Toronto Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 23

BWW REVIEW: INCIDENT AT VICHY is a Chilling Reminder of our Past
by Jason Carlos - June 01, 2016

Alan Dilworth delves into Arthur Miller's library for a take on one of his lesser known plays, the one-act INCIDENT AT VICHY. A chilling tale of a scene at the brink of the second World War, the play follows the events of an interrogation room as a group of men await their fate as authorities vali...

BWW Review: FOREVER PLAID is a Charming Crowd-Pleaser
by Jason Carlos - June 01, 2016

The Off-Broadway and Toronto favourite musical revue FOREVER PLAID finds it's way back onto the stage at the PANASONIC THEATRE. Highlighting the rise in fame of close-harmony groups in the 1950s, the show follows The Plaids, a four-piece group - Sparky, Smudge, Jinx and Frankie and their untimely de...

BWW Review: MACBETH at the Stratford Festival is Frighteningly Great and Greatly Frightening
by Lauren Gienow - May 31, 2016

The Stratford Festival officially opened its 64th Season with a frighteningly great (and greatly frightening) production of the Scottish Play. Director Antoni Cimolino brings us what is likely the darkest and grittiest play to grace the Festival Theatre stage in some time. This may be the eleventh t...

BWW Review: Charming and Delightful, THE HEIDI CHRONICLES is Still Timid
by Jason Carlos - May 27, 2016

Soulpepper's latest production of Wendy Wasserstein's 1989 play, THE HEIDI CHRONICLES explores the changing role of women in society through the coming-of-age story of a woman named - you guessed it, Heidi. The production features a series of episodic scenes throughout Heidi's life; from an awkward ...

BWW Review: A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER is the Perfect Mix of Murder, Mayhem, and Good Old Fashioned Vaudeville Fun!
by Alan Henry - May 26, 2016

It's rare to go to the theatre and end up rooting for the bad guy - but that's exactly what audiences can expect to do at A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, which opened last night at the Princess of Wales Theatre....

BWW Review: UNCLE VANYA is a Fresh Take on a Chekov Classic
by Jason Carlos - May 25, 2016

The Shaw Festival continues to launch its 2016 season with a fresh take on another classic - this time Anton Chekov's UNCLE VANYA. This moving dramedy explores family harmony and dysfunction with budding loyalties and conflicting love. Jackie Maxwell, outgoing artistic director at the Shaw Festival ...

BWW Review: Beautifully Designed, ALICE IN WONDERLAND Still Lacks Wonder
by Jason Carlos - May 23, 2016

The anchor of the Shaw Festival's 2016 season is an ambitious musical adaptation of the beloved, ALICE IN WONDERLAND. Veteran Shaw visionary Peter Hinton breaths new life into the classic Lewis Carroll tale featuring 19 original songs under the musical direction of Allen Cole. Tara Rosling stars a...

BWW Review: Nancy Palk Shines in THE TESTAMENT OF MARY
by Jason Carlos - May 19, 2016

The Bible features parables, stories and encounters of the life and trials of Jesus and his disciples; but a figure who is so prominent in that story - his mother, Mary, only speaks four times. Her role as a matriarch is often silent, and the Aaron Willis-directed THE TESTAMENT OF MARY, now playing ...

BWW Review: THE ODD COUPLE is a Spectacular Showcase of Soulpepper's Best
by Jason Carlos - May 12, 2016

The new spring programming at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts begins with the return of Neil Simon's THE ODD COUPLE. This comedic classic of polar opposite friends-turned-roommates is an illustration of what Soulpepper does best - which is why this encore is on stage again until June 11. St...

BWW Review: AGAINST NATURE Translates the Bizarre into the Beautiful
by Jason Carlos - May 07, 2016

Using the 1884 Joris-Karl Huysmans novel, À rebours as inspiration, James Kudelka brings a rich and intimate new modern opera to life - combining a decadent libretto and stunning choreography. AGAINST NATURE, now playing at The Citadel is Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie's latest work which tells the sto...

BWW Review: Stratford Festival HD's THE ADVENTURES OF PERICLES Shines on the Big Screen
by Jason Carlos - May 02, 2016

Stratford Festival HD's 2016 film series comes to a triumphant end with the release of THE ADVENTURES OF PERICLES on Saturday, May 7 at Cineplex theatres across the country, with encore screenings on Thursday, May 12. This live recording on the 2015 Stratford Festival hit is beautifully translated t...

BWW Review: A Bright Vision Brings BOTTICELLI IN THE FIRE & SUNDAY IN SODOM to Life
by Jason Carlos - May 02, 2016

Canadian Stage's 2015/2016 season comes to a close with the world premiere of two plays by acclaimed Governor General's Award-winning playwright Jordan Tannahill. The work is a collaboration with Canadian Stage and the Department of Theatre at York University which presents a bold double bill that...

