Shows That Caught Our Eye in Toronto the Week of September 25th, 2017
If you’ve ever wanted to see a puppet show in an actual Toronto garage, you’ll have your chance this week. With so much opening and continuing on stage this week, you may feel a bit overwhelmed. No fear (unless you’re seeing a scary show)! Our publisher Megan is here to choose her most anticipated shows (in red). Check them out below the cut:
Already reviewed by Mooney on theatre:
Pippi: The Strongest Girl in the World by Astrid Lindgren (Fourth Gorgon Theatre). In this adaptation, Pippi is surprised by her pirate crew who show up to take everyone on a musical sailing adventure. Kids can dress in costume, get face paint tattoos and help discover the mystery of the treasure map in this interactive theatrical show/boat cruise. Opens Aug 23 and runs to Oct 8, Sat-Sun until Jun 25, daily Jun 26-Sep 4, weekends to Oct 9. Various times from 10:30 am-5 pm. $25. $25. At Pirate Life Toronto. Show Info.
Bandits in the Valley. Tapestry Opera presents a site-specific multimedia opera by playwright Julie Tepperman and composer Benton Roark. Set in 1860s Toronto, it tells the story of a local bandit group, aided by a troupe of travelling Gilbert & Sullivan players, who attempt to steal a mysterious object from a wealthy citizen’s home in the Don Valley. Opens Sep 2 and runs to Sep 30, Sat-Sun various times, see website (no show Sep 17). Free (ticket required). At Todmorden Mills. Show Info.
Waiting for Godot. Soulpepper Theatre Company presents the classic tragicomedy by Samuel Beckett. On a bare road in the middle of nowhere, two world-weary friends wait. While anticipating, they speculate, quarrel, joke and ponder life’s greater questions. As dusk approaches, two figures appear on the horizon. Soulpepper revisits one of the most significant plays of the 20th century. Previews from Sep 8, opens Sep 14 and runs to Oct 7, see website for schedule and tickets. $32-$96.At The Young Centre for Performing Arts. Show Info.
Picture This. Soulpepper Theatre Company presents a play by Morris Panych and Brenda Robins. For a group of struggling artists, a visiting Hollywood producer could be the key to a glamorous career in show business. Their dreams all hinge on filming a Napoleonic saga in only two weeks. From the team behind Soulpepper’s Parfumerie comes a comedy of epic proportions. Previews from Sep 9, opens Sep 15 and runs to Oct 7. See website for schedule and tickets. $32-$96. At The Young Centre for Performing Arts. Show Info.
VOLTA by Bastien Alexandre (Cirque du Soleil). Theatrical spectacle about the freedom to choose and the thrill of blazing your own trail featuring music, dance, acrobatic arts and BMX bike stunts. Opens Sep 7 and runs to Nov 12, Wed-Sat 8 pm (and some Tuesdays), mat Sat 4:30 pm (and some Fridays), Sun 1:30 & 5 pm. $49-$300. At Big Top (Lakeshore/Cherry Street). Show Info.
And everything else:
Lukumi by d’bi.young anitafrika (The Watah Theatre). Set in post-apocalypse Turtle Island, a group of freedom fighters use try to survive and redeem humanity in this Afro-futuris dub opera. Previews from Sep 22, opens Sep 26 and runs to Oct 14, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Wed 1:30 pm, Sat 2:30 pm. $27-$32, Wed mat pwyc. Extraspace. At Tarragon Theatre. Show Info.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch by John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask (Hart House Theatre). An East German transgender rocker moves to America to start a band and find love in this sexually charged punk rock show. Opens Sep 22 and runs to Oct 7, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mat Oct 7 at 2 pm. $28, srs $17, stu $12-$15. At Hart House Theatre. Show Info.
The Fish Eyes Trilogy by Anita Majumdar (Nightswimming Theatre/Factory). This three-act play utilizes performance and dance to create a unique portrait of the intertwining lives of three teenage girls at one BC high school and examines issues of coming of age, cultural heritage and consent. Previews from Sep 26, opens Sep 28 and runs to Oct 15, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $20-$50. At Factory Theatre. Show Info.
Pets by Ishai Buchbinder (Changeup Theatre). Humans and puppets are used to portray creatures trapped in a world they didn’t choose and can’t control in this twisted urban fable. Previews from Sep 27, opens Sep 29 and runs to Oct 7, Tue-Sun 7:30 pm, mat Oct 1 at 2 pm. $10-$45. At Bellwoods Garage Studio. Show Info.
Let’s Go! A G-Dot Prequel by Robert Fothergill (DMT Productions). Two aspiring 1913 Vaudeville performers receive a call to action from an unknown source, leading them to question the world. Opens Sep 27 and runs to Oct 8, Wed-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $15-$25. At Theatre Passe Muraille. Show Info.
Pool (no water) by Mark Ravenhill (Cue6 Theatre). An accident is seen as an opportunity in this dark comedy about art, jealousy and friendship. Previews from Sep 27, opens Sep 29 and runs to Oct 15, Wed-Sat 8 pm (and Oct 1), Oct 8 & 15 at 4 pm. $22-$35. At The Citadel. Show Info.
Life After by Britta Johnson (Canadian Stage/Yonge Street Theatricals). A 16-year-old girl must navigate her life after her self-help-guru father dies in a car accident. Previews from Sep 23, opens Sep 28 and runs to Oct 22, Tue-Thu & Sat 8 pm, Fri 7 pm, mat Wed, Sat-Sun 1 pm. $35-$59. See website for details and to buy tickets. At The Berkeley Street Theatre. Show Info.
