Shows That Caught Our Eye in Toronto the Week of October 31st.
Happy Hallowe’en Toronto! Terrifying theatre and spooky spectacles fill our listings cauldron this week. If Halloween isn’t your thing we also have some opera, feminist-friendly double-bills, Irish feel-good plays, and more! Our publisher Megan has highlighted a few shows that caught her eye in blood red text. Check them out below the cut:
Already Reviewed by Mooney on Theatre:
Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare (Seven Siblings Theatre). The story of betrayal, lust, revenge and honour is staged with full-sized puppets and actors. Previews Oct 27, opens Oct 28 and runs to Nov 6, Wed-Sun 8 pm, mat Nov 5 at 2 pm. $20-$25, preview $10. At The Citadel. Show Info.
Disenchanted! by Dennis Giacino (Starvox Entertainment). Snow White, Cinderella and other storybook princesses go rogue and reveal what they really think about how they’ve been portrayed in this musical. Opens Oct 20 and runs to Nov 5, Thu-Sat 7:30 pm. $22.45-$69.95. At Randolph Theatre. Show Info.
The Harrowing of Brimstone McReedy by Eric Woolfe (Eldritch Theatre). This horror play tells the tale of a grifter, unholy larceny and Klondike gold using puppets, con games and dark parlour magic. Opens Oct 27 and runs to Nov 13, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 3 pm. $25 advance, $35 at the door. At The Red Sandcastle Theatre. Show Info.
Toronto, Mississippi by Joan MacLeod (Panfish Productions). The lives of a teen, her mother and their tenant are disrupted when the teen’s Elvis-impersonator father comes to visit. Opens Oct 20 and runs to Nov 6, Mon and Thu-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $25, stu/srs $20, Mon PWYC. At The Box Toronto. Show Info.
Norma by Vincenzo Bellini (Canadian Opera Company). A secret love affair brings two enemies together in a time of war in this bel canto opera. Opens Oct 6 and runs to Nov 5, see website for times. $35-$350. At the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Show Info.
The (Post) Mistress. Théâtre Français de Toronto and Pleiades Theatre present a play by Tomson Highway, known in French as Zesty Gopher s’est fait écraser par un frigo. A postal worker shares her small town’s gossip and secrets in this solo musical comedy. Performances in English, French and Cree with surtitles (see website for details). Previews from Oct 12, opens Oct 14 and runs to Nov 6, Wed-Fri 8 pm (additional show Tue Oct 25, no show Wed Oct 26); mat Sat 3:30 pm, Sun 2:30 pm. $19-$49. At Berkeley Street Theatre. Show Info.
Breathing Corpses by Laura Wade (Coal Mine Theatre). Encountering death in life, and feeling dead while still alive, Amy has found another dead body in a hotel bedroom. Previews from Oct 23, opens Oct 26 and runs to Nov 13, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 2 pm. Tickets $35, previews $25. At the Coalmine 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.
Frolick in the Face of Certain Death. Frolick presents an interactive theatre experiential tour of their haunted “wherehouse” featuring clowns, dancers, swashbuckling pirates, art puppets and more. Opens Oct 8 and runs to Nov 5, Wed-Sun 6-10 pm (no shows Oct 9 or Oct 21). $30, stu/arts worker $15. At Frolick Studio Theatre. Show Info.
All But Gone. (Necessary Angel/Canadian Stage). Contemporary musical exploration of the absurd and evocative imagery of Samuel Beckett through a selection of his short plays. Oct 11-Nov 6. Previews Oct 11-12, opens Oct 13 and runs to Nov 6, Tue-Thu & Sat 8 pm, Fri 7 pm, mat Wed, Sat-Sun 1 pm. $39-$69. At Berkeley Street Theatre. Show Info.
Mouthpiece / Quiver. Nightwood Theatre (with Quote Unquote Collective) present a double bill. Mouthpiece by Norah Sadava & Amy Nostbakken/by Anna Chatterton (Nightwood Theatre/Quote Unquote Collective). A woman tries to find her voice after her mother’s death. Quiver by Anna Chatterton (Nightwood Theatre). A single mother and a teenage daughter collide when a love interest comes between them. Opens Oct 21 and runs to Nov 6, plays run in rep, Tue-Sat 7 & 8:30 pm, Sun 2 & 3:30 pm. $20-$35. At Buddies in Bad Times. Show Info.
