TORONTO THEATER REVIEWS

The World Premiere of THE LAST WIFE, written by Kate Hennig and directed by Alan Dilworth, took place earlier this month at the Stratford Festival's Studio Theatre. BWW recently had the opportunity to see the show, and found it to present an intriguing combination of history, drama, humour and femin...

CLICK BAIT & SWITCH, the latest mainstage revue at The Second City is a downright hilarious take of the ridiculousness of the current digital age we live in. Set against a backdrop of typical Internet click bait headlines, the cast of top-notch comedians perform sketch performances that are sure to ...

If you are looking for a good laugh, 17th Century-style, then look no further than this season's production of Ben Jonson's THE ALCHEMIST, currently on stage at the Stratford Festival's Tom Patterson theatre. What a riot! This production, directed by Artistic Director, Antoni Cimolino, had the audie...

LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST opened at the Stratford Festival's Festival Theatre on Friday night…and it hit a home run with the audience! Director, John Caird takes one of Shakespeare's earlier plays and makes it feel shiny and new. Assisting with this is an exceptional cast, captivating set design, and b...

The Shaw Festival is known for dusting off old chestnuts and breathing new life into them. Unfortunately, its new production of Moss Hart's LIGHT UP THE SKY is  a chestnut better left in the attic to continue gathering dust.  Compared to his successful plays, like THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER  (wi...

This season, audiences are being thrilled by a phenomenal production of OEDIPUS REX at the Stratford Festival's Tom Patterson Theatre to thunderous applause. Superb performances by all bolstered this production of the famous play by Sophocles to the top of my 'Must See' list for this season....

Stratford Festival's Production of POSSIBLE WORLDS, directed by Mitchell Cushman, opened at the Studio Theatre this week. I had the opportunity to see this play one day early, during its very last preview performance. I can assure you that this play is unlike anything else you will at the Stratford ...

You can't help but cheer for the loveable Newsies in Disney's Broadway musical based on the real news boy strike of 1899 and the financial flop film they produced on the matter in 1992. Disney's Newsies is a well written, incredibly designed, choreographed, and acted hit! Audiences are getting all o...

Shakespeare fans will be flocking to an exciting production of THE TAMING OF THE SHREW that is featured on the Festival Theatre stage at the Stratford Festival this season. Director Chris Abraham's recent contributions to the festival (particularly last season's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM) left patro...

There's a party happening every day at The Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto - and that party is the Canadian production of Kinky Boots which opened Sunday night. The mostly Canadian cast, save for American newcomer Alan Mingo Jr. as Lola earned a standing ovation from the opening night audience....

SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER opened recently at Stratford Festival's Avon Theatre. As you watch it, it quickly becomes apparent as to why this play has withheld the test of time. Laugh out loud humour, beautiful set design, and an excellent cast make for an enjoyable evening (or matinee) at the theatre....

THE ADVENTURES OF PERICLES by William Shakespeare, and directed by Scott Wentworth, opened at Stratford Festival's Tom Patterson Theatre on Saturday night. Starring Evan Buliung as the title character, this production was moving and fun from beginning to end....

Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields iconic 1960's musical SWEET CHARITY is playing on the stage of the Festival Theatre as this year's musical offering at the Shaw Festival in Niagara on the Lake, Ontario. Visually stunning and often energetically infectious, this musical, with book by Neil Simon, comes a...

Stratford Festival's production of CAROUSEL opened on May 29th at the Avon Theatre. Despite an unsettling story with challenging themes, the performers in this production are able to rise to the challenge and present some of the finest song and dance that this stage has seen....

On Thursday May 29th, THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK opened at the Stratford Festival. It was an honest, stunning production that featured beautiful performances by all involved....

If you happen to be coming to Stratford Festival looking for a show that makes you laugh, think, and question whether the human race is doomed-all in equal measure…then look no further than director Miles Potter's disturbingly delightful production of THE PHYSICISTS. If you did not know you were l...

It's rare that you walk out of a show knowing you've witnessed history - and that is just what those seeing The Sound of Music at The Stratford Festival will be experiencing. Stratford's staging of the classic show, by director/choreographer Donna Feore will be talked about for years to come....

Adapted from a scene of Euripides' Medea, the Tapestry Opera's latest production of M'DEA UNDONE brings the myth and tragedy of this classic story to modern times. The opera takes place in the twenty-first century as Jason, a former army captain, begins a new political career and begins to distance ...

HAMLET opened the 63rd season of the Stratford Festival to resounding applause at the Festival Theatre on Monday night. Directed by the Festival's Artistic Director, Antoni Cimolino, this HAMLET is exciting from start to finish. The entire ensemble shines as brightly as the light used to represent K...

Titanic the Musical opened yesterday afternoon in Toronto, and was met by thunderous applause and a standing ovation following the performance. The musical, which opened in 1997 on Broadway and pre-dates the James Cameron film went on to win five Tony Awards including 'Best Musical' - but still clos...

Theatre Smash and fu-GEN Theatre Company present the world premiere of Julia Cho's DURANGO - a complex and character-driven piece that tells the story of a Korean-American family who's lives change after a family road trip to Durango, Colarado....

What do you get you put two clowns in an office with a water cooler and a bag of Cheetos? Absolute. Perfection. Morro and Jasp's latest production, 9-5 created and performed by Heather Marie Annis and Amy Lee in their signature roles is a 'high-quality', laugh out loud night at the Factory Theatre....

Greenday's musical AMERICAN IDIOT is as close as most theatregoers will get to a rock concert - save for THE ROCK OF AGES. The Lower Ossington Theatre's production of the Tony Award winning musical written by Billie Joe Armstrong stays true to the show's rock and roll energy, but makes it its own wi...

Soulpepper's latest production of BEDROOM FARCE by Alan Ayckbourn is a laugh out loud performance. Centered around dysfunctional couple Trevor and Susannah, played by Ron Pederson and Amy Matysio, the comedy weaves together the hilarious night of four very different marriages - with all the chaos ha...

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when walking into Therefore Choose Life, a new play based on a true story by Broadway leading man Jake Epstein and his mother Kathy Kacer, produced by The Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company. The play is about a man (Joseph, played by Avery Saltzman) who is marr...