Ilana Lucas

Within a week, Toronto audiences had the opportunity to see two musicals which parody that scourge of November to January television, the Hallmark Christmas Movie.

“Since we surveyed, mapped, explored, and planted a flag,” writes Robert Lepage in his director’s note to THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON, “our interest in the moon seems to have greatly diminished.” Lepage, however, believes that, while it may no longer be as much of an enigma, the moon will never lose its poetic appeal.

What did our critic think of SPOTLIGHT AT THE SECOND CITY at Second City? For its October Spotlight series, the featured acts were $20 Sandwich and Sarah Bennett.

What did our critic think of TICK...TICK...BOOM! at Alumnae Theatre?

Tim Burton, praise Hecate in his name. That’s the refrain you’ll be encouraged to intone many times at THE BURTON EXPERIENCE, the second edition of a pop-up held at Novotel’s downtown location at 45 Esplanade.

Are the kids all right? It’s hard to say, but it’s easy to leave the show with hope for the future, and an appreciation of intergenerational artistic collaboration.

Ting’s performance art piece-cum-concert is part life confessional, part experimental violin recital, and part meditative state.

With compelling performances by Toronto theatre stalwarts, this tight, heartbreaking production might inspire you to call your grandparents and tell them that they matter.

What did our critic think of BLACKBIRD at United Hope Church? Of course, there’s a lot to gasp about in Talk Is Free Theatre’s production of BLACKBIRD, an incredibly intimate staging of Scottish playwright David Harrower’s 2005 drama about a tense confrontation, years after the fact, between a man who had a sexual relationship with a middle schooler and the now grown woman who tracks him down. So it’s a good thing to have such unfettered access to that respiration.

Coal Mine’s dedication to text and its intimate quarters mean that you don’t need to shell out for Broadway to get closer to Godot.

It’s the eve of Jackson’s Dangerous tour, which is spiralling out of control as he demands more technology and works his dancers to the bone, searching for an elusive perfection that will top anything he’s ever done before while scandal and rumours swirl around him.

Woolley’s moving and layered script, developed over years in Nightwood’s Write From the Hip program, is like a firehose of neuroses, a constant barrage that drenches you with a mind that never shuts off and lungs that never take a breath.

Emily Paterson’s BUTCH/FEMME opens Theatre Passe Muraille’s 2025/2026 season after receiving top honours at the University of Toronto Hart House Drama Festival.

“It was all a game,” sneers Maggie Hale (Margo MacDonald), lead “enforcer” of THE ELEPHANT GIRLS, the notorious gang of women that swept through London in the 1920s.

What did our critic think of ROMEO AND JULIET at Canadian Stage?The romantic tragedy and big emotions of Shakespeare’s famous tale of star-crossed lovers are difficult to successfully present in an age of irony. This is especially true in outdoor summer theatre, where the atmosphere lends itself more to a fun romp than heartbreak. But a tale of intractable families who nurture their hatred over everything else should feel sadly immediate regardless of where it’s performed.

It’s the end of the 2025 Toronto Fringe, which has entertained audiences for the past 12 days with more than 100 shows in 22 venues. Which was your favourite?

What did our critic think of TORONTO FRINGE FESTIVAL REVIEW ROUNDUP 4 at Toronto Fringe?

Keep on Fringing! This roundup includes two shows in the Next Stage Festival (JUSTICE FOR MAURICE HENRY CARTER and SONGS BY A WANNABE), this year being held simultaneously with the Fringe at its Soulpepper venues. 

The Toronto Fringe is in full swing, and if you're not seeing any of the 100+ shows available from now to Sunday, what are you doing with your life? BroadwayWorld continues its coverage with reviews of WHO DRINKS MOCKTAILS ON THE BEACH?, MILK MILK LEMONADE, and DON'T FALL IN.

What did our critic think of TORONTO FRINGE FESTIVAL REVIEW ROUNDUP 1 at Toronto Fringe?