blogTO:Theatre Feed

Thursday Theatre Review - Famous Puppet Death Scenes

Megan — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:08:00 -0500

When you hear "puppet show", what do you think of? I'm pretty confident in saying that it's likely not what is offered up by the Old Trout Puppet Workshop's show Famous Puppet Death Scenes.

Instead of a playful children's piece, this depicts scenes of puppet death. Many puppet deaths. 22 to be exact. Some funny, some gruesome, some funny AND gruesome, and some that are just utterly beautiful. But here's my promise to you - when you go to this show you will laugh. In fact, you'll be laughing in the face of death, making it an act of bravery, right?

Thursday Theatre Review: The Crackwalker

Graeme — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:21:04 -0500

When it first premiered at Theatre Passe Muraille 28 years ago, Judith Thompson's The Crackwalker was a kind of lighning rod for Canadian drama. Not only did it mark the arrival of a major new theatrical voice, but it signalled a new maturity among Canadian playwrights. Grit and brutal honesty had arrived.

Staged and Confused's production of The Crackwalker, also at Theatre Passe Muraille, is a worthy tribute to the significance of that first production. But it fails to generate any relevance of its own or achieve the resonance of its forebearer. Legacy, as it turns out, can be a tricky burden to bear.

Thursday Theatre Review: Late | Black Medea

Megan — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 13:17:48 -0500

Sometimes you are lucky enough to get two for the price of one. You get that with Obsidian Theatre's double bill of Late and Black Medea playing at the Berkeley theatre.

The two plays have completely different tones - although they have similar thematic feeling with discussions of loss and family and identity - which makes it a great evening. The first show, Late, is funny and heartwarming with moments of sadness alternated with great guffaws. The second, Black Medea, is an intense exploration into the characters' psyches that drew me in with symbolism, dance and mischievous spirits.

Thursday Theatre Review: Norway.Today

Graeme — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:01:20 -0500

Up until this Tuesday, I knew exactly three things about Norway. 1) Vikings come from there. 2) My friend Magnus lives there. Sadly, he is not a Viking. 3) It has fjords. And presumably Fords, although that's far less interesting from a tourism perspective.

But thanks to Theatre Smash's superb production of Norway.Today, I know a fourth thing about the Scandinavian nation: it is home to a 2000 feet-high cliff called the Preikestolen. Not only is it a scenic wonder, it's also an ideal place for the histrionically-inclined to off themselves. And, as it turns out, the backdrop for a very interesting piece of theatre.

Thursday Theatre Review: Barack to the Future

Megan — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:54:53 -0500

Second City's Barack to the Future delivers exactly what you expect from a Second City revue - lots of laughs, and not too much deep thinking. Which, frankly, is sometimes exactly what the doctor ordered.

Also as expected, some stuff fell a bit flat, but the joy of this kind of thing is that even if I don't like a bit there's bound to be others there who do like it, and for the stuff that made me snort with laughter (I really wish that was a turn of phrase, but I actually caught myself snorting in a couple places, definitely the professional image I want to portray) made other people roll their eyes and not really react.

Thursday Theatre Review: Barack to the Future

Megan — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:54:53 -0500

Thursday Theatre Review: Waiting for Godot

Graeme — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:42:42 -0500

Waiting for Godot is the theatrical equivalent of a mine field. Full of starving grizzly bears. Surrounded by a shark-infested moat. On fire.

It is a play where nothing actually happens. Two guys show up and wait for another guy to arrive. But behind this facade of inactivity lies a vast chasm of existential ambiguity. Sixty years after it was written, nobody is really sure what it's actually about. In fact, the play resists explanation so strongly, any attempt to pin down Beckett's intent seems doomed to failure.

So when I read that Remain in Light Theatre's production of Godot featured a World War II setting and the music of Joy Division, I thought: Uh oh. This might be trouble. And it was. But only a little. Almost in spite of itself, Remain in Light has managed to mount an impressive production of Beckett's classic.

Thursday Theatre Review (on a Friday) - Avenue Q

Megan — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:52:14 -0500

Okay, I'm betting that a lot of you have heard the song The Internet is for Porn through the delightful World of Warcraft remake on youtube, well, it really kind of does set the tone for Avenue Q.

