SoCo Theatre/Truth’n’Lies Theatre). An expectant mother must confront her past in order to embrace her future. Opens Feb 25 and runs to Mar 6, Thu-Sat 8 pm (and Mar 6), mat Sat 2 pm. $20-$25, pwyc Feb 27 mat*. Show Info.
*Relaxed Performance: The 2:00 pm performance on Saturday, February 27 will have a relaxed attitude toward noise and movement from the audience. Patrons who meet any challenge attending the theatre (including but not limited to Parents with Babes in Arms and individuals with an Autism Spectrum Condition) are encouraged to attend. This performance is also open to the general public.
** Boeing Boeing by Marc Camoletti (Hart House Theatre). A man juggles three flight attendant fiancées in this comedy. Opens Feb 26 and runs to Mar 5, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mat Mar 5 at 2 pm. $28, srs $17, stu $12-$15. 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.
Fancy Nancy: The Musical by Susan DiLallo and Danny Abosch (LOT). Stage adaptation for families of the picture book Fancy Nancy And The Mermaid Ballet by Jane O’Connor. Feb 13 to May 1, Sat 11 am, Sun 11 am & 1 pm. $25-$45. Show Info.
** The Clowns by Michele Smith and Dean Gilmour (Humber Theatre/Theatre Smith-Gilmour). This production draws inspiration from the works of Federico Fellini and Vaudeville-era burlesque comedy to explore the everyday and the absurd through words and music. Opens Feb 19 and runs to Feb 27, Feb 19-20 and 23-26 at 7:30 pm, mat Feb 21 and 27 at 2 pm. $20, stu/srs $10. Show Info: humber.theatre@humber.ca.
Salt-Water Moon by David French (Factory Theatre). A young man returns home to woo a former sweetheart who has moved on in 1926 Newfoundland. Previews Feb 23-25, opens Feb 26 and runs to Mar 13, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $35, preview $25. Show Info.
** Anne Boleyn by Howard Brenton (East Side Players). Henry VIII’s second wife takes on the vicious world of Tudor Court politics. Opens Feb 25 and runs to Mar 12, Wed-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $24, stu $17. Show Info.
** Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss (Toronto City Opera). The comedy of mistaken identity, tricksters and love is sung in English. Opens Feb 25 and runs to Mar 6, Feb 25, 27 and Mar 4 at 7:30 pm, Mar 6 at 2 pm. $28, srs $20, stu $15. Show Info.
** L’Elisir D’Amore by Gaetano Donizetti (Toronto City Opera). The romantic opera is performed in Italian with projected English titles. Opens Feb 26 and runs to Mar 5, Feb 26, Mar 3 and 5 at 7:30 pm, Feb 28 at 2 pm. $28, srs $20, stu $15. Show Info.
** Foxfinder by Dawn King (Village Players). Personal tragedy, social paranoia and scapegoating are themes of this dystopian drama. Opens Feb 26 and runs to Mar 19, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mat Mar 6 & 13 at 2 pm. $22, stu/srs $18. Show Info.
Munsch Mash adapted by Michelle Gram and Bill Martyn (SSCT). Robert Munsch stories performed as one play for ages 3 and up. To Mar 20, Sat-Sun 11 am & 2 pm (and March Break: Mar 14-18 at 10:30 am, 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm). $16. Show Info.
Goodnight Moon by Chad Henry (YPT). Musical adapted from the children’s picture book by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd. Ages 4 & up. Opens Feb 29 and runs to Mar 19, see website for schedule. $10-$34. Show Info.
TMT Salon: A Passage To India. Toronto Masque Theatre presents an informative look at the inspiration behind TMT’s newest creation. The man who married himself was inspired by a Karnataka folk tale. We look at the music and poetry of India that inspired composer Juliet Palmer and librettist Anna Chatterton, and choreographer Hari Krishnan. Featuring singing from acclaimed vocalist Suba Sankaran. Feb 29 at 7:30 pm. $15-$20 (pre-register). Show Info.
Toronto the Good by Andrew Moodie (The Howland Company Reading Group). Reading of Moodie’s play about poverty, violence and race in the city. Feb 29 at 7 pm. Free. Show Info.
