Shows that Caught Our Eye in Toronto for the Week of May 27th, 2019.
MoT is here with fabulous suggestions for the theatre-goer in you! Spring has finally arrived, and so has Toronto’s busiest theatre season. Our assistant editor, Katee has highlighted her top choices in red. Take a look at our list below and we guarantee you’ll find your next theatrical obsession!
Already Reviewed by MoT:
Prophecy Fog. Theatre Centre. Paper Canoe Projects, Nightswimming & Theatre Centre present a show created and performed by Jani Lauzon. A girl in the mountains of BC searches for a sacred site. Previews from May 14, opens May 16 and runs to May 26, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $30, stu/elder/srs/arts workers $22, preview $17.
Marienbad. Winchester Street Theatre. Toronto Dance Theatre presents a work created and performed by Christopher House and Jordan Tannahill about two queer men in a landscape of shifting meanings and intentions. May 23-June 1,Wed-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $20-$30.
August: Osage County. Young Centre for the Performing Arts. by Tracy Letts (Soulpepper Theatre). A family must confront its secrets when its alcoholic patriarch disappears in this darkly comic drama. Previews from May 18, opens May 24 and runs to Jun 19, see website for schedule. $35 & up.
Light Years. Fleck Dance Theatre. Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre presents a cutting-edge program of five contemporary dance works. May 24-25 at 8 pm. $38, stu/srs $22.50.
Against Nature. The Citadel: Ross Centre for Dance. Citadel + Compagnie presents a music/dance/theatre pieces by James Kudelka, featuring original music by James Rolfe, libretto by Alex Poch-Goldin and inspired by a book of the same name by author Joris-Karl Huysmans. Opens May 22 and runs to Jun 1, Wed-Sat 8 pm. $20-$25, at eventbrite.ca
1991. Theatre Centre. by Cole Lewis (Guilty by Association/Why Not Theatre RISER Project). Reports of a serial killer in her town lead a 12-year-old to seek safety with her boozy dad in this drama. Previews May 22, opens May 23 and runs to Jun 1, see website for times. Pwyc $12-$60.
And Everything Else:
The Gathering: Performance I. Aki Studios. CPAMO presents The Gathering Performances by Sashar Zarif Dance and Mateo Galindo Torres Dance. May 27 at 7:30 pm (doors 7 pm). $20, stu $15. Register on Native Earth’s Box office.
11:11. Theatre Centre. AVO Collective and Why Not Theatre present a show by Samson Bonkeabantu Brown, part of the RISER Project. This solo show explores the other side of fear through the eyes of a young, Black transman struggling to obey the ancestral messages saturating his dreams. Previews May 26, opens May 27 and runs to Jun 1, Sun-Mon 7 pm, Tue, Thu & Sat 6 pm, Wed & Fri 9 pm. Pwyc $12-$60.
Stories From Ovid’s Metamorphosis. Factory Theatre. Theatre Smith-Gilmour presents work-in-progress performances of a new creation. “Metamorphoses” is movement and mime! Stills in motion! Actors transform, characters metamorphose and stories resonate. May 24-Jun 1, Thu-Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 2:30 pm. $15-$20.
2 Sherlock Holmes Adventures. Red Sandcastle Theatre. John D. Huston and Kenneth Brown present adapt two Arthur Conan Doyle stories in this stage show. May 28 and 29 at 7:30 pm. $20 at the door.
The Sound of Music. Princess of Wales Theatre. by Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein, Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse (Mirvish). The classic musical about aspiring nun Maria and the Von Trapp family returns in a new production. Opens May 28 and runs to Jun 2, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Wed, Sat-Sun 1:30 pm. $39-$129.
True Stories (Told Live) Toronto. The Garrison. Storytellers Kausar Ashraf, Sara, Holly Barsoum, Brynn Byrne plus a story and a song from Misha Bower. Hosted by Marsha Shandur. May 28 at 7:30 pm (doors 6:45 pm). No cover.
Lot X. Harbourfront Centre Theatre. Harbourfront Torque, DanceWorks and adelheid present a site-specific creation by choreographer Heidi Strauss. Performance begins in the theatre and then moves outdoors. May 29-Jun 2, Wed-Sun 8 pm. $20-$35.
Undivided Colours. Dancemakers. inDANCE and Erasga present four solos by Asian-Canadian artists Peter Chin, Hari Krishnan, William Lau and Alvin Tolentino. May 29-Jun 1, Wed-Sat 8 pm. $35, stu/srs/arts workers $20.
By Heart. Berkeley Street Theatre. by Tiago Rodrigues (Teatro Nacional D. Maria II/Canadian Stage/Théatre Français de Toronto). The playwright teaches a Shakespearean sonnet to 10 people from the audience in this solo show. May 30-Jun 2, Thu & Sat 8 pm, Fri 7 pm, mat Sat 5 pm, Sun 2 pm. $49-$79.
Danny And The Deep Blue Sea. Monarch Tavern. by John Patrick Shanley (LOVE2 Theatre Co). Two of society’s rejects strike up a conversation in a rundown bar in the Bronx. Opens May 30 and runs to Jun 8, Thu-Sat 7 pm. $15-$35.
inspiraTO Theatre Festival. Alumnae Theatre. Theatre inspiraTO, producers of Canada’s largest ten-minute play festival, presents 30 ten-minute plays over a two week period, all on the theme of Outcast. May 30-Jun 8, see website for schedule and lineups. $15-$20. The inspiraTO Festival, now in it’s 14th season, has over 100 participating artists take part in three different venues at Alumnae’s MainStage, Trinity and Studio spaces.
Urinetown The Musical: In Concert. Wychwood Theatre. We Are Here Productions presents the musical in concert to benefit WaterAid Canada. May 31-Jun 2, Fri-Sun 8 pm. $30.
88 Keys. Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Soulpepper presents a musical revue by Tom Allen and Mike Ross that looks at the history of the piano: from Beethoven and Chopin to Fats Domino, Ray Charles and Billy Joel. Opens Jun 1 and runs to Jun 21, see website for schedule. $30-$75.
Physical Thinking. Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. The National Ballet of Canada presents works by William Forsythe, including the company premiere of The Vertiginous Thrill Of Exactitude and Approximate Sonata 2016 and the return of The Second Detail. Jun 1-8: Jun 1 & 5-7 at 7:30 pm, Jun 2 and 8 at 2 pm. $40 & up.
Lift Off! Staging Protest. City Hall. Cahoots Theatre presents a theatre festival with two works-in-protest addressing political action through artistic expression. There will be readings of The Effeminates: A Queer Tale Of Bloody Vengeance by award-winning Latinx Queer artist Raf Antonio and Marjorie Chan’s The Madness Of The Square. Jun 2-4. Free (registration required).
Listings Primarily Based on NOW! Stage Listings