Ariodante by George Frideric Handel (Canadian Opera Company). The three-act opera about of love, honour and deception is performed in Italian w/ English surtitles. Opens Oct 16 and runs to Nov 4, see website for times. $35-$350. At the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Show Info.
Outside Mullingar by John Patrick Shanley (Toronto Irish Players). Longtime farm neighbours struggle with fading youth, unrequited love, a land feud and facing their fears. Previews Oct 20, opens Oct 21 and runs to Nov 5, Thu-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $25, stu/srs $22; opening night reception $50; preview pwyc ($10 minimum). At Alumnae Theatre. Show Info.
The Circle by Geoffrey Simon Brown (Tarragon). A high school party features a drug dealer, a runaway, a kid with ADHD, and the son of a priest. Oct 18-Nov 27. Previews from Oct 18, opens Oct 26 and runs to Nov 27, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2:30 pm (see website for other matinee dates and times). $22-$65. At Tarragon Theatre. Show Info.
And the rest:
The Night of the Assassins by Jose Triana (Pacun Peras The-A-Tro). Three siblings caught in a stifling established order fantasize about and ritually enact the murder of their parents. Opens Nov 4 and runs to Nov 20, Fri-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $20, Sun $10. Tickets at eventbrite.ca or cash at the door. Arcadia Studio. Show Info.
The Swan Song: A Study in Terror by Mike Johnson (The NAGs Players). This murder mystery play is set in the 1950s in an isolated mansion and has multiple endings. Opens Nov 3 and runs to Nov 12, Thu-Sat 7:30 pm. $15-$20. At the Tranzac. Show Info.
Alex In Wonderland. Adapted by Derek Genova & Dahlia Katz (Solar Stage Children’s Theatre). A boy follows a white rabbit with a pocket watch down a hole and into a strange land in this kids’ play based on the book by Lewis Carroll. Opens Oct 1 and runs to Nov 20, Sat-Sun 2 pm. $17. At the Solar Stage Children’s Theatre. Show Info.
The Enchanted Loom by Suvendrini Lena (Cahoots Theatre/Factory). This drama displays the devastating physical and psychological effects of the Sri Lankan civil war on a Tamil family. Previews from Nov 5, opens Nov 10 and runs to Nov 27, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $25-$55, previews $2-$15. At Factory Theatre. Show Info.
Reflector. (Theatre Gargantua). Spoken word, performer-interactive live media projections, music and set design are used to explore the evolution in human communication and how images and information can be framed and manipulated. Nov 4-5 at 7:30 pm. $20-$22. At Theatre Passe Muraille. Show Info.
Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare (Hart House Theatre). Missed connections and romantic hijinks are the basis of this classic battle-of-the-sexes comedy. Opens Nov 4 and runs to Nov 19, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mat Nov 19 at 2 pm. $28, srs $17, stu $12-$15. At Hart House Theatre. Show Info.
A Party To Murder by Douglas E. Hughes & Marcia Kash (Bloor West Village Players). A murder-mystery game on a private island takes on an ominous reality in this mystery. Nov 4 and runs to Nov 26, see website for schedule. $24, under 30/srs $20. At the Village Playhouse. Show Info.
This is The Point by Tony Diamanti, Dan Watson & others (Ahuri Theatre/Theatre Centre). Two couples draw from their lives to explore questions of representation and the nature of companionship for people with disabilities. Previews from Nov 4, opens Nov 8 and runs to Nov 20, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $22-$33, preview $17. At The Theatre Centre. Show Info.
Fight Night. (Ontroerend Goed & the Border Project). Five actors vie for audience votes in this “reality theatre” piece about democracy, elections and political manipulation. Opens Nov 4 and runs to Nov 20, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $39-$92. At The Panasonic Theatre. Show Info.
That’s Not Funny (Art of Time Ensemble/Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie). Variety concert with works by Spike Jones, Joseph Haydn and Tom Lehrer, a performance of The Dance Belt: A Brief History of the Performing Arts, satirical dance work by Bill Coleman; excerpts from Ted Dykstra & Richard Greenblatt’s 2 Pianos 4 Hands; and more. Nov 3-5 at 8 pm. $25-$64. At Harbourfront Centre. Show Info.
