Isabella Perrone - Page 5

The Canadian Opera Company's HANSEL AND GRETEL, directed by Joel Ivany, is a spectacularly detailed production; unfortunately, the sheer amount of things happening at every moment overwhelms the gorgeous music and talented cast.

It might not be the most gut-busting show from the company, but The Second City's new romance-themed show is still a fun, funny, and healthier alternative to stuffing your face with chocolates this Valentines Day.

The Canadian Opera Company's remount of THE BARBER OF SEVILLE, last performed in 2015, is a visually striking and pitch-perfect adaptation of one of opera's most well-known works. With staging by Spanish theatre troupe Els Comediants, director Joan Font beautifully blends 19th century sensibilities, modern architecture, and clownish costumes for an opera experience that defies any one genre.

England's first female regent is often forgotten and relatively unknown, but in Soulpepper's remount of MOTHER'S DAUGHTER, Queen Mary gets her moment in the sun - whether she wants it or not.

There's never been a shortage of movies-turned-stage musicals, but where many achieve to go beyond their inspirations, LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL is a show that stays true to what makes the cult-classic film so beloved a?' and in doing so, is just as relevant and timely in 2020 as the movie was in 2001.

It's one of the most well-known musicals, but THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA continues to surprise, featuring a stellar cast, design, and dozens of special effects that all add up to a massive spectacle of a show.

Aluna Theatre and Nightwood Theatre's production of THE SOLITUDES, directed by Bea Pizano, is an interesting glimpse into the lives of eight very different women's lives, histories, and bloodlines. Despite strong creative elements and performances, the dozens of ideas that are brought up rarely connect; at times this might be intentional, to show the differences between the women, but even in moments where there is opportunity for connection and healing over common trauma, actors remain isolated in their own stories.

Beatriz Pizano has had the kind of career many people dream about; after nearly three decades in the Toronto theatre scene, she founded a?" and is currently Artistic Director of a?" Aluna Theatre, won a number of Dora Awards, travelled the world to study with masters of the craft, and much more. Her latest project might be her most ambitious to date, though a?" and it's about to premiere.

Who lives in a pineapple on a big stage? THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL, presented by TO Live and NETworks Presentations, seems more than ready to make its Toronto premiere with a perfectly-cast ensemble, imaginative sets and costumes, and enough optimism to rival the yellow sponge himself.

Following a transfer to the Elgin Theatre that lasted most of 2019, COME FROM AWAY has returned to its original Toronto home, the Royal Alexandra Theatre, in full form. Under director Christopher Ashley, writers and composers' Irene Sankoff and David Hein story of what happened in the town of Gander, Newfoundland, in the days following 9/11 maintains all the charm that it held before moving.

Presented as part of Harbourfront Centre's The Festival of Cool: Arctic, IKUMAGIALIIT (Inuktitut for a?oethose that need firea??) is an experiential journey presented by a four woman performance art band, who collectively go by the name Ikumagialiit. Made up of Christine Tootoo, Cris Derksen, Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory and Jamie Griffiths, the 90-minute performance delves into their shared and individual experiences with their culture and their work to combat fear and oppression, both individually and as a community.

In the Toronto International Ballet Theatre and Bolshoi Ballet's (TIBT) production of THE NUTCRACKER, choreographer and artistic director Tatiana Stepanova takes a traditional approach to the beloved story that proves it doesn't need a modern-day refresh to appeal to a modern audience. From the glittering, gorgeous costumes (Shannon Khan) to lighting (Simon Rossiter, also credited with production management) that utilizes unique elements to stunning success, added to the dance components, this is a Nutcracker that embraces its history, and in turn, is a lovely holiday-themed production.

Within the Trinity-St. Paul Centre's high ceilings and warm wooden walls, audiences can experience a telling of the nativity unlike anything created today. SCH?oeTZ'S CHRISTMAS STORY, produced by The Toronto Consort, is a seasonal program centred on Schütz's works, featuring a few other German composers from his era, with his Christmas Story centred as the main event.

It's a story with dozens of iterations and adaptations, but a few small adjustments to this beloved Christmas tale make all the difference in Soup Can Theatre and The Three Ships Collective's A CHRISTMAS CAROL.

What happens when a modern-day Little Red Riding Hood gets pulled back in time, dropped in a forest, and comes face-to-face with Maid Marion, Robin Hood, and an evil sheriff? A lot. And it all happens hilariously, with full musical numbers, in Ross Petty's LIL RED ROBIN HOOD.

In the last decade or so, musicals based on movies have become a regular occurrence. It seems like several new shows are opening each year, so it's not surprising that a?oeAnastasia,a?? Don Bluth's semi-unconventional take on a princess movie, made the transition a?' and thankfully, the end result maintains much of the magic of its source material.

FIGARO'S WEDDING, first staged by Against the Grain in 2013, is a perfect example of how a good story and timeless music can transcend hundreds of years and switch languages, and still be rapturously funny. Featuring an English libretto by director Joel Ivany, the production still utilizes Mozart's original score from a?oeLe Nozze Di Figaroa?? to great effect via a thematically-appropriate quartet of strings and piano (music direction by Rachael Kerr).

CATS is a show that, on paper, isn't necessarily an easy sell. The narrative is simple: once a year a group of cats come together for the jellicle ball, and their leader Old Deuteronomy selects one cat to ascend to the Heaviside Layer and be reborn into a new life. There isn't too much structure to the plot besides that a?" cats come and go, introducing themselves and sometimes each other, and generally justa??do cat things. Because of all that, I wasn't the most optimistic viewer at the start of the night. By curtain call I was debating adopting a cat and naming it Mr. Mistoffelees, even with a lifelong track record of severe allergic reactions to the animals.

What happens when a monogamous lesbian songwriter and a polyamorous bisexual poet fall in love? Boundaries are set, broken, upheld, muddled, and re-established over and over again in a story that reflects the complications of modern dating and romantic relationships.

Pinocchio is not a new story by any means, and according to director Sheila McCarthy's program note, it's been translated into 260 languages since it was written in 1881. With such a wealth of imaginings and interpretations already in the world, Brian Hill (book) and Neil Bartram (music and lyrics) wisely decide to let the simplicity of the fairy-tale take centre stage in THE ADVENTURES OF PINOCCHIO.