All posts by Wayne Leung

Wayne Leung (1981-2019) Wayne was the Managing Editor of Mooney on Theatre from 2012 - 2019 and will be sorely missed. His death from an apparent heart attack was a loss not just to Mooney on Theatre, but also to the Toronto Theatre Community at large. You can read our publisher Megan Mooney's tribute to him here here. Wayne was a writer, editor and corporate communications professional who was thrilled to be a part of the Mooney on Theatre team. Wayne loved theatre ever since his aunt brought him to a production of Les Misérables at the tender age of ten . . . despite the fact that, at that age, the show’s plot was practically indiscernible and the battle scenes scared the bejeezus out of him. Wayne’s current list of likes ran the gamut from opera, ballet and Shakespeare to Broadway musicals, circus and Fringe theatre. Outside of the theatre Wayne’s interests included travel, technology and food.

2019 Next Stage Theatre Festival Review: Ga Ting 家庭 (Ga Ting Toronto Collective)

Photo of Loretta Yu, Richard Tse, and Stephen Tracey by Randy Bui In Vancouver-based playwright Minh Ly’s Ga Ting, now playing in Toronto as part of the Next Stage Theatre Festival, an immigrant Chinese-Canadian couple meets their deceased son Kevin’s caucasian boyfriend for the first time and, over the course of a dinner full of clashes and fiery accusations, they each try to come to terms with Kevin’s death by suicide. Continue reading 2019 Next Stage Theatre Festival Review: Ga Ting 家庭 (Ga Ting Toronto Collective)

Review: The Play That Goes Wrong (Mirvish)

Photo of Clifton Duncan, Harrison Unger, Mark Evans and Alex Mandell by Jeremy DanielAfter runs in London and on Broadway the hit comedic play opens in Toronto

The Play That Goes Wrong recently played successful runs in London’s West End and on Broadway and I admit, I’m a bit baffled by its success. Rarely do you see a non-musical play on Broadway that doesn’t cast a celebrity in a lead role. It’s also the kind of screwball, slapstick comedy that would typically play in smaller, Off-Broadway size theatres, but last night the show opened in Toronto’s large Ed Mirvish Theatre in front of a packed house, so there’s obviously an audience for it. Continue reading Review: The Play That Goes Wrong (Mirvish)

Review: Champions of Magic (Starvox Entertainment)

Photo of Fernando Velasco by Pamela Raith The magic show from the UK featuring five world-class magicians is now playing in Toronto

Who doesn’t love a magic show? Oh, they’re the empty-calorie guilty pleasures of the performing arts, to be sure, but their unabashed spectacle and their ability to dazzle and delight makes them accessible, crowd-pleasing entertainment. Champions of Magic, is just that. Performing a three-week stint in Toronto over the holidays, the show is guaranteed to increase your dopamine levels. Continue reading Review: Champions of Magic (Starvox Entertainment)

Review: Reversible by The 7 Fingers (Mirvish)

Photo of Hugo Ragetly, Natasha Patterson, Vincent Jutras, Émilie Silliau, Julien Silliau, Maria Del Mar Reyes, Emi Vauthey and Jérémi Lévesque by Jerome Guibord
Mirvish presents the theatrical circus troupe 7 Fingers’ show Reversible in Toronto

Les 7 doigts de la main (the 7 Fingers), the scrappy Montreal-based contemporary circus arts collective has been steadily building its reputation in Toronto for its brilliant, wildly creative, artist-driven performances. Following recent runs of their shows Traces and Cuisine and Confessions, Mirvish has brought the company back to present Reversible.  Continue reading Review: Reversible by The 7 Fingers (Mirvish)

Review: Corteo (Cirque du Soleil)

Photo: Lucas Saporiti Costumes: Dominique Lemieux © 2015 Cirque du SoleilCirque du Soleil brings its show Corteo to Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena for the Holidays

The Canadian entertainment juggernaut Cirque du Soleil is back in town with their classic show Corteo—playing a short run this week at the Scotiabank Arena (formerly the Air Canada Centre)—just in time for the holidays!

Corteo originally played a longer run in Toronto back in 2005. Cirque du Soleil has taken to adapting their older shows—ones which have already toured the world in their signature tent—to enable them to play in arenas allowing them to profitably run in smaller markets and in cities like Toronto during the cold winter months. Continue reading Review: Corteo (Cirque du Soleil)