Shows that Caught Our Eye in Toronto for the Week of February 4th, 2019.
MoT is here with fabulous suggestions for the theatre-goer in you! The cold weather has finally hit us, so stay warm (and entertained) by enjoying some of the best theatre Toronto has to offer. Our founding editor Megan has highlighted her top picks in red.
Already Reviewed by MoT:
Elektra. Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. by Richard Strauss (Canadian Opera Company). A woman seeks to avenge her father’s murder at the hands of her mother and her mother’s lover. Sung in German with English surtitles. Opens Jan 26 and runs to Feb 22, see website for times. $35-$350. Show Info.
SKOW. The Citadel: Ross Centre for Dance. Citadel + Compagnie present a new show choreographed by William Yong / Zata Omm Dance Projects. SKOW is an acronym derived from ‘Some Kinds Of Wonder’. This choreographic work is inspired by those things in dancer Johanna Bergfeldt‘s life that define a sense of wonderment and fascination. Jan 30-Feb 2 at 8 pm. $20-$25. Show Info.
Hook Up. Theatre Passe Muraille. Tapestry Opera (in partnership with Theatre Passe Muraille) presents a new work by Chris Thornborrow and Julie Tepperman. Three friends hit university in this new opera that raises questions of consent, shame and power in the lives of young adults navigating uncharted waters on their own. Previews Jan 29, opens Jan 30 and runs to Feb 9, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Feb 3 and 9 at 2 pm. $25-$55. Show Info.
Mary’s Wedding. Streetcar Crowsnest. by Stephen Massicotte (Solo Productions). A Canadian love story set against the backdrop of the Great War. Previews from Jan 31, opens Feb 1 and runs to Feb 16, Mon-Sat 8 pm, mat Wed 1 pm, Sat 2 pm. $35-$55. Show Info.
The Tashme Project: The Living Archives. Factory Theatre. Factory Theatre presents a play created and performed by Julie Tamiko Manning & Matt Miwa. Created from extensive interviews with over 30 Nisei (second generation Japanese Canadians) who were children during World War II and subjected to Canada’s strict internment laws, The Tashme Project: The Living Archives traces their childhood, confinement, and post-WWII resettlement east of the Rockies. Opens Jan 29 and runs to Feb 10, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $20-$50. Show Info.
salt. Theatre Centre. (Why Not Theatre/Progress Festival). Selina Thompson presents her solo show about grief, ancestry, home, forgetting and colonialism. Jan 31-Feb 2, Thu-Sat 7:30 pm. $25. Show Info.
And Everything Else:
The Silent Goodbye. Revival Bar. High Society Cabaret presents a murder mystery inspired by 1930s film noir featuring an original script, jazz & burlesque. Feb 4-6 at 8 pm (doors 7 pm). $30 advance, $40 at the door. Show Info.
Così Fan Tutte. Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. by WA Mozart (Canadian Opera Company). Comedic opera about the shenanigans of young lovers, sung in Italian with English surtitles. Opens Feb 5 and runs to Feb 23, see website for times. $35-$350. Show Info.
Cottagers And Indians. Tarragon Theatre. by Drew Hayden Taylor (Tarragon). Comedy/drama looking at conflicts between native traditional water usage and property owners in cottage country. Previews from Feb 5, opens Feb 6 and runs to Feb 24, Tue-Sat 8 pm, see website for matinees and other times. $22-$60. ExtraSpace. Show Info.
Come From Away. Elgin Theatre. by Irene Sankoff and David Hein (Mirvish). Newfoundlanders open their homes to stranded passengers following the September 11 terrorist attacks. Continuing at the Elgin after an 11-month run at the Royal Alex: February 5 to June 30, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Wed 1:30 pm, Sat-Sun 2 pm. $39-$169 (premium tickets also available). Show Info.
Othello. Monarch Tavern. Shakespeare BASH’d presents the Bard’s exploration of love, sacrifice, race and jealousy. One of Shakespeare’s most challenging and significant plays. Opens Feb 5 and runs to Feb 10, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $20-$25. Show Info.
Prince Hamlet. Berkeley Street Theatre. by Ravi Jain (Canadian Stage/Why Not Theatre). Cross-cultural, gender-bent reimagining of William Shakespeare’s classic tragedy that challenges conventional ideas of who gets to tell this story. The production combines spoken word and American Sign Language. Previews Feb 6, opens Feb 7 and runs to Feb 24, Tue-Thu & Sat 8 pm, Fri 7 pm, mat Wed 1 pm, Sat-Sun 2 pm. $49-$79. Show Info.
