Shows That Caught Our Eye in Toronto the Week of April 3rd, 2017
Toronto stages are packed with a variety of unique and interesting shows this week. From musicals to married life dramas, there is something to suit all tastes. To help you in your decision-making is our editor Lin, highlighting her most anticipated shows in red text. Check them out below the cut:
Already Reviewed by Mooney on Theatre:
Crawlspace. Soulpepper Theatre presents a solo show by Karen Hines. A perfect little coach house turns into a real life nightmare in Karen Hines’ comic, Kafkaesque tale about the darker side of home ownership. Inspired by true events, Crawlspace moves past “cautionary” as it snakes through the brutal battleground of Toronto real estate, decorative twig orbs and the transcendence of the human soul. Previews from Mar 23, opens Mar 28 and runs to Apr 15, see website for schedule. $25-$50. At The Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Show Info.
S h e e t s. Veritas Theatre presents S h e e t s. by Salvatore Antonio. Through a series of dovetailing scenes set in a single hotel room, S h e e t s. explores the theme of intimacy in its many forms through the experiences of various inhabitants. Previews Mar 24-26, opens Mar 28, and runs to Apr 9, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sun 2 pm (and Saturday Apr 1 & 8). $30-$35. At The Theatre Centre. Show Info.
Sousatzka by Craig Lucas, Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire, based on the novel Madame Sousatzka by Bernice Rubens (Teatro Proscenium/Garth Drabinsky). A young musical prodigy is torn between his mother – a political refugee from South Africa – and his eccentric piano teacher in this musical drama that crosses racial and cultural divides. Previews from Feb 25, opens Mar 23 and runs to. Apr 9, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Wed, Sat-Sun 2 pm. $60-$175. At Elgin Theatre. Show Info.
The Millennial Malcontent. Tarragon Theatre presents the world premiere of a new play by Erin Shields An unhappily married couple struggle in this exploration of the social posing, sexual frankness and emotional minefield of the Millennial generation. Previews from Feb 28, opens Mar 8 and runs to Apr 9. Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2:30 pm. $22-$65. At Tarragon Theatre. Show Info.
Jack Charles V The Crown by Jack Charles and John Romeril (Canadian Stage). The Aboriginal theatre artist sings and tells his story of art, addiction, crime and doing time in this solo show. Opens Mar 29 and runs to Apr 8, Tue-Thu & Sat 8 pm, Fri 7 pm, mat Sun 1 pm. $39-$69. At Berkeley Street Theatre. Show Info.
Kiss. by Guillermo Calderón (Theatre Smash/Arc Production/Canadian Stage). Two couples meet for dinner to take their minds off the war around them. Previews from Mar 28, opens Mar 30 and runs to Apr 16, Tue-Thu & Sat 8 pm, Fri 7 pm, mat Wed, Sat-Sun 1 pm. $39-$69. At Berkeley Street Theatre. Show Info.
And the rest:
Binti’s Journey adapted by Marcia Johnson (Theatre Direct). Following the death of her father, a young girl escapes from uncaring relatives and sets out to find her grandmother in sub-Saharan Africa. Opens Apr 8 and runs to Apr 23, see website for schedule. $15. At Artscape Wychwood Barns. Show Info.
A Peculiar Place for Curious Creatures (Bad Dog Theatre Company). This improvised show based on young adult Gothic fiction features a veteran cast and teen performers. Opens Mar 17 and runs to Apr 14, Fri 8 pm. $15, stu $10. At Bad Dog Theatre. Show Info.
Tons of Money by Will Evans and Arthur Valentine (Scarborough Players). A debt-ridden inventor fakes his own death in order to claim an inheritance without tipping off his creditors. Opens Apr 7 and runs to Apr 22, Thu-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $22. At Scarborough Village Theatre. Show Info.
The Clean House by Sarah Ruhl (Alumnae Theatre). A couple with marital problems hire a Brazilian maid with a penchant for jokes in this class comedy. Opens Apr 7 and runs to Apr 22, Wed-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $20, Wed $10, Sun pwyc. At Alumnae Theatre. Show Info.
Vigils. Encore performances of the play by Noah Haidle (Soul Heroine Productions). A woman captures her husband’s soul after his death and keeps it in a box, but then must deal with the consequences of not letting go. Opens Mar 22 and runs to Mar 26, Wed-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $20, Sun pwyc. New dates added: April 6-9, Thu-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. At Red Sandcastle Theatre. Show Info.
