Megan loves being in the thick of all things theatre, but her ultimate goal is to promote theatre to the world of non-theatre people. It was the same when she was the theatre writer for blogTO, or the Fringe Correspondent for CBC Radio One‘s Here and Now, as it is as the founder of Mooney on Theatre. Her basic belief is that there is theatre/performance out there for everyone to love, they just need to find it. This is not to be confused with the idea that everyone should love theatre for theatre’s sake, in fact, as obsessed as she is with theatre, even *she* doesn’t love all types of theatre.
A fun show for parents and kids, Alligator Pie is playing at Toronto’s Young Centre for the Performing Arts
I’ve been enchanted with Dennis Lee‘s book of poem’s Alligator Pie since I was little. So has my son. That means the performance of poems by Lee that has once again taken the stage at Soulpepper, also called Alligator Pie, has a lot to live up to, for both of us.
And it does.
Max, my four-and-three-quarters year old son, and I loved the singing and romping and make-shift instruments that showcased the well-loved poems in a different light than our usual bedtime recitals. That said, the knowledge of the poems is certainly not a must, because there’s a lot of action on that stage, and it’s a great way to introduce kids to a Canadian icon.
The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble is an emotionally filled story about Alzheimer’s playing at Toronto’s Factory Theatre
There were several reasons I had been looking forward to the Factory Theatre and Obsidian Theatre co-production of The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble, and they all had to do with people who had been involved in some way, from the playwright all the way to the Artistic Directors of the theatre companies who decided this show would be a good one to put on stage.
With all this backing me, I didn’t look into what the play was about. I like going into a show like that. Not knowing what to expect. I like it to reveal on its own, instead of me anticipating when certain things will happen. The show was fantastic, and it was wonderful to see it unfold without expectations. But I do wish I had known enough about it to bring along tissues. Lots and lots of tissues.
dirty butterfly to take the stage in Toronto again
One of the fantastic things about fringe festivals is that you get to see amazing stuff before it becomes the ‘next big thing’. The idea of following something from its beginnings on the fringe stage as it continues to moves through the various stages of its artistic life is certainly exciting.
In 2012 Bound To Create presented a critically-acclaimed and nearly sold-out version of dirty butterfly. If you had the chance to see it then it means you are now in the position of being able to do that exciting following of a life cycle. Bound To Create will be opening dirty butterfly at Daniel’s Spectrum this Friday, November 1 (previews start Wednesday) as part of the Obsidian Theatre Company’s Presentation Series.
Mirvish presents the hilarious improvisational adult puppet show Puppet Up! Uncensored at Toronto’s Panasonic Theatre
I have a fascination with puppets, and I think it’s pretty safe to say that fascination started with Jim Henson’s work. Although, I don’t think I could narrow down whether it was from Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock or The Muppet Show. When I heard Mirvish was presenting a show created by Brian Henson (Jim Henson’s son) and Patrick Bristow called Puppet Up! Uncensored, I was pretty excited.
I wasn’t disappointed. In fact, I freakin’ loved it. My face actually hurt at the end from laughing and grinning so much.
Mirvish in Toronto kicks off their 50th anniversary theatre season with war stories from Afghanistan and Iraq vets, Jim Henson style puppets, and Broadway favorites Les Miserables and Aladdin
A Golden Anniversary means a golden season from Mirvish; a record 18 shows in its four venues for the 2013/2014 season.
