All posts by Megan Mooney

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.

Kid +1: A Midsummer Night’s Dream…A Puppet Epic! 2013 Toronto Fringe Review

A Midsummer Night's Dream...A Puppet Epic. Shakey and ZipWhen I told my four and a half year old son, Max, we were going to a play at FringeKids! he was ecstatic. This is actually his third Fringe Festival. When I told him we were going to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream…A Puppet Epic! he was over the moon. Likely more about the puppet aspect than the Shakespeare part, but hey, you never know, right!?! Okay, well, maybe you know.

Now, in the regular Fringe reviewing time for MoT this show already got a great review by a grown up, so this is going to focus mostly on what the kids thought.

Continue reading Kid +1: A Midsummer Night’s Dream…A Puppet Epic! 2013 Toronto Fringe Review

Megan Loves: Assassinating Thomson (Monster Theatre) 2013 Toronto Fringe

bruce_horak_assassinating_thomson4Okay, so, that title of this article sounds a little strange, since this is the first in what I imagine will be a series of pieces in a “Megan Loves” series.

Obviously what I’m saying is I loved Monster Theatre’s piece currently at Toronto Fringe, written and performed by Bruce Horak, which happens to be called Assassinating Thomson. While there is much speculation around the iconic Canadian artist’s death, I can confirm absolutely and without a doubt that *I* did not kill the man.

I loved this show. Which is good, because I’ve been dying to see it since I first heard of it, and sometimes being that excited about a piece can set me up for disappointment.

Continue reading Megan Loves: Assassinating Thomson (Monster Theatre) 2013 Toronto Fringe

Toronto Fringe Festival Shows Press Release Index

At A Glance – Link to alphabetical listing of press releases for Toronto Fringe shows

Whether you’re a Fringe junkie or just a casual consumer, you’re probably gearing up for the 25th Annual Toronto Fringe Festival. There is a certain joy involved in perusing the guide or even just the online listings, but the challenge, of course, is that those descriptions are not only short, but often submitted before the piece is even written.

If you really want to know what a show is about, we highly suggest checking out a show’s press release. As always, Mooney on Theatre is publishing every Toronto Fringe press release sent to us, and gathering them together in a handy alphabetical listing.

Review: The Giacomo Variations (Musik Konzept)

The Giacomo Variations John Malkovich

John Malkovich pays Toronto a visit as Casanova in this touring theatrical production

The Giacomo Variations is an international production by Musik Konzept that blends theatre and opera which first premiered in Vienna 2001.  Show One Productions & Starvox Entertainment have brought the playful and touching piece about the notorious seductor¹ Casanova to Toronto and Montreal.

A couple personal biases to get out of the way before I begin. First, I don’t know much about opera, although my four year old loves it, so I have a growing appreciation of the music since I’m hearing it much more often these days. Second, I’ve had a crush on John Malkovich (who plays Casanova in this production) since I first saw Dangerous Liaisons many years ago.

Continue reading Review: The Giacomo Variations (Musik Konzept)