Toronto Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 15

BWW Review: THE BAND'S VISIT is a Quiet, Gorgeous Study of Human Connection
by Isabella Perrone - September 21, 2019

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...

BWW Review: NO FOREIGNERS examines culture and identity from within a fantastical Chinese mall
by Isabella Perrone - September 21, 2019

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...

Review: Positive Thinking and Difficult Choices in Canadian Stage's THE BOOK OF LIFE
by Louis Train - September 20, 2019

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...

BWW Review: AMERICAN SON's urgency and powerhouse cast make the best of this stage-to-screen transition
by Isabella Perrone - September 17, 2019

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...

BWW Review: Emotion, autonomy and passion reign in Soulpepper's BETRAYAL
by Isabella Perrone - September 05, 2019

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....

BWW Review: THE LADYKILLERS Only Mildly Amuses at Shaw Festival
by Michael Rabice - August 28, 2019

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 ...

BWW Review: Friendship And Artistic Philosophies Collide And Charm in ART
by Isabella Perrone - August 20, 2019

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....

BWW Review: SAFE AND SORRY is a Funny, Frightening Examination of Dating and Pick-up Artists
by Isabella Perrone - August 17, 2019

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...

BWW Review: CHILD-ISH Uses Children's Words To Create Funny, Moving Conversations On Love
by Isabella Perrone - August 15, 2019

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 ...

BWW Review: History, Music And Emotion Collide in AUDIBLE SONGS FROM ROCKWOOD
by Isabella Perrone - August 13, 2019

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...

BWW Review: WAH WAH WAH Is A Necessary And Dynamic Exploration Of Harassment And Trauma
by Isabella Perrone - August 09, 2019

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...

BWW Review: For an Evening of Scheming, Slapstick and 1950s Slang, Look No Further Than FALSE CLAIMS
by Isabella Perrone - August 03, 2019

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...

BWW Review: SEX is Alive and Well at SHAW FESTIVAL
by Michael Rabice - August 02, 2019

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 ...

BWW Review: Unique Ensemble Makes TAKE ME OUT TO THE IMPROV Ridiculously Fun
by Isabella Perrone - July 30, 2019

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...

BWW Review: Soulpepper's FOOL FOR LOVE diversifies a complex story, but struggles to fully connect
by Isabella Perrone - July 20, 2019

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....

BWW Review: THE GLASS MENAGERIE Shimmers at The Shaw Festival
by Michael Rabice - July 11, 2019

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...

BWW Review: ROPE is Riveting at the SHAW FESTIVAL
by Michael Rabice - June 28, 2019

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...

BWW Review: GETTING MARRIED at SHAW FESTIVAL
by Michael Rabice - June 25, 2019

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...

BWW Review: Historic Deaf Theatre Piece THE BLACK DRUM Shines In Every Aspect Of Its Production
by Isabella Perrone - June 24, 2019

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...

Review Roundup: THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE at Huron County Playhouse; What Did The Critics Think?
by Nate Ronning - June 18, 2019

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...

BWW Review: BRIGADOON at Shaw Festival
by Michael Rabice - June 10, 2019

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 ...

BWW Review: 11:11 Balances Spirituality and Reality in Urgent, Moving Story of Black Transman's Life
by Isabella Perrone - May 29, 2019

Defined as a "bio-mythical monodrama," 11:11 is an introspective and deeply personal look into writer and performer Samson Bonkeabantu Brown's life. From childhood to adolescence and into adulthood, Brown constructs his own paths as he discovers more about his gender, his family, and his ancestry. T...

BWW Review: Soulpepper's Explosive Family Drama AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY Crackles with Tension and Comedy
by Isabella Perrone - May 28, 2019

In a new production of AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, director Jackie Maxwell guides a 13-person cast through the highs and lows of the Weston family during a family tragedy. In Maxwell and the ensembles' capable hands, Tracy Letts's delicate balance of comedy and cruelty is presented as fully as possible....

BWW Review: Intriguing, Personal Storytelling Struggles to Ground Itself in WELCOME TO MY UNDERWORLD
by Isabella Perrone - May 14, 2019

WELCOME TO MY UNDERWORLD, directed by Judith Thompson and produced by RARE Theatre Company in partnership with Soulpepper, is an interesting anthology of human stories. Its diverse ensemble draws on personal experiences to explain their perspective on topics like mental health, transgender and LGBTQ...

BWW Review: Familial Bonds and Tradition Ground THE BROTHERS SIZE in Moving Production
by Isabella Perrone - May 11, 2019

THE BROTHERS SIZE, directed by Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu and produced by Soulpepper, is a look into the lives of two brothers following the youngest's return home from prison. Tarell Alvin McCraney's 2000 work is an emotional examination of brotherhood and redemption in the deep south....