Toronto’s Rarely Pure Theatre breathes modern life into Shakespeare’s As You Like It
I have noticed that the more Shakespeare I see, the more I enjoy it. Or maybe I am just seeing increasingly better productions. Rarely Pure Theatre’s production of As You Like It was enchanting and adorable.
The charm was everywhere as I walked to my seat in the Storefront Theatre. Before the play had even started the stage was set all over with snow-covered twigs.
A 24-hour performance of a series of vignettes make up A Wake for Lost Time at Toronto’s Theatre Passe Muraille
Twenty-four hours after I walked into the backspace at Theatre Passe Muraille, I was sitting at home wondering why the live stream for A Wake for Lost Time had just been cut off. I wanted it to keep going. Much like the viewers of the Truman Show, I was rooting for the collective members of Elephants in the Room to get through 24 hours of performing, but when the end came I was not ready.
A Wake for Lost Time was a regular ninety minute show, except it was performed for a period of 24 hours. A single cycle, the show, was made up of around 23 smaller skits ranging from humorous metaphors and fish pondering the great beyond to poignant confessions and the digestion of Faust. The theme of ritual and cycles were ever present in the skits. Continue reading Review: A Wake for Lost Time (Elephants in the Room Collective)→
Exquisite choreography pair with exceptional voices in this adaptation of Messiah at Toronto’s Opera House
I am pretty sure that as soon as Handel premiered his Messiah it became a Christmas tradition. Every year there are at least a handful of companies who put it on, and this year is no exception. As I shuffled in to The Opera House, Christmas cheer was in the air for Against the Grain Theatre‘s unique adaptation the Messiah.
Against the Grain took a slightly different approach to the Messiah. Spicing it up a bit, AtG worked with choreographer Jennifer Nichols, making the singers work twice as hard. Nichols devised simple, but effective gestures for each of the movements. Even though these performers are not known for their exceptional dance skills they all embodied the choreography, bringing the story of the Messiah to life. Continue reading Review: AtG’s Messiah (Against The Grain Theatre)→
Unit 102 brings Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar to life at Toronto’s Parkdale Theatre
This was my first time seeing the great Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, and I am so happy that it was Unit 102’s production that I saw. They used their intimate Parkdale Theatre to its full potential and transported the audience to 44 BCE.
For anyone, like myself, not familiar with Julius Caesar here is a basic break down: Cassius and Brutus, played by Luis Fernandes and Brendon Smith, along with a handful of other men decide that Caesar, Carmine Lucarellli, has to be taken down. Continue reading Review: Julius Caesar (Unit 102)→
Dancers get animalistic in New Animal playing at Toronto’s Enwave Theatre
In a quiet lobby at the Enwave Theatre I was hesitantly excited to see New Animal. I love seeing Canadian artists from out of town. By seeing these touring shows I get a taste of what else is going in our massive country. New Animal is a snap shot from Vancouver’s 605 Collective.
This piece really is all in the title. New Animal, you know what to expect. Animalistic behaviour dressed up in people clothes. It was vicious and violent. All the elements worked together to add to the voice of the work. Continue reading Review: New Animal (605 Collective)→