Turtleneck by Brandon Crone (emerGENce Theatre). A woman trying to escape from a dark past is caught in the midst of four men trying to control her. Opens Sep 23 and runs to Oct 8, Fri-Sat 8 pm (and Sep 24), mat Oct 1, 7-8 at 2 pm. $15-$25. AT Tree of Life Theatre. Show Info.
Lela & Co. by Cordelia Lynn (Discord and Din Theatre/Seventh Stage Productions). A woman is brought into sex trafficking by her husband during a time of war in this drama based on a true story. Previews Sep 21, opens Sep 22 and runs to Oct 8, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm (Oct 6-8 start times are 30 minutes later). $15-$30 Sun pwyc. At The Theatre Centre. Show Info.
In Her Own Words: The Diana Tapes by James Clements (What Will the Neighbors Say?). This play looks at the secret recordings of Princess Diana and their eventual release, and how the events changed views of celebrity, privacy and the monarchy. Opens Sep 20 and runs to Oct 8, Tue-Sun 7:30 pm, mat Sun 2:30 pm. $20. At Red Sandcastle Theatre. Show Info.
Gray by Kristofer Van Soelen (Theatre Inamorata). In this female-driven, contemporary re-imagining of Oscar Wilde’s classic novel The Picture Of Dorian Gray, our modern society’s views on beauty, ageing and self-indulgence are examined. Directed by Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster. Previews Sep 20, opens Sep 21 and runs to Oct 1, Wed-Sun 8 pm, mat Sun 2 pm (no show Sep 22). $15-$25. At The Commons. Show Info.
Undercover by Rebecca Northan and Bruce Horak (Tarragon/Vertigo Theatre). An audience member will become a rookie detective and try to separate clues from red herrings to solve a murder mystery. Previews from Sep 19, opens Sep 27 and runs to Oct 29, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sun 2:30 pm (and Sep 30 & Oct 14). $22-$60. At Tarragon Theatre. Show Info.
North by Northwest by Ernest Lehman (Mirvish). In a case of mistaken identity, an advertising executive is tormented by thugs in this adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 film. Opens Sep 19 and runs to Oct 29, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Wed 1:30 pm, Sat-Sun 2 pm. $38-$150. At The Royal Alexandra Theatre. Show Info.
Title and Deed by Will Eno (Nightfall Theatrics). An expat seeks connection and redemption in his new country in this meditation on life as a state of permanent exile. Opens Sep 19 and runs to Oct 8, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat & Sun 2:30 pm. $22, Sat mat pwyc. At Tarragon Theatre. Show Info.
Miss by Michael Ross Albert (UNIT 102 Actors Company). A shocking accident at a boarding school irrevocably changes the lives of a teacher, her fiancé and a troubled student. Opens Sep 14 and runs to Oct 1, Wed-Sat 8 pm (and Sep 26), Sun 4 pm. $20-$25. At The Assembly Theatre. Show Info.
The Seat Next to the King by Steven Elliott Jackson (Minmar Gaslight/Theatre Centre). In September of 1964, a chance meeting between a Black man and a white man reveals the bond they share and the ties connecting them to America’s most powerful leaders Previews from Sep 17, opens Sep 20 and runs to Oct 1, Tue-Sat 8:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2:30 pm. $29, stu/srs $22, previews $17. At the Theatre Centre. Show Info.
Unapologetically Me: Sharron’s Cabaret For Kids. Sharron Matthews performs her musical cabaret for young audiences featuring pop, rock and funk music and storytelling. Opens Oct 2 and runs to Oct 21, see website for schedule. $24, youth/srs $19. At Young People’s Theatre. Show Info.
Gay Play Day. Festival of LGBTQ theatre including The Hockey Card Solution (To A Barbie Doll Problem) by Josh Downing, The Picnic by Tina McCulloch, like love… by David Bateman, The Uglies by Nicholas Surges, and Talking To Mom In Colour by Shannon McDonough. Sep 29 at 8 pm, and Sep 30 at 3 and 8 pm. $15. At Alumnae Theatre. Show Info.
How to Drown Gracefully by Becky Tanton (Filament Incubator). A woman attempts to pick up the pieces of her life by confronting her most painful memories from the safety of her bathtub. Previews Sep 27, opens Sep 28 and runs to Oct 7, Wed-Sun 8 pm, mat Sun 2:30 pm. $15-$20, preview pwyc. At Kensington Hall. Show Info.
Legends of Horror. Host Dracula leads an immersive theatrical 1.5 km indoor/outdoor walk through the bowels of the historic castle to encounter classic horror figures. Opens Sep 29 and runs to Oct 31, daily every half hour from 7 pm-midnight. $40-$45. Children 13 and under must be accompanied by an adult. At Casa Loma. 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. Opens Sep 22 and runs to Nov 26, Fri-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat 3:30 pm, Sun 4 pm. $55-$65. At The Lower Ossington Theatre. Show Info.
Dreamgirls by Tom Eyen and Henry Krieger. (LOT). A Black female trio from Chicago become superstars in this musical based on the aspirations and successes of R&B acts of the 60s and 70s. Opens Sep 8 and runs to Nov 19, Fri-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat 3:30 pm, Sun 4 pm. $55-$75. At Lower Ossington Theatre. Show Info.
Listings based primarily on NOW! Stage Listings.