Isabella Perrone - Page 8

For a different kind of night out, look no further than Beyond Mental Borders and their collection of mental tests. Comprised of Toronto-based mentalists Armand Antony and Alexandra Brynn, CONNECTION takes the traditional approach to magic and modifies it for a modern audience. Over the course of their act, Brynn and Antony lead several tests centered on mind reading a?" which, as the pair explain at the very start of their show a?" isn't real, but that doesn't mean the performance isn't a whole lot of fun.

It's a circular story that's both deeply complex and utterly simple. It's a puzzle that reveals itself, side by side and track by track, slowly and then all at once. There are moments of chaos, dissonance, and fury which battle with the quiet, solemn, tranquil ones. It's laden with feeling and will keep you guessing until the last light goes out; GHOST QUARTET isn't your typical night at the theatrea?"it's a fully sensory experience.

Classic horror movie tropes meet an inclusive, immersive experience in Aberrant Theatre's second annual Ghost Light Anthology production, CATACLYSM. The story follows a group of former campers and their counsellor as they return to their old haunt after a tragic incident. As they're reunited, old tensions and rivalries are rekindled and create a powder keg of an environmenta?'and that's when things start getting weird.

As they near the end of their first year, Beyond Mental Bordersa?"comprised of Armand Antony and Alexandra Brynna?"has seen their act go farther than they could have anticipated. Their live show CONNECTION, held twice monthly at The Rec Room, has become a largely popular event that's sold out for the last few months with no sign of slowing down.

Talk Like You Theatre's IN THIS HOUSE, premiering at the Rendezvous With Madness Festival, explores the lives of four 20-something roommates living downtown. The house is old and owned by the introverted Minka (Ciana Henderson), who received it from her grandparents, but the cost of living leads her to find a few roommates to fill the place. Enter Charlie (Jonathan Sconza), the story's anxious narrator; Remi (Rosie Callaghan), an aspiring musician who works at a bar; and Jinx (Astrid Atherly), a psychology PhD candidate-slash-burlesque dancer. As the four learn to live with and love one another, they're also confronted by harsh realities: mental illness, suicide, and illness lurk in the corners of every conversation until given the chance to burst forth.

The Canadian Opera Company's RUSALKA utilizes Lyric Opera's 2014 production under the direction of Sir David McVicar, making his COC debut. This retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's 'The Little Mermaid' draws on a more sinister angle of the folk tale than what most people might know, utilizing composer Antonín Dvořák's multi-faceted score to convey emotion and fantasy at the leadership of conductor Johannes Debus.

Set in one of the last American cinemas with a 35mm projection system, THE FLICK examines the lives of three employees who are struggling with romantic relationships, finances, family, and themselves. It's a bleak look at life that suggests some interesting perspectives, although a lengthy runtime makes for a long, sometimes uncomfortable watch.

One of the most unique opera experiences in Toronto this year is that of a classic story brought to life in a dive bar. The Tranzac Club's unassuming entry makes it easy to miss if you aren't looking for it, but upon entering the building there's an unshakeable feeling that something special is happening within.

It's not unusual for The Second City to take a political angle with their sketch comedy, and their latest revue is no exception. Climate change, racism, sexism and Canada's long history of genocide are all fair gamea?"and in the hands of director Rob Baker and the talented mainstage ensemble, there's a perfect balance between funny and frightening.

In Nightswimming's BROKEN TAILBONE, presented by Factory Theatre, playwright and performer Carmen Aguirre does double duty as a dance and history instructor. A traditional seated theatre is swapped for a bare dancefloor, with a handful of chairs against the walls and a bar at the back of the room. Pulsating lights (lighting design by Michelle Ramsay) and steady beats (sound design by Pedro Chamale) are the final pieces that turn the space into a Latinx dancehall, where over the course of the 80-minute performance, Aguirre teaches the basics of salsa, meringue, and twerkinga?"among other popular dance stylesa?"while constantly connecting each type to an experience from her personal history.

