A variety of new works on offer through the New Ideas Festival

The 32^nd annual New Ideas Festival is on stage now at the Alumnae Theatre Company.  New Ideas is a three-week juried festival of new, short plays, works-in-progress, and experimental theatre. This year there are 14 plays being presented over the course of three different weekly programs. I attended the opening night of Week One which featured four pieces ranging from melancholy to mystical. Continue reading Review: New Ideas Festival (Alumnae Theatre) →

Donna Summer biopic musical will please long-time fans

***NOTE: The rest of run has been cancelled due to respect social-distancing requests around COVID -19

Donna Summer was a singer, actor, and icon. Called the Queen of the Disco, Summer was loved by millions. However, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, playing at the Princess of Wales Theatre, highlights the fact that Summer did not want that label. She was so much more than the Queen of Disco, and made considerable efforts to break away from disco in her music and as a pop culture icon. Continue reading Review: Summer: The Donna Summer Musical (Mirvish) →

A much-needed wake-up call on the realities of Black existence

The Negroes are Congregating opens with a sermon and ends with a dialogue. In between, the three-person cast uses a series of sketches to say all the things Black folks do not usually say in front of folks who aren’t Black.

Continue reading Review: The Negroes are Congregating (Piece of Mine Arts Production/Theatre Passe Muraille) →

Drag Ballet Troupe Treat Toronto With “Particular Pleasures”

Few things are as delightful as accomplished, stylish drag performance, and in an uncertain world, it’s a considerable relief that we can still count on Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo to deliver a flawless, high tone, high-test performance every time. With a well-established repertoire of ballet classics, the venerable all-male comic ballet troupe remains in excellent form.

Continue reading Review: Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (ShowONE) →

Installation is full of “joyous chaos” but invites thoughtful consideration

Slow Death is a visually stunning dance installation that took place at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) on March 4 & 6. The performance is a joyful movement (I would say romp, but romp implies fast movement which this piece was not) surrounded by shimmery, brightly colored fabrics and paper.

Continue reading Slow Death (By Marie Lambin-Gagnon at the AGO) →