Shows That Caught Our Eye in Toronto the Week of September 18th, 2017

After a few relatively slow weeks on The 6’s stages, things appear to be back in full swing! If you’re overwhelmed by Toronto’s stage offerings this week, don’t fret! Our assistant editor Jess 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.

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.

Factory is the latest work by Citadel+Compagnie kicking off their 2017/2018 Bright Nights season. A stirring contemporary dance work that examines the riotous disruption of a hyper-connected society and the struggle for ultimate power. Through visceral, impulse-driven movement and pulsating sound design, five dancers will offer a mesmerizing view of the chaos and deception in their constructed society, and reflect the all-too-real collusion and treachery happening in the real world as well. Sep 20 – 23, 2017, 8 pm at The Citadel: Ross Centre for Dance. $20-$25. 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.

The Last Five Years. TheatreHN presents a new version of the Jason Robert Brown’s musical play. The musical is an intimate window into the relationship of Cathy and Jamie, who meet, fall in love, marry, and divorce over the span of five years. Cathy tells the story from the end of their relationship; Jamie begins from when they first meet. Previews from Sep 19, opens Sep 21 and runs to Sep 24, Tue-Wed & Fri-Sat 8 pm, Thu 9 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $20-$25. At Alumnae 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.

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.

Letters to the Universe by Shaunga Tagore (The Universe Collective). Dance, text and projections tell the story of a brown, femme super-queero’s magical life story as she time travels through portals, alternate dimensions. Sep 14-17, Thu-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $27. At The Theatre Centre. 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.

The Apology Project. Created and presented by lbs/sq” (pounds per square inch). Gerry Trentham and Kevin Ormsby perform a mashup of performance, visual and media art that interrogates the falling body from triumph, the shame of the oppressed, and the oppressor searching for the apology that can release a body’s endless legacy of violence. Sep 21-23 at 8 pm. $25-$34. At Harbourfront Centre. Show Info.

Operettts. Vienna Volksoper presents a madcap music comedy featuring the antics of three tenors as they compete for stardom on the operetta stage. Sep 22-24, Fri-Sat 8 pm, Sun 3 pm. $29-$49. Presented in cooperation with Attila Glatz Concert Productions. At Jane Mallett Theatre. 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.

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.