“Authentic” show about women’s stories arrives on the Toronto stage
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from seeing the Canadian Premiere of Michele Lowe’s String of Pearls at Artscape Youngplace. I knew that the show involved a pearl necklace and women’s stories, but not much else.
I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw. The production itself was minimalistic, with no tickets or programmes. Thankfully, the power of the story itself and strong acting by all four performers made this show a memorable experience.
Burlesque, Greek Theatre, and Resistance collide in how.dare.collective’s adaptation of Lysistrata, performing as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival. First written and performed in ancient Athens by playwright Aristophanes, it is commonly found on the required reading list for most theatre undergrads. This production, however, is anything but a snoozer.
Orson Welles/Shylock (The Shylock Project) explores the life of Director/Writer/Producer/Genius/Diva and overall artist, Orson Welles. By drawing parallels between his life and Shakespeare‘s character from The Merchant of Venice, Shylock, we learn a bit about Welles’ love-hate relationship with Hollywood and insecurities as a filmmaker. Playing at the Factory Studio Theatre (125 Bathurst St) for this year’s Toronto Fringe Festival, this show gives you a sense of what the film industry is like through a theatrical lens.
The Short Short Play Festival delivers bite-sized plays on stage in Toronto
The Social Capital Theatre serves up a buffet of short plays in an intimate Toronto setting in The Short Short Play Festival — a perfect evening for those who find hour-long plays to be taxing. It’s snack-size theatre, full of variety; a 20-minute play has to make its point quickly, and leave us with one indelible impression.
Plays of this length rarely get a chance at performance and so an appetizer menu of 12 plays over four days is a treat. As Shakespeare might say, though, they be but little, they are fierce.
Broadway-bound The Heart of Robin Hood, a new musical play, delights Toronto
In the history of myth and legend, many, many things have been done to Robin Hood. Some of them have enriched and enlivened the old tale, and some…well, never mind. Good news, fans of the fairy tale: The Heart of Robin Hood at the Royal Alexandra Theatre is everything you had no idea you wished for in a retelling. It’s not a traditional Robin Hood, but it is a good old traditional romp of a story – and that’s grand too – mixed with acrobatics, aerial stunts, some extraordinary fight choreography, and a generally fresh and fantastical idiom. It’s almost too much fun.
“Authentic” show about women’s stories arrives on the Toronto stage
