The magnitude of this production of Sweeney Todd at the Al Green Theatre shocked me. I was expecting a little show with a few actors and a simple set. What I got instead was a 22 piece live orchestra complete with a conductor; an ensemble cast of almost 30 actors; and a set that was so well designed it boggled my mind as to how they pulled this off.
Everything about this show is magnificent the moment it starts. The audience is transported to London’s impoverished Fleet Street in the 1840s with creepy street mongers and half-crazed beggars running wildly through the audience. The live music really sets the tone and amplifies every moment and fills it with emotion. Continue reading Review: Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (No Strings Theatre)→
This week’s Cheap Theatre edition features 5 shows that cost under $20. There is no specific theme other than it’s all mainly local, cheap theatre. If you didn’t get a chance to catch a Fringe show here’s your chance to get out and see the best of the best this week. Continue reading Cheap Theatre in Toronto for the week of July 25th, 2011→
I had pretty big expectations for this play for several reasons. First of all, I have heard great things about it for at least a year now since it played at the SummerWorks Theatre Festival in 2010. Then there’s the fact that it’s based on a novella by the great writer, Leo Tolstoy. And if that wasn’t enough, it also incorporates the music of one the classical masters, Beethoven.
Adapted and performed by the one man powerhouse, Ted Dykstra, this show is an emotionally-charged ride that will keep you at the edge of your seat with a combination of anticipation, and at times, fear.
This delightful juried festival invites the best performances of the Fringe Festival, uptown to the Toronto Centre for the Arts for bonus performances. In a single night you will be able to see two very different performances. Tickets are $15 and the full list of shows is available now at www.tocentre.com Tickets can be purchased through the Toronto Centre of the Arts website, and not through the Toronto Fringe Festival Box Office.
Here are the 11 shows that have been selected for the Best of Fringe:
Productions like No Strings Theatre’s Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street make me realize how amazing Toronto theatre is and how easily you can walk into a small theatre with no expectations and be blown away by the hidden gem you find.