Solo, Not Alone: Drunk Girl & Everybody Dies in December. Theatre Passe Muraille. Premiere of one-woman shows Drunk Girl, by Thea Fitz-James, and Everybody Dies In December, by Nancy Kenny. Opens Feb 6 and runs to Feb 10, Wed-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $25. Show Info.
Hotel. Bluma Appel Theatre. Cirque Éloize presents acrobatics, theatre, dance and live music that tell the story of a place and the travellers who pass through it. Opens Feb 6 and runs to Feb 16, Wed-Sun 7:30 pm, mat Feb 10 & 16 at 1 pm. $68-$96. Show Info.
Break A Leg. Alumnae Theatre. Odd Sock Theatre Company presents a play by Larry Zacharko. A high school theatre project goes awry in this comedy. Feb 7-8 at 7:30 pm. $30, $20 students and arts workers. Show Info.
Mind-ful(l). Dancemakers. SaMel Tanz and DanceWorks Co-Works present an exploration of mental health through contemporary and urban dance. Feb 7-9 at 8 pm. $22-$25. Show Info.
Telling Giselle. York University. LNFN Productions presents a dance-theatre adaptation based on the classic ballet Giselle. Feb 7-9 at 8 pm. Free. Accolade East Building, McLean Studio (room 244). Show Info.
Niimi’iwe: Gathering Light. Native Earth Performing Arts. Native Earth Performing Arts and Raven Spirit Dance present a dance production that follows the journey of seed to flower, beginning with the stirrings of consciousness to the full embrace of transformation. Choreographed by Raven Spirit Dance’s Michelle Olson, this quartet is performed in the round, creating a sense of ritual where transformation is an experience the audience intimately shares with the performers. Feb 7-10, Thu-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $30, stu/srs/arts workers $25. In the Aki Studio. Show Info.
Next To Normal. Scarborough Village Theatre. by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey (Scarborough Music Theatre). Rock musical about a family dealing with grief, drug abuse, medical ethics and pain. Previews Feb 7, opens Feb 8 and runs to Feb 23, Thu-Sat 8 pm, mat Sun (and Feb 23) at 2 pm. $30, stu/srs $27. Show Info.
Showdown! A Game Show Cabaret! The Dance Cave. Minute To Win It with a glittery twist – five dazzling burlesque performances bookended by five ridiculous party games. Feb 8 at 8 pm (doors 7:30 pm). $15-$25. Show Info.
Post No Bills. Harbourfront Centre Theatre. Harbourfront Torque and Kitt Johnson X-Act present a solo Arte Povera exploration of the transformative power of crisis, choreographed and performed by Kitt Johnson. Feb 8-9 at 7:30 pm. $20-$45. Show Info.
Oslo. CAA Theatre. by JT Rogers (Studio 180/Mirvish). Drama about the back-channel talks that led to a historic 1993 peace agreement between the leaders of Israel and Palestine. Previews from Feb 9, opens Feb 14 and runs to Mar 3, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Wed, Sat-Sun 1:30 pm (note: no Wed matinee on Feb 13). $39-$99, stu $25. Show Info.
The Last Ship. Princess of Wales Theatre. by Sting (Mirvish). Sting stars in his new musical about a man who returns to his community amid the demise of its shipbuilding industry. Opens Feb 9 and runs to Mar 24, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Wed 1:30 pm, Sat-Sun 2 pm. $TBA. Show Info.
Tales From the Stripped: Horror Burlesque. See-Scape. Nerd Girl Burlesque presents things that go bump (and grind) in the night, with acts saluting horror in all forms, including movies, television and books. 7 pm. $10-$20. Show Info.
Act Fast—The 24-Hour Theatre Festival. The Assembly Hall. Over the course of 24 hours, five brand new pieces of theatre will be written, cast, rehearsed and then performed publicly for your enjoyment! Feb 9 at 8 pm. $5. Show Info.
Lula’s Drag Brunch Extravaganza. Lula Lounge. Anti-Valentine’s edition of the show features epic queens sending up the commercially driven interpretation of love. Feb 10, noon-3 pm. $45. Show Info.
Listings Primarily Based on NOW! Stage Listings