If you don't know about Avenue Q, think Sesame Street only edgy and raunchy and pushing boundaries. In short, it's fun, has hum-able music and is funny - but you're not going to leave the theatre with an earth shattering revelation. Well, except maybe that puppet sex is hotter than you expected...

The Papermill Theatre at Todmorden Mills

Tim — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:49:50 -0500

It's been almost a year since the Papermill Theatre opened on Pottery Road. But that didn't stop me from waiting until last week to make my inaugural visit. Set inside the historic Todmorden Mills, the theatre is currently hosting Remain in Light's production of Waiting for Godot.

Contest: Win Tickets to Remain in Light's "House"

Jerrold — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:16:26 -0500

Jonathan Hirsh and Ryan Seeley have created Toronto's newest theatre company Remain in Light (RIL), and their aim is to bring classic theatrical pieces to new light in an edgy, exciting, and engaging way. They've debuted with two plays that are currently running on an alternating schedule at the Paper Mill Theatre, one of which is Daniel MacIvor's House.

RIL's rendition of House is a solo performance by Ryan Seeley, and tells the laugh-filled story of a man losing his grip on reality and having a very bad day.

blogTO has two pairs of tickets to pass on to Toronto theatre-loving readers. Continue reading for full contest and event details.

Thursday Theatre Review: Summerworks

Graeme — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:32:32 -0500

If you haven't been checking out the Summerworks Theatre Festival, let me ask you this: what the heck have you been doing? Standing around in the rain? Putting a lot of effort into a summer romance that, let's be honest, isn't going to work out? Seriously, people. Go check it out. Great theatre, music, dance, art...and you have four days left to take it all in.

Ever your faithful servants, we have been hitting the tarmac and sniffing out the best bets. Continue reading for reviews of Dust, Flux, If We Were Birds, Kid Cosmic, Pelee, Rendevous With Home, and The Performance Gallery.

Summerworks Cometh

Graeme — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:37:37 -0500

Ah, the summer of 2008. If the rain doesn't wash you away, then you're liable to be swamped by theatre. Hot on the heels of the 11 day performance binge of the Toronto Fringe comes the Summerworks Theatre Festival. Think of it as a smaller, more refined version of the Fringe. Unlike its larger cousin, Summerworks is juried. The festival evaluates each show, and only the best applicants get in. So while it lacks the brash irreverance of the Fringe, Summerworks always provides a high-quality product.

And there's a lot of product to choose from. With 42 shows, eight nights of live music and a "performance gallery" at the Gladstone Hotel, the variety can be a little daunting. Continue reading for a few of my early picks.

Thursday Theatre Review - One Woman Show

Megan — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:23:30 -0500

If you were following the Fringe coverage, you already know that I surprised myself by liking One Woman Show a lot. So did a lot of other people. I figured since it was the patron's pick, and managed to get one of the much coveted 'Best of the Fringe' spots and opens tonight at Diesel Playhouse , that it was worth re-visiting. So, why did people like it?

It's a good question. One Woman Show is a parody of one-woman shows, written by three men with a man playing the Eileen , the 'woman' who's show it is. Sounds a bit scary, doesn't it? When I first read about this show I rolled my eyes and figured it was going to be painful. Happily, the show proved me wrong.

Thursday Theatre Review: The Christian Republican Fundraiser in Dayton Tennessee

Graeme — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:39:45 -0500

Well, another Fringe Festival has come and gone. But like every year, there are a few shows that will go on to bigger things. In 1999, there was the Drowsy Chaperone. In 2002, Job: The Hip Hop Musical got all the buzz. Last year gave us the Gladstone Variations and An Inconvenient Musical.

And in 2008, we have The Christian Republican Fundraiser in Dayton Tennessee. I reviewed this show during the Fringe and loved it. But since Christian Republican Fundraiser is playing next week as part of Diesel Playhouse's "Best of the Fringe", I thought I'd tell you a bit more about what makes this show so good.

The Fringe In Review

Megan — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:48:58 -0500

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with myself this week, I'll have to re-learn what life is like with the luxuries like sleep. But, I'm here to tell you, sleep is a small price to pay for the excitement of Fringe.

With the end of the 20th Toronto Fringe Festival I thought I'd take a moment to provide you with a quick round-up of some of the highlights from this year.

Read on for a listing of each blogTO Fringe writer's favourite show, and the listing of what shows are playing at Diesel Playhouse during 'BEST OF THE FRINGE.'