** Port Authority by Conor McPherson (Fly on the Wall Theatre). This portrait of three generations of Irish men portrays interwoven stories of love and missed opportunities. Previews Mar 1, opens Mar 2 and runs to Mar 13, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 2 pm. $25, Sun $20, preview $15. Show Info.
Spirit Dreaming. Talisker Players present a concert of word and music to tell creation myths from around the world, with actor Andrew Moodie. Mar 1-2 at 8 pm. $40, srs $30, stu/un(der)employed $10. Show Info.
** You Will Remember Me by François Archambault (Tarragon Theatre/Studio 180 Theatre). A professor and respected intellectual/political figure struggles with dementia. Previews from Mar 1, opens Mar 9 and runs to Apr 10, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sun 2:30 pm (and Saturdays: Mar 12, 19 & 26 at 2:30 pm). $28-$60, srs $45-$49, stu $29, rush $15. MainSpace. Show Info.
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Linda Woolverton (NETworks). This musical is based on the animated feature film. Mar 2-6, Wed-Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 6:30 pm, mat Wed & Sat 1:30 pm, Sun 1 pm. $TBA. Show Info.
** Blood Wedding. Soulpepper Theatre presents the play by Federico García Lorca, translated by Guillermo Verdecchia. A young couple’s engagement rekindles buried passions and threatens a deep-seated blood feud in a small rural town. Mar 2-Apr 9, see website for details. Show Info.
** Pyaasa by Anusree Roy (TPM). The playwright performs her solo show about an 11-year old untouchable girl dealing with India’s discriminatory caste system. Previews Mar 3-6, opens Mar 7 and runs to Mar 27, see website for schedule. $17-$38, mat pwyc at the door. In the TPM Backspace. Show Info.
Jitters by David French (Soulpepper Theatre). This play-within-a-play looks at the comedic catastrophes of opening night. Mar 2-Apr 6, see website for details. Show Info.
** Chelsea Moor Castle (Or, The Contract to Marry) by Arthur Sullivan, Barb Scheffler and Michael Harms (North Toronto Players). This original show based on music from Gilbert & Sullivan operettas takes place in an English manor house and includes a mysterious curse, ghosts, a plotting butler and more. Opens Mar 4 and runs to Mar 13, Mar 4, 11 and 12 at 8 pm, Mar 5 gala show at 7 pm, mats Mar 6, 12 and 13 at 2 pm. $25, srs $22, stu $15; add $10 for Mar 5 gala. Kids under 14 free for all performances. Show Info.
I Remember Mama by Julia DeSotto (Red Sandcastle Theatre). A woman looks at how her mother, grandmother and mother-in law helped make her who she is. Mar 4-6, details TBA. Show Info.
** The Just. Soulpepper presents the play by Albert Camus in a new translation by Bobby Theodore. Terror stalks the Russian elite in this play based on the true story of the assassination of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich in 1905. Mar 5-26, see website for details. Show Info.
** Gertrude and Alice by evalyn parry and Anna Chatterton and the collective (Independent Aunties/BIBT). This theatrical show looks at the lives, love and legacy of queer icons Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas. Mar 5-27. Previews Mar 5-9, opens Mar 10 and runs to Mar 27, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2:30 pm. $20-$37, Sun pwyc at the door. Show Info.
Abbamania Bounty Enterprises present a theatrical ABBA tribute show. Mar 5 at 8 pm. $30-$35. Show Info.
Mikvah by Hader Galron (Harold Green Jewish Theatre). Dramatic reading as part of the Spotlight On Israeli Culture Festival. Eight women’s stories unfold in this sensitive depiction of religious observance and evolving feminist consciousness. Mar 6 at 2 pm. Free. RSVP to reserve. In the Gallery Lounge. Show Info.
Mosaic Storytelling Festival. Presented by St David’s Anglican Church and Open Door East End Arts Collective. Tales about little boys and grandfathers, from Ireland to Peru, with Rico Rodriguez and Bruce Carmody. Mar 6 at 3 pm. Pwyc. Show Info.
Listings based primarily on NOW! Stage Listings