007-themed improv and sketch take Toronto’s Comedy Bar stage in Provocateur
Provocateur (playing at the Comedy Bar) knows how to have fun. Set in the Spy Universe — James Bond, Sydney Bristow and Sterling Archer walk into a premise — and high on camp, this mostly-improvised-partially-scripted show explores life after a pandemic which has wiped out North America. British Intelligence is aggressively pursuing quarantines and a cure; the Russian agents have secrets to keep; and aside from hitting a few pre-written plot points, nobody really knows how the story ends.
Ballet Creole transforms Handel’s Messiah into a vibrant dance production at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre
Well folks, it’s that time of year again. That wonderful time when the city is aglow with festive decorations and holiday cheer. Since 2002, Soulful Messiah – a Ballet Creole production – has been a Christmas staple for many of Toronto’s dance aficionados.
Unit 102 brings Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar to life at Toronto’s Parkdale Theatre
This was my first time seeing the great Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, and I am so happy that it was Unit 102’s production that I saw. They used their intimate Parkdale Theatre to its full potential and transported the audience to 44 BCE.
For anyone, like myself, not familiar with Julius Caesar here is a basic break down: Cassius and Brutus, played by Luis Fernandes and Brendon Smith, along with a handful of other men decide that Caesar, Carmine Lucarellli, has to be taken down. Continue reading Review: Julius Caesar (Unit 102)→
An uplifting romantic comedy for the holidays, Parfumerie is playing at Toronto’s Young Centre
I walked into the theatre exhausted and ready for some light, feel-good theatre. Luckily that’s exactly what was in store with Soulpepper‘s Parfumerie, on stage now at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts in the Distillery District.
Even though the piece seems to have become somewhat of a holiday tradition around these parts, this was my first time seeing the Soulpepper production. I was first struck by the absolutely luscious set. It was so beautiful. The show hadn’t even started and I was already in a better mood. I couldn’t stop staring at the revolving doors that were the entrance to the shop. Why aren’t revolving doors that beautiful these days? But I digress.
Mirvish presents the Tony Award-winning musical Once in Toronto
When you hear the term “Broadway musical” you might picture singers with big, brassy voices belting their emotions to the rafters while massive hydraulic sets rise from trap doors, chandeliers crash and life-sized animal puppets parade down the aisles. Broadway shows can get to be a bit much even for those of us who are fans of the admittedly chintzy and frequently over-the-top genre.
Once, adapted from the 2006 film of the same title, is none of the above. Despite the fact the show won the 2012 Tony Award for Best Musical it is the antithesis of the typical Broadway musical; it’s an intimate story told in a beautifully understated way that feels so genuinely personal and that’s precisely what makes the show so impactful. Once is a Broadway show for people who don’t like Broadway shows. Continue reading Review: Once (Mirvish)→
