Eye-Catching Toronto Theatre for the Week of January 7th, 2013

Here is what’s going on in Toronto theatre this week. There are several great shows to catch for the week of January 7th, 2013. ** Shows marked with the double asterisks and in red are the ones that make Wayne, our Managing Editor, wish he could exist in multiple parallel universes so he could check them all out.

Already Covered by MoT

**AWAKE by Laura Mullin and Chris Tolley (Expect Theatre/Spark Collective/Next Stage Theatre Festival). Based on interviews with youth, cops and moms who’ve lost sons, this fusion of dancehall, hip-hop and theatre looks at gang violence. Opens Jan 3 and runs to Jan 13. $12-$15, passes $48-$88. Factory Theatre, Mainspace, 125 Bathurst. 416-966-1062, fringetoronto.com.

**LIZA LIVE! by Jennifer Walls (Total Betty Productions/Next Stage Theatre Festival). This talk show/game show cabaret looks at 60 years of the film and stage icon’s music and memories. Opens Jan 2 and runs to Jan 13. $10, passes $48-$88. Factory Theatre, Antechamber, 125 Bathurst. 416-966-1062, fringetoronto.com.

MEMORIAL by Steven Gallagher (Next Step Productions/Next Stage Theatre Festival). A dying man plans to attend his own memorial and expects his family to throw him a great party. Opens Jan 2 and runs to Jan 13. $12-$15, passes $48-$88. Factory Theatre, Studio, 125 Bathurst. 416-966-1062, fringetoronto.com.

PITCH BLOND by Laura Anne Harris (Convection Productions/Next Stage Theatre Festival). Famous for being dim in movies, Judy Holliday outwits Senator McCarthy’s anti-communist inquisition. Opens Jan 3 and runs to Jan 13. $10, passes $48-$88. Factory Theatre, Antechamber, 125 Bathurst. 416-966-1062, fringetoronto.com.

**POST EDEN by Jordan Tannahill (Suburban Beast/Next Stage Theatre Festival). A girl exhumes her dead pet in this fantastical play about a day in the life of a fractured suburban family. Opens Jan 3 and runs to Jan 13. $12-$15, passes $48-$88. Factory Theatre, Studio, 125 Bathurst. 416-966-1062, fringetoronto.com.

SALT BABY by Falen Johnson (Salt Baby Productions/Next Stage Theatre Festival). An aboriginal woman’s European features cause identity issues on the reservation and in the city. Opens Jan 3 and runs to Jan 13. $12-$15, passes $48-$88. Factory Theatre, Studio, 125 Bathurst. 416-966-1062, fringetoronto.com.

SUDDEN DEATH by Charlotte Corbeil-Coleman (Pyretic Productions/Next Stage Theatre Festival). This play looks at the last night in the life of a violent, drug-addicted hockey player. Opens Jan 2 and runs to Jan 13. $12-$15, passes $48-$88. Factory Theatre, Mainspace, 125 Bathurst. 416-966-1062, fringetoronto.com.

THE PEACE MAKER by Natasha Greenblatt (Pomme Grenade Productions/Next Stage Theatre Festival). A young Jewish woman visits Israel and Palestine and wrestles with ideas of identity and justice. Opens Jan 3 and runs to Jan 13. $12-$15, passes $48-$88. Factory Theatre, Mainspace, 125 Bathurst. 416-966-1062, fringetoronto.com.

**THIS IS WAR by Hannah Moscovitch (Tarragon Theatre). A Canadian Forces captain in a volatile region of Afghanistan must deal with a threat from within. Previews Dec 28-Jan 2. Opens Jan 3 and runs to Feb 3. $48-$53, srs $38-$43, stu $27, previews $21-$24, rush $13. Extra Space, 30 Bridgman. 416-531-1827, tarragontheatre.com.

THRONE OF GAMES (Bad Dog Theatre Company/Next Stage Theatre Festival). Improvisers create unscripted interpretations of the HBO medieval fantasy series Game Of Thrones. Opens Jan 2 and runs to Jan 13. $12-$15, passes $48-$88. Factory Theatre, Mainspace, 125 Bathurst. 416-966-1062, fringetoronto.com.

**WITH LOVE AND A MAJOR ORGAN by Julia Lederer (QuestionMark-Exclamation Theatre/Next Stage Theatre Festival). This comedy depicts tragic, bold and hopelessly romantic characters with lots of heart and little social grace. Opens Jan 2 and runs to Jan 13. $12-$15, passes $48-$88. Factory Theatre, Studio, 125 Bathurst. 416-966-1062, fringetoronto.com.

