Co-produced by the Théâtre français de Toronto and Théâtre La Catapulte, le fa le do is unique, hilarious, and full of suspense / Co-produit par le Théâtre français de Toronto et Théâtre La Catapulte, le fa le do est à la fois unique, hilarant et plein de suspense.

Critique en français à suivre. 

After seeing TfT‘s production of Les Fourberies de Scapin, I was eager to see more.  Unlike a Molière play, I had no idea what to expect with le fa le do.  A unique co-production of Théâtre La Catapulte and Théâtre français de Toronto, le fa le do is both hilarious and suspenseful.

Continue reading Review: Le fa le do (Théâtre français de Toronto/Théâtre La Catapulte) / Critique: Le fa le do (Théâtre français de Toronto/Théâtre La Catapulte) →

TheatreRUN’s remarkable adaptation of Dostoëvsky’s The Double is on stage at Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre

The Double, now onstage at Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre Extraspace, is an entirely engaging journey. It is based on Dostoëvsky’s novella of the same name, and is the story of one man’s descent into self-doubt and stark, raving madness.

A stroganoff of comedy, slapstick, mime, music humour and terror, The Double is a delicious play that you’ll find yourself immersed in. It’s comprised of two different acts. During intermission you’ll likely be tweeting great things about it and inviting friends while the second course is being prepared.

Continue reading Review: The Double (TheatreRUN) →

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.

Continue reading Opening November 1, 2013: dirty butterfly presented by Bound To Create and Obsidian Theatre Company →

Vampires, goths and Jews in Kat Sandler’s Halloween-themed play Sucker at Toronto’s Storefront Theatre

Sucker (at the Storefront) is presented as a Halloween entertainment–and coming away from it afterwards, this is an extremely apt description.

There’s blood. Lots and lots of blood. People die excruciating, humiliating deaths. There are vampires and occultists and murderers and attorneys. The story is warped and twisted, and–as with all good haunted houses–there’s a damned good scare right at the very end.

But, eventually, the party has to wind down. The lights come on, and suddenly, things crystallize. The creatures are constructed of makeup and papier maché; the blood comes from a gallon jug bought at a party store. Underneath all these gruesome masks are five very ordinary people pretending to be monsters.

At least, we hope they’re pretending.

Continue reading Review: Sucker (Blood, Sweat & Blood Collective) →

Birth of Frankenstein leaves the stage behind and invites the audience to play in a Toronto church parlour

As soon as I heard that Litmus Theatre was staging their production of Birth of Frankenstein in a 19th century church I knew that I had to see it. Matchbox Macbeth, which they performed in a garage in 2011, was wonderful. Litmus is an inventive, imaginative theatre company and I expected that Birth of Frankenstein would be special.

It was. From the minute that I walked through the doors into the church it felt like an adventure.

Continue reading Review: Birth of Frankenstein (Litmus Theatre) →