Set in Bob Dylan's hometown of Duluth, Minnesota in 1934, writer and director Conor McPherson's GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY is equal parts bleak and beautiful. The busy story centers on the Laine family and their guest house; stressed father and husband Nick (Donald Sage MacKay) is busy caring for his wife Elizabeth (Katie Brayben), whose dementia has progressed to the point where she's like a rowdy child with a sailor's mouth. His issues double with their children Gene (Colin Bates), an alcoholic, would-be writer and Marianne (Gloria Obianyo), their adopted Black daughter who's several months pregnant.

THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, produced by Hart House theatre and directed by Jennifer Walls, takes everything fans love about the cult classic musical and film and brings it to glorious, vulgar life on stage. The beloved story opens on the recently engaged Brad (William Mackenzie) and Janet (Katie Miller), who become stranded in the middle of nowhere on a cold, stormy night after their car breaks down. They head to a castle they had passed by to use the phone, but this is where any similarities to the cliché horror story end. They're brought into the castle by a motley crew of servants, led by siblings Riff Raff (Ian Backstrom) and Magenta (Rachel Hart, who also plays an Usherette at the start and end of the show) where they witness first hand the creation of new life by the master of the house, self-proclaimed a?oesweet transvestitea?? scientist Frank 'N' Furter (Chris Tsujiuchi).

The names Edith Piaf and Marlene Dietrich still hold weight decades after their glory days, and Mirvish's production of PIAF/DIETRICH (directed by Gordon Greenberg) makes it easy to understand why. The sheer star power of the two titular women, embodied here by a powerhouse cast and set at major points in each one's personal lives is the kind of complicated, beautiful story of female relationships that the world needs now more than ever.

The reimagining of Cirque du Soleil's ALEGRIA: IN A NEW LIGHT features all the spectacle and intrigue that the company is famous for, with a few updates that are sure to win over the hearts of even the most hardcore fans of its original staging. This time around, the story of balance and harmony draws on the aesthetics of a Venetian carnival (costumes by Dominique Lemeiux), with Game of Thrones-esque sets (Anne-Séguin Poirier) and a healthy dose of purely fantastical designs to transport audiences to the world of the show's characters.

The examination of existence, language, and self is nothing new within the walls of a theatre, but KNIVES IN HENS manages to expand on all these themes a?" and then some a?" using straightforward and highly effective text in this new production of the 1995 David Harrower play.

The premise is simple: it's the 90s and the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra is travelling from Egypt to Petah Tikva to perform in a concert. Due to a language barrier, they end up in the tiny desert town of Bet Hatikva with little money, no hotel to check into, and a full day's wait until the next bus out of town. The next ninety minutes follow members of the band as they explore the town with their hosts. Café owner Dina (Chilina Kennedy), her employee Papi (Adam Gabay) and patron Itzik (Pomme Koch) each take a few members of the orchestra with them, and each provide a different look into Bet Hatikva, its residents, and their struggles. In its Toronto premiere this 10-time Tony winning musical, based on the film of the same name, is directed by David Cromer and presented by Mirvish.

A shopping mall is an ambitious setting for a play, and a Chinese mall perhaps even more so given the cultural significance they have for their communities. NO FOREIGNERS attempts (and does well) to weave between lore, existentialism, comedy, and myth, revealing the struggle many people face when trying to find their identities in an ever-changing world.

AMERICAN SON is the most recent Broadway-based story to be reimagined for film, but what makes it particularly special is the fact play's original cast reprise their roles, allowing audiences the chance to take in the timely story and gripping performances from the comfort of their homes. Adapted from Christopher Demos-Brown's play and directed by Kenny Leon (who also directed the stage production in New York), AMERICAN SON is a dialogue-driven examination of racism, police and civilian relations, and Black identity set in a Floridian police station.

Considered one of Pinter's most popular works, BETRAYAL tells the story of an affair in reverse. Directed by Andrea Donaldson, this Soulpepper production remains set in the 1970s a?" the same era it was written in a?" and is a gripping thriller centered around human emotion and autonomy.