Wayne Leung (1981-2019)
Wayne was the Managing Editor of Mooney on Theatre from 2012 - 2019 and will be sorely missed. His death from an apparent heart attack was a loss not just to Mooney on Theatre, but also to the Toronto Theatre Community at large. You can read our publisher Megan Mooney's tribute to him here here.
Wayne was a writer, editor and corporate communications professional who was thrilled to be a part of the Mooney on Theatre team. Wayne loved theatre ever since his aunt brought him to a production of Les Misérables at the tender age of ten . . . despite the fact that, at that age, the show’s plot was practically indiscernible and the battle scenes scared the bejeezus out of him. Wayne’s current list of likes ran the gamut from opera, ballet and Shakespeare to Broadway musicals, circus and Fringe theatre. Outside of the theatre Wayne’s interests included travel, technology and food.
Toronto playwright Jeff Ho adapts the Sophocles play for young audiences
Toronto’s Young People’s Theatre is ending its 2018-19 season with the world premiere of Antigone: 方, a contemporary adaptation of the Sophocles play by Jeff Ho, a Toronto-based playwright originally from Hong Kong. Recommended for audiences aged 12 to 18, you may be wondering how it’s possible to make an ancient Greek tragedy relevant to a contemporary, young audience. Ho approached the adaptation from a surprising angle and the results are brilliant. Continue reading Review: Antigone: 方 (Young People’s Theatre)→
A gripping, new, Canadian production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical is now on stage in Toronto
Next To Normal is a Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about a suburban family’s struggle with a mother’s mental illness, as well as a critical examination of psychiatry and psychopharmacology. It’s an intelligent, hard-hitting drama that also happens to be a rock musical featuring a big, bold contemporary rock score with music by Tom Kitt and lyrics by Brian Yorkey. Mirvish is currently presenting a new production of the show by The Musical Stage Company in Toronto at the CAA Theatre. Continue reading Review: Next To Normal (The Musical Stage Company/Mirvish)→
Coal Mine Theatre presents the Toronto premiere of this dark, irreverently funny play
In the dark comedy Hand to God, a Texas teen’s Christian ministry puppet comes to life becoming a foul-mouthed, troublemaker and slowly takes over the teen’s life, wreaking havoc on everybody around him. I first saw this play on Broadway in 2015 and though I had forgotten most of the plot details, I distinctly remember laughing so hard I nearly cramped up so I jumped at the opportunity to catch the first Toronto production by Coal Mine Theatre, performed in their intimate storefront venue on the Danforth. Continue reading Review: Hand to God (Coal Mine Theatre)→
Mirvish presents the return the Carole King bio-musical starring Toronto’s Chilina Kennedy
Carole King is one of the most prolific American pop songwriters of the last half-century. Even if you’re not familiar with the material she recorded herself you undoubtedly know songs she has written for other artists: “The Locomotion,” “One Fine Day,” “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” to name a few.
Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg returns to Toronto with a ballet inspired by Tchaikovsky’s life
Toronto playwright Jeff Ho adapts the Sophocles play for young audiences
A gripping, new, Canadian production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical is now on stage in Toronto
Coal Mine Theatre presents the Toronto premiere of this dark, irreverently funny play
Mirvish presents the return the Carole King bio-musical starring Toronto’s Chilina Kennedy