Shows That Caught Our Eye in Toronto the Week of October 2nd, 2017

Leaves are falling, everything is coming up pumpkin spiced, and Toronto’s stages are abuzz with activity! There are countless intriguing shows opening and continuing this week, including re-imagined classics, docu-plays about current events, and much more. Our amazing editor Samantha is here to choose her most anticipated shows (in red). Check them out below the cut:

Already reviewed by Mooney on theatre:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Caminos. Aluna Theatre and Native Earth Performing Arts presents a festival of new works-in-progress from local Pan-American, Indigenous & Latinx artists who push the boundaries of theatre, dance, performance art, music, visual arts, installation & film. Creators/performers include Dainty Smith, Victoria Mata, Nawi Moreno-Valverde, Augusto Bitter, Monica Garrido, Jivesh Parasram and many others. Oct 4-8, shows Wed-Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 2 pm, cabarets Thu-Sat 9:30 pm. Film screening Sat 2 pm ($13). Shows $18, cabarets free. Aki Studio & Ada Slaight Hall. Show Info.

Asking For It. by Ellie Moon (Crow’s Theatre/Nightwood Theatre/Necessary Angel). This documentary play explores gender roles and sexual consent in the wake of the Ghomeshi scandal and looks at shame, power, ambiguity and misunderstanding in communication about sex. Previews Oct 6, opens Oct 7 and runs to Oct 21, Tue-Sat 8 pm (and Oct 16), mat Oct 14 & 21 at 2 pm. $20-$25. At Streetcar Crownsnest. Show Info.

Untitled Shape Show. What Will the Neighbors Say? presents a new musical for young audiences that celebrates self-expression, promotes individuality and suggests that our differences make us beautiful. Oct 6-7, Fri 5 pm, Sat 11 am & 12:30 pm. $20, 16 & under $15, family 4-pack $50. At Red Sandcastle Theatre. Show Info.

Wait Until Dark by Frederick Knott (Scarborough Theatre Guild). A blind woman is threatened by thugs who believe she has their drug-filled doll in her apartment. Opens Oct 6 and runs to Oct 21, Thu-Sat 8 pm (no evening show Oct 21), mat Oct 8, 15 and 21 at 2 pm. $24. At Scarborough Guild 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.

Circles. A post-punk jazz dark-pop theatre jam written & composed by Lucas Penner, with music based off of The Inferno from Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. (Dead and Lovely Collective). A band is playing at what they think is a regular open mic, but turns out to be an infernal trap and night of horrors. Their friendship and musical careers are challenged by the grungy regulars of limbo and their own demons as they pass through each individual circle of hell. Oct 3-5, Tue-Thu 8 pm. $10-$30 pwyw. In the Cameron House Back room. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.