WE’VE TOTALLY (PROBABLY) GOT THIS! Second City presents its fall 2012 revue featuring new sketches, songs and improv about stress and juggling priorities. Wed-Thu 8 pm, Fri-Sun 7:30 pm (plus Fri-Sat 10 pm). $24-$29, stu $15. 51 Mercer. 416-343-0011, secondcity.com.

And the Rest…

COMEDY, CABARET, AND COFFEE TALK with RYAN G. HINDS featuring GABI EPSTEIN, VIVEK SHRAYA, and DAINTY BOX
Award-winning performance artist Ryan G. Hinds presents a cabaret evening in a chat show format to shake away your January blahs. January 11th, 2013, $10, The Flying Beaver Pubaret, 488 Parliament Street 9 pm www.facebook.com/events

**HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH by John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask (breathe.feel.love). An East German transsexual indie rocker seeks stardom and love in this biographical rock concert. Opens Jan 9 and runs to Jan 26. $35, stu $25. Drake Hotel, Underground, 1150 Queen W. hedwigtoronto.brownpapertickets.com.

LIKE A GENERATION (Coyote Collective). This collective creation examines how Generation Y is defined by images and information received from screens. Previews Jan 9. Opens Jan 10 and runs to Jan 12. $20, stu/srs $12, preview/mat pwyc. Theatre Passe Muraille, Backspace, 16 Ryerson. 416-504-7529, coyotecollective.wordpress.com.

Poppin’, Lockin’ and Breakin’ The Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre presents a showcase of urban dance by young dancers of Jade’s Hip-Hop Academy. Jan 10 at noon. Free. Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen W. coc.ca.

RABBI SAM by Charlie Varon (TEATRON Theatre). A rabbi with new ideas shakes up a community in this comedy. Opens Jan 3 and runs to Jan 13. $31-$48, stu/srs $26-$30. Toronto Centre for the Arts, Studio Theatre, 5040 Yonge. 416-733-0545, teatrontheatre.com.

ROBIN HOOD: THE LEGENDARY MUSICAL COMEDY Comedy by Kieren MacMillan, William Foley, Jeremy Hutton, Jesse MacLean, Kevin MacPherson and Kate Smith (Hart House Theatre). This musical looks at how social, political and religious constructs inform our notions of status and wealth distribution. Opens Jan 11 and runs to Jan 26. $25, stu/srs $15. 7 Hart House Circle. 416-978-8849, uofttix.ca.

SOMEONE ELSE by Kristen Thomson (Crow’s Theatre/Canadian Stage). A middle-aged couple are forced to confront their stagnant existence after a sobering encounter with a stranger in this dark comedy. Previews Jan 7-9. Opens Jan 10 and runs to Feb 2. $22-$49. Berkeley Street Theatre, 26 Berkeley. 416-368-3110, crowstheatre.com.

THE AMOROUS ADVENTURES OF ANATOL by Arthur Schnitzler (Tarragon Theatre). A young playboy pursues women without commitment or care in this contemporary adaptation of the 1895 play. Previews Jan 1-8. Opens Jan 9 and runs to Feb 10. $27-$53, rush $13. 30 Bridgman. 416-531-1827, tarragontheatre.com.

**THE PENELOPIAD by Margaret Atwood (Nightwood Theatre). Odysseus’s wife gives her response to Homer’s epic, told through classical tragedy, Victorian melodrama, burlesque and song. Previews Jan 8-9. Opens Jan 10 and runs to Feb 10. Pwyc-$49. Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander. 416-975-8555, nightwoodtheatre.net.

THE WIZARD OF OZ adapted by Andrew Lloyd Webber (The Really Useful Group/Mirvish/Troika Entertainment/Warner Bros/Bill Kenwright). A twister sends Dorothy over the rainbow in this musical based on the classic film. Previews Dec 20-Jan 12. Opens Jan 13 and runs to Mar 31. $35-$130. Ed Mirvish Theatre, 244 Victoria. 416-872-1212, mirvish.com.

TOWARD LIGHT – A TRIBUTE TO RACHEL BROWNE Winnipeg Contemporary Theatre and Harbourfront NextSteps present a tribute to WCD’s founder, remounting nine of her signature works. Jan 12 at 8 pm. $25, stu $15. Fleck Dance Theatre, 207 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4000, harbourfrontcentre.com.

WAIT UNTIL DARK by Frederick Knott (Red One Theatre Collective). A blind woman is terrorized by thugs after unwittingly taking possession of a drug-filled doll. Opens Jan 11 and runs to Jan 26. $20. The Storefront Theatre, 955 Bloor W. redonetheatre.com.