
BWW Special: Do You Want What I Have Got? A Craigslist Cabaret!January 25, 2013Acting Up Stage and Factory Theatre are partnering to present Do You Want What I Have Got? A Craigslist Cabaret this February in Toronto. A brand new Canadian musical, the show is fresh from a sold-out run at Vancouver's PuSh Festival and features original musical by Veda Hille and Bill Richardson. For a bit of extra fun, Acting Up Stage and Factory Theatre partnered with Jennifer Walls and SINGular Sensation to host a cabaret contest featuring videos inspired by Craigslists ads. BWW is thrilled to bring its readers the winning video!
Having sold-out its extended run at Vancouver's PuSh Festival in Jan 2012, this original musical by Veda Hille & Bill Richardson sets actual Craigslist postings to music in a 90 minute song-cycle. Both hilarious and surprisingly poignant, Do You Want What I Have Got? explores contemporary humanity through the lens of Craigslist-an online classified site with over 50 million ads posted each month.
Photo Coverage: THE WIZARD OF OZ Opening Night GalaJanuary 15, 2013The North American Premiere of The Wizard of Oz took place Sunday at The Ed Mirvish Theatre, featuring CBC Over the Rainbow winner Danielle Wade in the iconic role of Dorothy. BWW is thrilled to bring readers photos from the gala opening night party, which saw Danielle and cast mingling with Producer David Mirvish and the Totos.
Photo Coverage: HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH at The Drake UndergroundJanuary 23, 2013Hedwig and the Angry Inch is currently on stage at The Drake Underground, featuring Seth Drabinsky in the iconic lead role made famous by John Cameron Mitchell. This heartfelt and rocking adaptation is not to be missed and sure to be loved by fans and newbies alike. BWW is thrilled to bring its readers photos from the production.
BWW Feature: There's No Place Like Toronto for this All Canadian 'OZ'January 16, 2013The North American Premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Wizard of Oz took place this past Sunday, featuring an All-Canadian Cast and brand new songs to go along with the classic tale. While reviews have been mixed, the talented cast provides much reason to celebrate. Sometimes, it takes the re-telling of a classic tale to remind us that there really is no place like home.
Photo Coverage: New Production Images - North American Premiere of THE WIZARD OF OZ!January 14, 2013The North American Premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Wizard of Oz was last night in Toronto, and the All-Canadian Cast shined like Dorothy's ruby red slippers. The show tells the classic story of Dorthy's journey to Oz, and features Over the Rainbow winner Danielle Wade in her stage debut. BWW is thrilled to bring readers pictures from the lavish production.
BWW Interviews: Chris Abraham talks SOMEONE ELSEJanuary 10, 2013Someone Else is the third play in a loose trilogy by Kristen Thomson. Opening tonight, it tell sthe story of a married couple who examine their lives as they take a journey through counselling and look at the problems that exist both in and out of their relationship. Director Chris Abraham spoke to BWW about following on the success of I, Claudia, the hopeful message of the show and more.
BWW Special: Crow's Theatre to Make a Nest in Toronto's East EndJanuary 8, 2013Crow's Theatre announced today plans to build a new permanent home in Toronto's East End, the area east of the DVP which currently does not have a theatre all its own. In partnership with Streetcar Developments the theatre company, under the helm of Artistic Director Chris Abraham, aim to build a new theatre which will bring the community together and continue to foster and build Crow's vision.
BWW Reviews: LES MISERABLES Movie - Passing the Candlesticks to a New GenerationDecember 21, 2012The long awaited feature film version of Les Miserables opens Christmas Day, twenty five years after it first took the world by storm on a West End stage. Directed by Tom Hooper and starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway and Amanda Seyfried, the film made the daring choice of having its actors sing live instead of being recorded in a studio. Die-hard fans of the stage production will likely take issue with some of the directorial (and musical choices) but overall the movie is a solid adaptation of Victor Hugo's beloved tale.
BWW Interviews: Sharron and George's Christmas Singalong!December 20, 2012All month long BWW has been showcasing some of Toronto's hottest cabaret stars as they usher in the hoilday season with festive cabarets. We're thrilled to bring the final installment in our cabaret interviews, a feature with Sharron Matthews and George Masswohl who are presenting their 'Super Fun Christmas Sing-A-Long' tomorrow night at Buddies in Bad Times. The duo tell us why they love cabaret and why they love performing together.