The Queen’s Conjuror by Alec Toller and Joshua Browne (Circlesnake Productions). This play looks at scientist/magician John Dee, the 16th-century adviser to Queen Elizabeth. Previews Nov 3, opens Nov 4 and runs to Nov 20, Wed-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $30, stu/arts worker $20. At The Attic Arts Hub. Show Info.
Swan by Aaron Jan (Little Black Afro Theatre/Filament Incubator). A group of young queer women reunite to solve the grisly copycat murder of a swan and are forced to confront issues of race and identity. Previews Nov 2-3, opens Nov 4 and runs to Nov 13, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $12-$20. At Theatre Passe Muraille. Show Info.
Cracked: New Light On Dementia. (Collective Disruption/PiDC). Research-based theatre production follows persons with dementia and their families on their unique journeys with dementia, from diagnosis through to their new lives in a long-term care home. Nov 1 at 7 pm. Free (donations appreciated). At MaRS Discovery District. Show Info.
Cuisine & Confessions. (The 7 Fingers/Mirvish) Acrobatic choreography, music, food and the personal stories that come with family meals and secret snacks. Nov 1-Dec 4. Opens Nov 1 and runs to Dec 4, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Wed, Sat-Sun 2 pm. $21-$99. At The Princess of Wales Theatre. Show Info.
Pomona by Alistair McDowall (Actors Repertory Company). As she searches for her missing sister, a woman feels unsure what is fantasy, what is myth, and what is the result of a society’s indifference to human evil. Previews Nov 1-2, opens Nov 3 and runs to Nov 19, Nov 1-6, 10-13 and 15-18 at 8 pm, matinees Nov 5-6, 12-13 and 19 at 2 pm. $19-$34. At Geary Lane. Show Info.
A Brimful of Asha by Ravi Jain (Soulpepper Theatre/Why Not Theatre). An Indo-Canadian man learns that his Indian vacation is a wife-seeking scheme by his parents. Opens Nov 1 and runs to Nov 12, Nov 1-5, 8 and 11-12 at 8 pm. $25-$60, rush $5-$25. At the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Show Info.
Suitcases by Rosanna Saracino. This devised work uses theatre, dance and movement to explore psychological and emotional dysfunction. It was inspired by the 400+ patient suitcases unearthed upon the closing of the Willard Asylum in 1995. Previews Oct 31, opens Nov 1 and runs to Nov 6, Mon-Thu & Sat 8 pm, Fri 7 & 9:30 pm, mat Sat 2 pm, Sun noon. $30, stu/arts worker $25. At the Artscape Sandbox. Show Info.
Acquiesce by David Yee (Factory Theatre/fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre). A young man goes to Hong Kong for the first time to bury the father he barely knew. Previews from Oct 29, opens Nov 3 and runs to Nov 27, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $25-$55, previews $2-$15. At Factory Theatre. Show Info.
Joyful Noise by Tim Slover (East Side Players). After his last opera flopped and preachers called it blasphemous, composer George Frideric Handel hopes his oratorio “The Messiah” can save him from the disapproval of King George II and the church. Opens Oct 21 and runs to Nov 5, Wed-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $24, stu $17. At Papermill Theatre. Show Info.
Bloodclaat. The Watah Theatre celebrates the 10th anniversary of the play by d’bi.young anitafrika, part one of The Sankofa Trilogy. A reimagined, site-specific production of the solo play about a young girl coming of age through menstrual rights of passage and her survival through childhood sexual assault. Opens Oct 26 and runs to Nov 20, Wed-Sat 7 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $30, Wed. PWYC. At the Watah Theatre. Show Info.
Mary Poppins by Richard Sherman, Robert Sherman and Julian Fellowes (LOT). This musical is based on the PL Travers book and the 1964 film. Opens Oct 1 and runs to Nov 20, Thu-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun 3:30 pm. $55-$65. At Lower Ossington Theatre. Show Info.
Listings based primarily on NOW! Stage Listings.