The original version was written by Joan Littlewood, Theatre Workshop and Charles Chilton in 1963. Director Autumn Smith’s version sets the play as a violent war-themed video game, with each scene an episode in the gamers’ quest. The conceit was apt and interesting, but in the end, the play did not work for me. Continue reading Review: Oh, What a Lovely War! (Hart House Theatre)→
In 1992, Brian Francis, a queer 21-year-old man living in southwestern Ontario, placed a personals ad in the newspaper. He received many responses, including thirteen to which he did not reply. Now, 28 years later, he responds to these letters with hilarity and poignancy in his play Box 4901, directed and co-created by Rob Kempson, playing at Buddies in Bad Times theatre. Continue reading Review: Box 4901 (timeshare performance)→
Musical about Motherhood Holds Nothing Back, Now on the Toronto Stage
Seven and a half years ago my life changed forever when we welcomed our son into the world and I entered the world of Motherhood. Many of those changes have been wonderful, others less so. Some of the changes have been stickier than I thought possible. Motherhood: The Musical, currently playing at Lower Ossington Theatre, takes the institution of motherhood to the stage with no holds barred: the good, the bad, and the messy. Continue reading Review: Motherhood: The Musical (Lower Ossington Theatre)→
You can see six brilliant short and sweet plays all in one evening, and hear diverse voices that don’t often surface in mainstream stories. But I can’t promise that you too will be singing “Livin’ on a Prayer” between plays since I don’t know if the audience’s energy and confidence were particular to last Friday night’s performance.
Shows that Caught Our Eye in Toronto for the Week of March 2, 2020
And here we are in March! It sure is coming in like a lamb. Or at least the weather is. But the Toronto theatre scene keeps roaring right along. Putting together this week’s listings, the number of Free or PWYC shows certainly caught my eye. So did the amount of Comedy, which I know I could go in for after the past couple of weeks of grey and gloomy weather.
Mooney Editor Lin gets to splash some colour onto our listings this week. Red to be precise! Scroll through the playlistings below and keep an eye out for Lin’s ‘reds’ – the shows that have piqued her interested this week!
World War 1 Satire Comes to the Toronto Stage, with Mixed Results
In 1992, Brian Francis, a queer 21-year-old man living in southwestern Ontario, placed a personals ad in the newspaper. He received many responses, including thirteen to which he did not reply. Now, 28 years later, he responds to these letters with hilarity and poignancy in his play 
Musical about Motherhood Holds Nothing Back, Now on the Toronto Stage
We laughed, we learned things, and we broke out into Bon Jovi for