I watched Hallaj, a story that transcends time and religion, at Toronto’s Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, a couple of nights ago. Hallaj is the story of a man who was brave enough to stand up for his beliefs – no matter what the consequences.
The story follows Hallaj’s quest for God, while defying the limits of religion and embracing spirituality, which is at the heart of the Sufi movement. Sufism is best described as the mystical branch of Islam that focuses on turning one’s attention inward in the search for God. Sufi music is captivating and beautiful and has a trance-like quality to it. Continue reading Review: Hallaj (Modern Times Stage Company)→
Toronto, ON – Nightwood Theatre announces an exciting new beginning for its annual play development festival. For 26 years, Nightwood’s Groundswell Festival has been bringing audiences provocative new works in development. The re-envisioned New Groundswell Festival – A National Festival of Contemporary Women’s Theatre, happens over 11 days starting on November 30th and features 3 premiere workshop productions including Governor General’s Award nominee Lisa Codrington’s new play The Aftermath, Jordi Mand’s Between the Sheets and Zuppa Theatre’s acclaimed new work The Debacle (Halifax).
The Festival will also feature a national industry series including an exciting array of masterclasses led by theatre luminaries such as Linda Griffiths, Jillian Keiley, Judith Thompson and d.bi young, as well as provocative dialogues and public readings with national and international artists and creators.
You really can’t do much in Toronto for under $20 these days but we have some suggestions if you’re looking to do something different – or maybe not so different for you theatre lovers – for a change. We’ve put together a list of five shows that are all under $20 and the best part is that they are all written by famous playwrights. Here’s your chance to see a fresh take on a classic and you already know that the storyline is good enough to be re-enacted decades later.
Here is what’s going on in Toronto theatre this week. There are several great shows to catch for the week of November 14, 2011: ** 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. Continue reading Eye-Catching Toronto Theatre for the Week of November 14, 2011→
I watched Mary Poppins at the Princess of Wales Theatre at its sold out opening night in Toronto last night. I’m going to get straight to the point and say it blew me away. The only thing that would have made it better is if I could be seven years old again! The production did a great job of reinventing this childhood musical classic. In fact, I have to say that there are changes to the original film that I felt helped translate it flawlessly to the stage and made it exponentially better for the medium.
Everything about this show is pure magic. I can’t get my mind around how they pulled some of this stuff off. I felt transported into the world of Mary Poppins. I didn’t see this show; I was part of an experience. Everyone in the production is stellar and bring the show together with their impeccably choreographed dancing. Continue reading Review: Mary Poppins (Mirvish, Disney and Cameron Mackintosh)→
