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BWW Review: Song and Spoken Word Make POLY QUEER LOVE BALLAD a Touching Tale of Love and Romance
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....
BWW Review: THE ADVENTURES OF PINOCCHIO is a Magical Romp for Kids and Adults Alike
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) ...
BWW Review: A JUBILANT HOLIDAY INN at SHAW FESTIVAL
A frothy holiday confection playing out in Hollywood inspired Technicolor-come-to-life is the best way to describe the Shaw Festival's jubilant production of Irving Berlin's HOLIDAY INN now onstage at their Festival Theatre. Based on the 1942 movie of the same name starring Bing Crosby and Fred A...
BWW Review: HERE ARE THE FRAGMENTS examines mental illness through immersion and exploration
HERE ARE THE FRAGMENTS combines strong acting, independent exploration, and topical subject matter to create one of the most unique theatrical experiences in Toronto right now. Created by Dr. Suvendrini Lena, it's an immersive look into the life of Dr. Chauvet (Allan Louis), a Black doctor who is di...
BWW Review: BETWEEN BREATHS Leaps Joyously Out of Sadness at Factory Theatre
Dr Jon Lien, the whale man of Memorial University, earned his nickname over a lifetime of rescuing trapped whales off the coast of Newfoundland. His brilliant career, as well as the painful circumstances surrounding his death, inspired Newfoundland's own Robert Chafe to write BETWEEN BREATHS, a shor...
BWW Review: BUFFOON Laughs Through Bared Teeth at Tarragon Theatre
In the world premiere of Anosh Irani's BUFFOON, at Tarragon Theatre, Anand Rajaram plays Felix the clown, a child of the thrilling, vicious world of the circus. On a bare gray stage with nothing but a chair for company, Felix tells his life's story, beginning with his frightening birth, through the...
BWW Review: Catch a Case of the Warm Funnies at The Second City's UNCONVENTIONAL HOLIDAY REVIEW
Even though the weather in Toronto is flip-flopping between fall and winter, there are plenty of ways to celebrate the holiday season around the city a?' and The Second City's joined that list with the UNCONVENTIONAL HOLIDAY REVUE....
BWW Review: ORPHEUS ALIVE iS A Busy Piece That Takes The Classic Greek Myth In A Modern Direction
The National Ballet of Canada's ORPHEUS ALIVE is a ground-breaking theatrical production, with heavy focus on theatre. Choreographer Robert Binet has taken some huge chances with the incorporation of lengthy, text-driven components (writing, dramaturgy and text direction by Rosamund Small) that do a...
BWW Review: Don't Bet on Theatre Gargantua's THE WAGER
Theatre Gargantua's THE WAGER is a flat-Earth musical with talking birds. ...
BWW Review: ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL is an Opera That's Forgotten its Rock and Roll Roots
ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL's title alone brings a melody to mind, and if you don't hear it in the bratty voices of the kids featured on the album a?' then you'll probably have a different opinion on the opera than fans of Pink Floyd might. While this production leans into the emotional undertones of ...
BWW Review: Community and Unity Overtake Oppression in THE 9TH!
ProArteDanza's latest work, choreographed by Roberto Campanella and Robert Glumbeck, is the impressive result of over a decade of collaboration between its renowned creators. The piece is set to Beethoven's beloved 9th Symphony, and in line with the music, the story unfolds in four movements. Explor...
BWW Review: GISELLE is a Masterpiece of Romantic-Era Storytelling and Dance
Set in a pastoral German village, GISELLE has all the components of a quintessential romantic work. The titular character is a beautiful young woman living with her strict-yet-loving mother (Lorna Geddes). Although a local forester (Piotr Stanczyk) wants to marry her, Giselle has fallen for another ...
BWW Review: Iconic Music and Powerhouse Artists put Stevie Wonder and Prince Center Stage in UNCOVERED
When it comes to covering popular music, navigating the space between individual interpretation while still respecting the original artist's work could be a daunting task. And when the artists whose music is being covered are household names and legends in every way, there's also the need to ensure ...
BWW Review: LET'S RUN AWAY is a Moving Look at Life and Legacy
LET'S RUN AWAY is a deeply personal look into the life of a man through what his late birth mother wrote about him in her memoir; the premise is simple enough, but it's the layers and puzzles scattered throughout the interactions between mother and son that make the story so intriguing....
BWW Review: DON GIOVANNI Gets a Topically Modern and Classically Lavish Production
In this revival of Opera Atelier's 2011 DON GIOVANNI, questions of morality combat comedy in perfect harmony. Under director Marshall Pynkoski, this retelling of the tale of the Don examines his lifestyle as a full-time seducer and contrasts it against the ideals of the women he's loved and left (an...
BWW Review: DEAD PARENTS SOCIETY finds laughter in grief at Buddies in Bad Times
DEAD PARENTS SOCIETY is a sketch comedy revue about mourning. Each skit addresses the death of a parent, the mourning process, going back to work or dating after loss. The premises are grim. The pain is real: each of the performers has lost a parent. The mood is anguished. And the show is hilarious....
BWW Review: TROUT STANLEY Dupes and Shines at Factory Theatre
TROUT STANLEY brims with confusion and delight, like a birthday cake when it's nobody's birthday. Set somewhere in rural BC, it follows a pair of lugubrious but charming sisters, Grace and Sugar, as they cross paths with a mysterious man, Mr Trout Stanely, who's wandered in off the street. Neither t...
BWW Review: CONNECTION Is Brain-Bending Mentalism With A Lot Of Heart
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 th...
BWW Review: GHOST QUARTET Transcends Theatre In This Hauntingly Evocative Production
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 ...
BWW Review: THE PARTICULARS burns slow at The Theatre Centre
If we're going by technical categorisation, THE PARTICULARS, on now at the Theatre Centre, is an experimental piece of drama that incorporates elements of dance and movement; if we're going by my own personal descriptor, THE PARTICULARS is a Fringe show with wings. ...
BWW Review: CATACLYSM's Outdoor Staging Makes For a Spooky Evening Out
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 te...
BWW Review: Profound Beauty in ALMIGHTY VOICE AND HIS WIFE at Soulpepper
ALMIGHTY VOICE IS AND HIS WIFE is an enormous play, spanning an incredible breadth of theatrical technique and exploring, in depth, some of the most challenging questions of Canadian cultural memory....
BWW Review: IN THIS HOUSE Is An Honest Take On Millennials And Mental Health
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...
BWW Review: RUSALKA is a Shining Example of a Dark Fairy-Tale Opera Done Right
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 com...
BWW Review: THE FLICK Explores The Anxieties And Issues Of Working-Class Young Adults
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 m...
Videos
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Kismet/Emma Bovary Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts (5/29-6/04) |
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SYMPHONY UNDER THE STARS Memorial Park (7/17-7/17) |
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Battles Young People's Theatre (4/26-5/06) |
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Something Rotten! Stratford Festival (5/11-10/31) PHOTOS |
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síofra Red Sandcastle Theatre (6/17-6/28) |
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The Importance of Being Earnest Stratford Festival (5/19-10/23) PHOTOS |
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AC/DC Rogers Stadium (9/16-9/16) |
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Bee Gees Celebration - Soirée du jour de l''an Théâtre Capitole (12/31-12/31) |
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Grease: The Lawyer Show Nightwood Theatre (6/04-6/06) |
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Mt. Joy RBC Amphitheatre (9/21-9/21) |
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