Shows That Caught Our Eye in Toronto the Week of January 16th

We’ve got some exciting themes happening in our listings this week. From love, sex, math, to feminism, misogyny, and of course a bloody musical, there are so many unique shows to choose from! To help you out, our editor Samantha is here to highlight a fews shows that caught her eye in red text. Check them out below the cut:

Already Reviewed by Mooney on Theatre:

Avenue Q by Robert Lopez, Jeff Marx and Jeff Whitty (LOT). A college grad moves to NYC and copes with grown-up problems in this adult musical puppet play. Opens Dec 1 and runs to Jan 29, Thu-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun 3:30 pm (no shows Dec 24-25, 31, Jan 1). $50-$60. At The Lower Ossington Theatre. Show Info.

Sister Act by Cheri Steinkellner, Bill Steinkellner, Alan Menken and Glenn Slater (LOT). A wannabe diva hides out in a convent after witnessing a crime. Opens Dec 1 and runs to Jan 29, Thu-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun 3:30 pm (no shows Dec 24-25, 31, Jan 1). $60-$70. At The Lower Ossington Theatre. Show Info.

Infinity by Hannah Moscovitch (Volcano Theatre/Tarragon). Three brilliant minds – a musician, a mathematician, and a theoretical physicist – smash together like colliding particles in an accelerator in this play about love, sex and math. Opens Jan 4 and runs to Jan 29, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2:30 pm. $60, srs $49, stu $29. At Tarragon Theatre. Show Info.

And the rest:

Beauty and the Beast (Cow Over Moon Children’s Theatre). The audience controls the story in this improvised twist on the classic tale. Public performances Jan 21-22, Sat & Sun at 11 am and 2 pm. $17, child $13.50. At Pia Bouman School for Ballet. Show Info.

Carrie: The Musical by Michael Gore, Dean Pitchford and Lawrence D. Cohen (Hart House Theatre). A high school outcast pushes back against bullies in this musical based on the book by Stephen King. Opens Jan 20 and runs to Feb 4, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mat Feb 4 at 2 pm. $28, srs $17, stu $12-$15. At Hart House Theatre. Show Info.

The Last Wife by Kate Hennig (Soulpepper). Sex, violence and women’s rights shape a contemporary look at Katherine Parr, the last wife of Henry VIII. Previews from Jan 20, opens Jan 24 and runs to Feb 11, see website for times. $32-$89. At the Young Centre for Performing Arts. Show Info.

The Gut Girls by Sarah Daniels (Alumnae Theatre). London women look for their place in the world after the gutting sheds close down in Victorian London in this play about women’s and workers’ rights, social expectations and the struggle for self-worth. Opens Jan 20 and runs to Feb 4, Wed-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $20, Wed $10, Sun pwyc. At Alumnae Theatre. Show Info.

Closer by Patrick Marber (Mortar & Pestle Productions). Four strangers meet and become caught up in a web of sexual desire and betrayal. Opens Jan 19 and runs to Jan 27, Thu-Sat 8 pm, mat Jan 21 & 27 at 2 pm. $15 at the door. At Gerrard Art Space. Show Info.

The Magic Flute by WA Mozart (Canadian Opera Company). The classic opera offers a both comic and profound exploration of the trials of growing up, seeking ideals and finding love. Opens Jan 19 and runs to Feb 24, see website for schedule. $35-$235 (box seats $350). At the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Show Info.

Empire of the Son by Tetsuro Shigematsu (Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre). Shigematsu performs his multimedia solo show about intergenerational and cross-cultural conflicts between him and his father. Opens Jan 18 and runs to Jan 29, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun (and Jan 28) 2 pm. $25-$35. At Factory Theatre. Show Info.

The Audience by Peter Morgan (Mirvish/Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre). This play imagines the meetings between Queen Elizabeth II and various British prime ministers over the course of 60 years. Opens Jan 17 and runs to Feb 26, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Wed, Sat-Sun 2 pm. $35-$119. At The Royal Alexandra Theatre. Show Info.

The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare (Groundling Theatre). The King of Sicilia descends into a world of jealousy, murder and conspiracy. Previews Jan 17-19, opens Jan 20 and runs to Feb 19, see website for schedule (runs in rep with Measure For Measure). $29-$79. At The Winter Garden Theatre. Show Info.

Unholy by Diane Flacks (Nightwood Theatre). Four women – a progressive Muslim lawyer, an Orthodox Jewish spiritual leader, an excommunicated nun and a lesbian atheist pundit – debate religion and misogyny. Previews from Jan 15, opens Jan 18 and runs to Jan 29, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2:30 pm. $20-$35. At Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Show Info.

Danny and the Deep Blue Sea by John Patrick Shanley (Wolf Manor Theatre). Two dejected and seemingly mismatched souls take a chance on each other in a bar. Opens Jan 13 and runs to Jan 22 at two venues. $15-$22 at nowtickets.ca. Week 1: Jan 13 at 10 pm, Jan 14-15 at 2 & 7 pm – at Imperial Pub (54 Dundas E). Week 2: Jan 19-22 at 7 pm, mat Jan 21 at 2 pm – at Round Venue (152 Augusta). Show Info.

The Ugly Duckthing by Marty Stelnick (SSCT). Re-telling of the Hans Christian Andersen classic using puppetry, music and multimedia for ages 5 and up. Jan 14-Feb 5, see website for schedule. $17. At Solar Stage Children’s Theatre. Show Info.

The Wedding Party by Kristen Thomson (Crow’s Theatre/Talk Is Free Theatre). Comedy about two families, a wedding, mistaken identities and love. Previews Jan 12-17, opens Jan 18 and runs to Feb 11, Mon-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $20-$40. At Crow’s Theatre. Show Info.

Alien Creature by Linda Griffiths (TPM). A poet uses magic, stories and rhymes to entice audiences with a glimpse of her life. Previews from Jan 12, opens Jan 17 and runs to Feb 5, Wed-Sat 7:30 pm (and Jan 17), Sat-Sun 2 pm (no Sat mat on Jan 14). $17-$33, mat pwyc at the door. At Theatre Passe Muraille. Show Info.

The Magic Hour (Theatre Centre/Jess Dobkin). Solo performance by Jess Dobkin that uses magic to explore trauma and transformation, asking us to consider who we are beyond the stories we tell about our lives. Previews Jan 10, opens Jan 11 and runs to Jan 21, Tue-Sun 8 pm. $30, stu/srs $22, preview $17. At The Theatre Centre. Show Info.

Sequence by Arun Lakra (Tarragon). Two intertwined stories about the interplay between science, faith, probability and luck. Previews from Jan 3, opens Jan 11 and runs to Feb 12, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2:30 pm. $22-$65. At Tarragon Theatre. Show Info.

Listings based primarily on NOW! Stage Listings.