TORONTO THEATER REVIEWS

Mixing love and politics is always a dicey business, even - or especially - on the stage. There's a challenge in portraying both with the kind of depth and authenticity they both deserve. World War One veteran and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Robert Sherwood managed the mix beautifully in his award...

The Canadian Opera Company's latest production, of Verdi's 'A Masked Ball', combines challenging modern elements with gorgeous musicality, resulting in a unique look at power and love....

1980: the times, they were a-changin'. But in The Passion of Narcisse Mondoux, poor old Narcisse is being pushed as he reluctantly keeps up with the changing times. Narcisse Mondoux and his long-time crush, Laurencienne Robichaud, are on stage together in this charming Quebecois play at London's G...

As I entered the auditorium of the Royal Alexandra Theatre this afternoon, I was relieved to be inside from the cold, and sat myself down to enjoy what I assumed would be ninety minutes of comfort in my plush seat. My comfort was short lived, however, as soon I found myself enthralled in the play Me...

Although staged productions of the Kander and Ebb musical CABARET are plentiful, the production put on by the Lower Ossington Theatre is not one to miss. If you have seen the movie or the show in the past, you will still enjoy the show as every rendition of CABARET is different, and the LOT's produc...

On a frigidly cold night in the middle of a long Canadian winter, a group of people gathered together in a cozy cafe to experience what is quickly becoming Canada's newest national treasure. MAKING LOVE IN A CANOE (which can also be experienced in album form) is a review of beautiful Canadian music ...

Up until now, theatre audiences have been limited to see a maximum of two shows in a day (if you can make it out to the theatre on matinee day.) Under the direction of Vinetta Strombergs, the Toronto production of The Musical of Musicals, the Musical! has made it possible for you to see five musical...

Elf, the Christmas musical now on stage at London's Grand Theatre is an endearing show, thanks to a funny, well-written script, and a six foot four Elf who can deliver the lines. Liam Tobin is perfect as Buddy the Elf: He's taken the best that Will Ferrell had in the movie version of Elf, but his p...

Once the Musical opened this past Thursday at Toronto's gorgeous Royal Alexandra Theatre, proving to Torontonians that a musical doesn't need to be big, brassy and full of fancy special effects to move an audience and shake their emotional core....

Ross Petty's latest 'broken' fairytale pantomime is currently shaking the roof off of the Elgin Theatre. Petty and his team have re-imagined the Hans Christian Andersen tale into a two hour spectacle that the entire family can enjoy together....

White Christmas is one of those "feel good" shows. There's a guaranteed happy ending, great songs, fantastic dance, and everyone leaves the theatre humming and smiling. What a great gift at Christmas time, on stage at St. Jacobs Country Playhouse!...

Drayton Entertainment's Artistic Director Alex Mustakas has continued to his tried and true "Legends" series with Legends of Harmony. This is a concert-style revue, covering all your favourite four-part harmony songs....

It was a true 'Arabian Night' in Toronto where the Broadway bound production of Disney's Aladdin had it's 'world premiere' last night. Promising to be a revamped interpretation of the classic 1992 cartoon film, the show had the unbelievable sights but sadly struggled with the indescribable feelings...

A few months ago author/professor David Gilmour rattled and shocked the literary world with his bombastic declaration that he refuses to teach books written by women. The only female writer he was willing to bend his misogynistic rule for? Virginia Woolf. In the weeks that have followed these statem...

Ring of Fire, now on stage at London's Grand Theatre will be a thrill for true Johnny Cash aficionados. Only those who are big Cash fans and true country music enthusiasts will appreciate the lesser known songs in this concert-style show....

Florence Henderson: All the Lives of Me...A Musical Journey...

It feels as though we've all been waiting a long time to say this, but it was finally no longer 'One Day More' as Les Miserables made her grand return to Toronto last night at The Princess of Wales Theatre, and with it, brought Richmond Hill native and West End star Ramin Karimloo home to a Toronto ...

SHREK THE MUSICAL proved a lot of skeptics wrong when it ended up a Broadway Success. While some may have expected 'camp,' the show proved itself Broadway-worthy with it's stellar music, composition, as well as set and costume design. The star studded original cast brought the show to life with the...

Energetic cast brings Godspell to life at the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse, Waterloo....

The 2013 Canadian Stage season kicked off with a bang last night as Venus in Fur made her grand debut on stage at The Bluma, the first production of David Ives Tony Award nominated play to be mounted in Canada. Starring Carly Street in the role of Vanda (which earned Nina Arianda a Tony award) Rick ...

Lend Me a Tenor offers many cases of mistaken identity, lots of physical comedy and plenty of door-slamming fun as the crazy situations unfold....

Louise Pitre's solo show ON THE ROCKS opened last night at Theatre Passe Muraille, kicking off their 2013-2014 season. An original piece that she wrote herself and produced with a dynamic all-female team, the show explores her life, love, loss and so much more. It's heartbreaking, honest and poign...

Legally Blonde, on stage at London's Grand Theatre, marks the 15th anniversary of their High School Project. Each year for the past 15, the Grand has mounted a full-scale musical with high school students as the cast and crew. The students get all the advantages of working in a professional theatr...

In a Canadian town like Stratford, Ontario that is known for formally presenting incredible live talent on a daily basis, it's always fun when some of those talented people involved (as well as their talented friends) come together for a less-formal celebration of all kinds of music (and even some d...

Hollywood Sings is a musical revue style production currently on stage at the Victoria People's Playhouse in Petrolia. Presented by David Rogers and David Hogan and starring an impressive roster of Canadian talent (including Les Miserables alumnus Susan Gilmour) the show makes for a great night out...