TORONTO THEATER REVIEWS

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 poi...

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 dra...

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....

Kat Sandler's new play, YAGA, is breezy and dark; goofy and mournful; bleak, gothic, shadowy, and really damn funny....

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...

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 tr...

Odile Gakire (Kiki) Katese, the Rwandan humanitarian and artist, has brought her voice and wisdom to the Canadian Stage Company this autumn in THE BOOK OF LIFE. Brimming with insight and charm, THE BOOK OF LIFE is also a difficult and provocative piece of political theatre that test the limits of id...

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 fr...

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....

The Shaw has once again programmed a play known by few. After their success at rediscovering Mae West's SEX this season, I was hoping that THE LADYKILLERS would produce yet another unearthed gem. This comedy, mostly unknown outside of the UK, was briefly revived on the West End in 2011,but it's ...

In Soulpepper's production of the 1998 Best Play Tony winner ART, written by Yasmina Reza and directed here by Philip Akin, the friendship of three friends is put to the test after one dives into the world of modernism with an expensive purchase....

The internet today is like a modern-day wild west, with billions of people constantly connected to each other through their phones and computers. For those familiar with online communities, there are a few rules that are followed to keep one's self sane: don't look yourself up, and don't read people...

Sometimes you need a reminder that children are wise beyond their years, and CHILD-ISH is a stellar example of just how much kids learn from watching the world around them. Written by Sunny Drake alongside the CHILD-ISH Collective and directed by Alan Dilworth, the production is currently a work in ...

Simone Schmidt's AUDIBLE SONGS FROM ROCKWOOD receives its first staging for theatre at this years' SummerWorks festival. The song-cycle is based on the album of the same title by Schmidt's band Fiver and explores the cases of several people who were incarcerated at the Rockwood Asylum for the Crimin...

The theatre has been used before as a medium to explore and discuss what harassment is and how it affects its victims. As part of the SummerWorks programming, and presented in partnership with Paprika Festival, WAH WAH WAH is a new perspective on the subject that offers one woman's experiences throu...

What's a little insurance fraud among family? At the hands of writer Eli Pasic, it leads to 90 minutes of laughter and plenty of drama. Produced by Isaiah Kolundzic and Emily Dix, FALSE CLAIMS is a two-hour whirlwind of slapstick action, shocking twists, and witty comebacks that shows just how messy...

How does an author title a play? Well, there should be something descriptive, enticing or informative to engage the audience from the outset.The Shaw Festival in Niagara on the Lake has gone out of a limb and programmed a virtually unknown play that is rarely, if ever produced. Oh, and the title is ...

The Second City's TAKE ME OUT TO THE IMPROV is a punchy collection of improv and sketch comedy that explores local politics, family dynamics, and dating and love a?" which is a lot more than the sports-themed title suggests. The Toronto Touring Company features Andy Assaf, Matt Folliott, Nicole Pass...

Soulpepper takes on a classic American script in their new production of Sam Shepard's FOOL FOR LOVE, directed by Frank Cox-O'Connell. With simple staging and a compact ensemble, the production implements some interesting and timely ideas but overall leaves something to be desired....

A pervading air of discontent and general unease looms over the lackluster St. Louis apartment of the Wingfield family in Tennesee Williams memory play, THE GLASS MENAGERIE. The Shaw Festival is presenting this classic with the loving care that it deserves, and the end result is a gripping produc...

The Shaw Festival has a great history of producing murder mysteries and this season we are lucky to have Patrick Hamilton's play 'ROPE.' Probably more well known as the 1948 Alfred Hitchcock movie starring Jimmy Stewart, ROPE had it's start in 1929 on the British stage. It's twist lies in the fact t...

To say that George Bernard Shaw's social commentaries were erudite would be an understatement. His keen eye and astute observations always allow the reader or viewer to take pause and contemplate life in a different light. The Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the Lake is producing one of his lesser works...

THE BLACK DRUM is a multi-sensory examination of oppression and self-expression that shows just how necessary deaf theatre is. Produced by the Deaf Culture Centre and Soulpepper and directed by Mira Zuckerman, the story, written by Adam Pottle, draws from classic tropes - placing a down-and-out hero...

Iconic television actor Cindy Williams, best known for her role as Shirley Feeney on the classic sitcom Laverne & Shirley plays the role of Mrs. Meers in Drayton Entertainment's production of the hit Broadway musical comedy, Thoroughly Modern Millie. The production launches the 2019 Season at the Hu...

The mystical land of BRIGADOON has emerged once again at Niagara on the Lake's Shaw Festival, and the now rarely produced musical still brings with it a sense of hope wrapped around Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's hauntingly beautiful lyrics and score. And while re-engaging with this Golden ...