Lear: A Retrospective by Clare Coulter and Philip McKee (Harbourfront World Stage). This performance examines the intergenerational narrative created by Coulter’s portrayal of the title role in Shakespeare’s King Lear. Opens Apr 5 and runs to Apr 9, Wed-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $15-$35. At Harbourfront Centre. Show Info.
I Take Your Hand in Mine by Carol Rocamora (The Chekhov Collective/Theatrus). This play is based on love letters of playwright Anton Chekhov and his wife, actor Olga Knipper. Previews Apr 5, opens Apr 6 and runs to Apr 23, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2:30 pm. $32. At Tarragon Theatre. Show Info.
The Weavers (Die Weber) by Gerhart Hauptmann (Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts). This drama based on an actual workers’ uprising in 1844 looks at the human cost of the Industrial Revolution. Opens Apr 4 and runs to Apr 8, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $22. At Annex Theatre. Show Info.
The Seer by Zach Closs (commonplacetheatre). The apocalyptic story of a man hunting for revenge and the woman compelled by guilt to lead him. Opens Mar 30 and runs to Apr 8, Tue-Fri 7 and 9 pm, Sat 2 and 7 pm. $12. At The Commons. Show Info.
Little Pretty and the Exceptional by Anusree Roy (Factory Theatre). Two sisters and their father prepare to open a new sari shop on Gerrard Street and try to overcome demons of their past in this exploration of family ties and mental health issues in the South Asian community. Previews from Apr 1, opens Apr 6 and runs to Apr 30, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $25-$55, previews $2-$15. At Factory Theatre. Show Info.
Tough Jews by Michael Albert Ross (The Storefront Theatre/The Spadina Avenue Gang). A murder in Prohibition-era Kensington Market thrusts a family of would-be criminals into the high-stakes world of American organized crime. Opens Mar 31 and runs to Apr 16, Wed-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm (and Apr 8 & 15). $20-$25. At Kensington Hall. Show Info.
Spoon River. Soulpepper presents a theatrical work adapted by Mike Ross and Albert Schultz. A forgotten town comes back to life in this show inspired by Edgar Lee Masters’s 1915 poetry collection. Opens Mar 31 and runs to Apr 15, see website for schedule. $32-$96. At The Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Show Info.
Simply Barbra. The Civic Light-Opera Co. presents a Barbra Streisand tribute show created and performed by Steven Brinberg. Opens Mar 29 and runs to Apr 9, Wed 7 pm, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sun 2 pm (and Apr 8). $28. At The Zion Cultural Centre. Show Info.
The Emancipation of Ms. Lovely by Ngozi Paul (Emancipation Arts/Crow’s Theatre). A Black woman awakens to her sexual identity as mirrored through popular culture. Previews from Mar 28, opens Mar 30 and runs to Apr 8, Mon-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $TBA. At Streetcar Crownsnest. Show Info.
A Mickey Full Of Mouse. By DJ Wightman. Two friends are trapped in a snow globe and must relive a disastrous family trip that exposes the darkest of family secrets. Opens Mar 25 and runs to Apr 8, Sat 8 pm (and Apr 7), Sun 2 pm. $20. At Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Show Info.
Little Shop of Horrors by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken (LOT). A flower shop clerk raises a plant that feeds on human blood in this musical. Opens Mar 24 and runs to May 14, Fri-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat 3:30 pm, Sun 4 pm. $55-$65. At The Lower Ossington Theatre. Show Info.
Mrs. Henderson Presents by Terry Johnson and Don Black (Mirvish). An eccentric UK socialite invests in and transforms London’s Windmill Theatre in 1937 in this biographical musical based on the 2005 screenplay by Martin Sherman. Opens Mar 15 and runs to Apr 23, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mats Wed, Sat-Sun 2 pm. $38-$139. At Royal Alexandra Theatre. Show Info.
The Book of Mormon by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone (Mirvish). Two naive missionaries go to a volatile region in Uganda in this religious satire musical. Opens Feb 28 and runs to Apr 16, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 7:30 pm, mat Sat 2 pm, Sun 1:30 pm. $49-$139. At The Princess of Wales Theatre. Show Info.
The Bodyguard by Alexander Dinelaris, music by Whitney Houston (Mirvish). A former secret service agent fall for the pop star he’s hired to protect in this musical based on the 1992 film that starred Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner. Opens Feb 11 and runs to Apr 9, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Wed, Sat-Sun 2 pm. $38-$139. At Ed Mirvish Theatre. Show Info.
Listings based primarily on NOW! Stage Listings.