BWW Interviews: Anthony Rapp on Love, Loss and WITHOUT YOUDecember 16, 2012Anthony Rapp originated the role of Mark Cohen in the hit musical RENT, and has embraced the message behind the show and turned it into a best-selling memoir entitled Without You: A Tale of Love, Loss and the Musical RENT. He now brings the material from that book to the stage in a poignant production that examines the death of his mother as well as good friend Jonathan Larson and uses music to explain how he dealt with those losses. Fresh off a critically acclaimed run in London, Rapp brings his show to Toronto for the holiday season. He spoke with BWW about how the losses he's experienced have shaped his life, the memories he has of Toronto and why he think 'Original Cast Member of RENT' will likely always be the lead line in his obituary.
BWW Interviews: IT'S A WONDERFUL TORONTO with Matt BaramDecember 11, 2012The wickedly funny National Theatre of the World is bringing Torontonians a special treat this holiday season courtesy of It's A Wonderful Toronto! The Rob Ford Holiday Spectacular! The show is a musical comedy that chronicles the dress rehearsal of The Rob Ford Christmas Special. Directer Matt Baram took a few minutes to talk to BWW about Rob Ford, the holiday show, gravy nog and more.
BWW Interviews: Thom Allison Talks SHUT UP! IT'S CHRISTMAS!December 14, 2012Thom Allison has had a very successful year, receiving rave reviews for his performance in Shaw Festival's Ragtime and guest judging on the CBC hit 'Over the Rainbow'. This holiday season he returns to his first love of cabaret with a special performance entitled 'Shut Up! It's Christmas!' at Buddies in Bad Times. He spoke to BWW about what cabaret means to him, how much he loves Christmas and whether he's been naughty or nice.
BWW Interviews: Micah Barnes on SINGER'S PLAYGROUNDDecember 9, 2012This holiday season BWW is featuring some of Toronto's best and brightest musical talents in a series of feature interviews celebrating their cabaret performances. Today we talk to Micah Barnes who is hosting an upcoming 'Singer's Playground' next week. The evening will showcase songs from his new album and feature up and coming musical theatre talent. Micah spoke to us about how he chose his young guest stars, what cabaret means to him and whether he's been naughty or nice this year.
BWW Interviews: Christmas Cabaret with Chris TsujiuchiDecember 7, 2012The holiday season is here and it's bringing with it a whole host of exciting cabarets courtesy of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre! Up first is Chris Tsujiuchi's Christerical Cabaret - a show that promises laughs, love and holiday sweaters! BWW will be featuring many of the holiday cabaret artists leading up to Christmas, and Chris sat down to talk with us about what cabaret means to him, how he's made his show festive and why 'Dick in a Box' is really a holiday treat.
Photo Coverage: Sneak Peek at Toronto's All-Canadian WIZARD OF OZDecember 3, 2012On Thursday morning members of Toronto's media were given a sneak peek look at the brand new Canadian production of The Wizard of Oz. The North American premiere will take place this holiday season at the Ed Mirvish Theatre, featuring Danielle Wade in the lead role of Dorothy after she won the CBC competition 'Over the Rainbow'. BWW is thrilled to bring readers photos from the sneak peek!
BWW Special: 25 Years Later - Sharing LES MISERABLES with the MassesDecember 2, 2012The musical Les Miserables has been a worldwide phenomenon for the past quarter of a century, and this Christmas it gets the big screen treatment as Tom Hooper's film adaptation hits cinemas across the country. Starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried and more, the big screen version features all of its actors singing live for the first time in a motion picture. Advance buzz has been extremely positive, with many proclaiming it could be this year's big Oscar winner. For me, Les Miserables was the reason I fell in love with theatre and the powerful story has served me well throughout my life. For that reason, I'm excited to share the story with the world at large - in the hopes that Jean Valjean's tale will help us all to dare to dream this holiday season and hope for a more compassionate tomorrow.
Photo Coverage: Acting Up Stage's TAPESTRIESNovember 29, 2012This past Monday, stars of Toronto's theatre scene joined together for a fundraiser in support of Acting Up Stage, a 'modern musical theatre' company in Toronto. Artistic Director Mitchell Marcus once again teamed with Musical Director Reza Jacobs to create an evening filled with unique songs by popular composers. Tapestries featured the music of Carole King and James Taylor and included stars such as Cynthia Dale, Jake Epstein, Josh Young and more. BWW is thrilled to bring its readers photos from the special evening.
BWW Interviews: LES MISERABLES Alum Randy Graff on Her Toronto Master ClassNovember 26, 2012Randy Graff, who originated the role of Fantine in Les Miserables on Broadway, is coming to Toronto to conduct an exciting master class this December. Known for her story-telling through song, Randy will focus on teaching that unique ability to her students. She sat down with BWW to talk about her career, the benefits of the master class and the upcoming feature film version of Les Miserables.