I live by myself, so I spend a lot of time on my own. When I first moved into my own place I was a bit worried that I’d get bored or lonely without anybody around, but I’ve actually found it really liberating. The idea that we become our unguarded, true selves when alone is the starting point for the blood projects’ intimate, site-specific show Inside, now playing as part of the SummerWorks Performance Festival. Continue reading Inside (the blood projects/Cat and the Queen) 2016 SummerWorks Review
All posts by Wayne Leung
Tomorrow’s Child (Ghost River Theatre) 2016 SummerWorks Review
Ghost River Theatre’s Tomorrow’s Child, a special presentation at this year’s SummerWorks Performance Festival, isn’t theatre per se. There aren’t any live performances. Billed as an “immersive audio experience,” it has more in common with the radio plays of a bygone era, or maybe today’s story-based, audio podcasts like Welcome to Night Vale, but evolved to the next level. Continue reading Tomorrow’s Child (Ghost River Theatre) 2016 SummerWorks Review
Review: The 39 Steps (Soulpepper)
Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre presents a comedic adaptation of Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps
If you’re a classic film buff, you may remember The 39 Steps, a 1935 Alfred Hitchcock thriller about a Canadian man in London who unwittingly becomes embroiled in an international espionage plot that has him fleeing from the law and from a mysterious cabal — the titular 39 Steps. In this stage version, adapted by Patrick Barlow in 2005, the spy caper is re-imagined as a stripped-down, madcap farce with four actors portraying the dozens of characters. It can make for a solidly entertaining night if you’re in the mood for it. Continue reading Review: The 39 Steps (Soulpepper)
Review: LUZIA (Cirque du Soleil)
Cirque du Soleil presents its new show inspired by Mexico: LUZIA in Toronto’s Port Lands
This hasn’t been a great year for Cirque du Soleil. I was terribly disappointed with the two shows they released earlier in 2016: their James Cameron Avatar spin-off TORUK which I found shamelessly commercial and utterly boring, and their misguided attempt at a Broadway musical, Paramour, which was savaged by the critics in New York.
When the company strays too far outside its idiom of artfully-staged theatrical circus shows, especially into the realm of narrative-driven, script-based shows, the results often fall short and fail to capture the magic and creativity on which the company built its name. However, their big top shows are the bonafide, quintessential Cirque du Soleil experience and I’m happy to report that their newest show, LUZIA, is a return to form for the company. Continue reading Review: LUZIA (Cirque du Soleil)
Review: A Doll’s House (Soulpepper)
Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre presents a contemporary take on Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House
Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen premiered A Doll’s House in 1879. The play, which explores a complex moral crisis of a female protagonist, was progressive for its day and surprisingly feminist (though Ibsen himself eschewed that label). But what happens when a play that’s so critical of the patriarchy and rigid societal structures of the 19th century gets transposed to a contemporary setting? The result in director Daniel Brooks’ production for Soulpepper is surprising, searing and thought-provoking. Continue reading Review: A Doll’s House (Soulpepper)