Here are all of the shows we wish we could get out and see this week! Take your pick from our list of great theatre escapes for the week of January 16th, 2011:
** Shows marked with the double asterisks and in red are the ones that make Megan, our editor, wish she could clone herself so she could check them all out.
Boston Marriage by David Mamet (Le Salon Secret). Two female friends hatch schemes around money and relationships in this comedy. Opens Jan 21 and runs to Jan 29, Thu-Sat 8 pm. $25. Le Salon Secret, location revealed after ticket purchase. lesalonsecret.com.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels – The Musical by Jeffrey Lane and David Yazbeck (Hart House Theatre). Two con men try to outwit each other in this comedy based on the 1988 film. Opens Jan 14 and runs to Jan 29, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mat Jan 29 at 2 pm. $25, stu/srs $10-$15. 7 Hart House Circle. 416-978-8849, uofttix.ca.
Female Impersonator Shows (Zelda’s). Divas from Broadway, film and music perform weekly. Fri-Sat 9 pm Free. 692 Yonge. 416-922-2526, zeldas.ca.
**Fool For Love by Sam Shepard (Ezra’s Atlantic Co-op). A woman waits for her boyfriend in a run-down motel when an old flame shows up. Previews Jan 12. Opens Jan 13 and runs to Jan 21, daily at 8 pm, mat Sun 2 pm. $20, preview $15. Meta Gallery, 124 Ossington. foolforlovetoronto@gmail.com.
**Hard Love by Motti Lerner (TEATRON Theatre). An ultra-Orthodox couple who divorced over religious issues are reunited 20 years later. Opens Jan 5 and runs to Jan 16, Tue-Thu and Sat-Sun 8 pm, mat Sun and Wed 2 pm. $31-$48, stu/srs $19-$30. Toronto Centre for the Arts, Studio Theatre, 5040 Yonge. 416-781-5527, teatrontheatre.com.
**Here Lies Henry by Daniel MacIvor (Number 20 Productions). A self-confessed liar talks about life, love and loss in this solo show. Opens Jan 12 and runs to Jan 21, Jan 12-13 and 20-21 at 8 pm. $15. Siesta Nouveaux, Studio BLR, 15 Lower Sherbourne. 416-364-4556.
Oh My Irma by Haley McGee (Theatre Passe Muraille). A poet seeks to solve the mystery of her mother’s death in this solo show. Previews Jan 5-8. Opens Jan 11 and runs to Jan 29, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $25-$30, previews $15, mat pwyc. Backspace, 16 Ryerson. 416-504-7529, passemuraille.on.ca.
Opera 101: Nixon In China (Canadian Opera Company). Brent Bambury and guests discuss the COC’s upcoming production of John Adams’s opera. Jan 19 at 7:30 pm. Free. Drake Hotel, 1150 Queen W. coc.ca.
Pinkalicious, The Musical by Elizabeth Kann, Victoria Kann and John Gregor (Vital Theatre). A girl turns pink after eating too many cupcakes in this family musical. Opens Oct 9 and runs to May 29, Sat-Sun 1 pm. $29.50-$39.50. Lower Ossington Theatre, 100A Ossington. 416-642-8973, vitaltheatre.ca.
**Ruined by Lynn Nottage (Obsidian Theatre/Nightwood Theatre). Women struggle to survive and heal during the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Previews Jan 16-19. Opens Jan 20 and runs to Feb 12, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mats Wed 12:30 pm, Sat-Sun 2 pm. $15-$35. Berkeley Street Theatre, 26 Berkeley. 416-368-3110, obsidian-theatre.com.
The Bird by Sonja Mills (Union Eight Theatre). A same-sex couple’s family and friends mix at a jealousy-driven cocktail party. Previews Jan 8-11. Opens Jan 12 and runs to Jan 30, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2:30 pm. Pwyc-$33. Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander. 416-975-8555, unioneighttheatre.com.
**The Dining Room by AR Gurney (Down n’ Out Productions). A series of vignettes satirize the family life of bourgeois America. Opens Jan 18 and runs to Feb 6, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mats Sat-Sun 2:30 pm (no show Jan 21). $25. Campbell House Museum, 160 Queen W. 416-597-0227.
**The Mill Part 4: Ash by Damien Atkins (Theatrefront). Four youths inside the mill battle its ghosts and history in the final instalment of the play cycle. Previews Jan 12-13. Opens Jan 14 and runs to Jan 29, Jan 12-15, 18-19, 22, 24 and 29 at 8 pm, mats Jan 22, 26 and 29 at 2 pm. $30, stu $20, preview $15. Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 55 Mill. 416-866-8666, theatrefront.com.
The Misanthrope by Molière, adapted by Martin Crimp (Tarragon Theatre). A playwright who scorns celebrity culture falls for a superficial film starlet. Previews Dec 29-Jan 4. Opens Jan 5 and runs to Feb 6, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mats Sat-Sun 2:30 pm. $23-$46, rush $10. 30 Bridgman. 416-531-1827, tarragontheatre.com.
Wingfield: Lost And Found by Dan Needles (Mirvish). A farmer seeks a new source of water during a drought in this solo comedy. Opens Jan 12 and runs to Jan 30, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mats Sat-Sun and Wed 2 pm. $25-$60. Panasonic Theatre, 651 Yonge. 416-872-1212, mirvish.com.
ALREADY REVIEWED BY MoT
**Assassins by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman (Birdland Theatre/Talk is Free Theatre). Historical figures who tried to assassinate American presidents meet in this dark musical. Previews Jan 6-7. Opens Jan 8 and runs to Jan 23, Wed-Mon 8 pm, mats Sat-Sun 2 pm. $35. Theatre Centre, 1087 Queen W. 416-504-7529, birdlandtheatre.com.
Parade by Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry (Acting Up Stage/Studio 180). A Jewish factory manager is framed for the rape and murder of a young worker in 1913 Atlanta. Previews Dec 30-31 at 7 pm. Opens Jan 3 and runs to Jan 22, Mon-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $32-$40. Berkeley Street Theatre, 26 Berkeley. 416-368-3110, paradethemusical.com.
*Listings based on NOW stage listings*