BWW Review: DAS DING Personifies the Increasingly Globalized World
by Jason Carlos - April 17, 2016

The North American premiere and translation of Philipp Lohle's ambitious comedy DAS DING is now playing the Berkeley Street Upstairs Theatre. A coproduction between Canadian Stage and Theatre Smash, DAS DING follows the unlikely journey of a thing - in this case, a small cotton fibre - as it travels...

BWW Review: IF/THEN Will Leave You Questioning 'What If?'
by Alan Henry - April 14, 2016

If/Then, a musical from the creators of Next to Normal and the director of Rent, opened last night at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto. The show, which was written as a star vehicle for Idina Menzel, is one of the most exhilarating new musicals I've seen in a decade – and mere moments in any...

BWW Review: THE GREAT WAR is a Visual Wonder
by Jason Carlos - April 12, 2016

The next addition to VideoCabaret's The History of the Village of the Small Huts series revisits Canadian history once again in THE GREAT WAR. Now playing at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts with its continued partnership with Soulpepper Theatre Compnany. Written and directed by Michael Holl...

BWW Review: Coal Mine Has Another Huge Hit with KILLER JOE
by Jason Carlos - April 08, 2016

The Coal Mine Theatre solidifies itself as a key player in the Toronto theatre scene with its gritty production of Tracy Lett's KILLER JOE. Starring Madison Walsh, Matthew Edison, Matthew Gouveia, Paul Fauteux and Vivien Endicott-Douglas, the play encompasses a son's plot to murder his mother in a...

BWW Review: JACKIE BURROUGHS IS DEAD is Intricately Abstract
by Jason Carlos - April 08, 2016

Toronto's longest running contemporary dance series, DanceWorks presents the world premiere of JACKIE BURROUGHS IS DEAD & WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?, a mysteriously intricate choreographed piece combining stunning dance with ambient sound to create a complex sensory experience. Performed by ...

BWW Review: Everett in THE JUDAS KISS is Absolute Perfection
by Alan Henry - April 03, 2016

It is truly a rare sight to see a theatre as large as The Ed Mirvish at capacity for a serious two and a half hour drama. Plays as intimate as this one are generally more suited to smaller venues. However the current production of The Judas Kiss, in Toronto from the UK before it takes New York by st...

BWW Review: THE CRACKWALKER is Heavy and Emotionally-Rooted
by Jason Carlos - March 28, 2016

anadian playwright and director Judith Thompson reimagines THE CRACKWALKER as the final piece of Factory Theatre's Naked Season - which might be its most ambitious yet. Starring Claire Armstrong, Yolanda Bonnell, Waawaate Fobister, Greg Gale and Stephen Joffe, the drama brings to life the haunting a...

BWW Review: New SECOND CITY Show is a Comedic Celebration of Toronto
by Jason Carlos - March 24, 2016

The Second City unveiled its latest collection of sketch comedy in its Spring Mainstage revue, THE HOTLINE ALWAYS BLINGS TWICE. Directed by Chris Earle, the show is a tribute to Toronto; with six hilarious comedians playing tribute to The 6ix in sketches based on current issues and events facing...

BWW Review: BLOOD WEDDING is Eerily Staged, but Lacks Emotion
by Jason Carlos - March 20, 2016

The world premiere translation of the classic Spanish drama, BLOOD WEDDING is now playing at Soulpepper. Directed by Erin Brandenburg, the drama follows a young couple's troubled engagement as their love brings to life buried passions that threaten their relationship. Newly translated by Guillermo V...

BWW Review: Outrageously Fun, Soulpepper's JITTERS is a Chaotic Comedic Classic
by Jason Carlos - March 20, 2016

Ted Dykstra's Soulpepper production of the David French comedy JITTERS first premiered in 2010, and is now thriving with a new revival currently playing at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Featuring many of the same members of Dykstra's original production, JITTERS is a crisp and refreshing...

BWW Review: THE JUST is Compelling and Hauntingly Relevant
by Jason Carlos - March 13, 2016

The world premiere of Bobby Theodore's translation of THE JUST by Albert Camus is now playing at Soulpepper. Directed by Frank Cox-O'Connell, this new adaptation of the 1949 French play set in Russia, follows the paths of five socialist revolutionaries plotting terror attacks against the Grand Duke ...

BWW Review: YOU WILL REMEMBER ME is Worth Remembering
by Jason Carlos - March 13, 2016

Bobby Theodore's translation of the emotionally-driven Francois Archambault play, YOU WILL REMEMBER ME is now playing the Tarragon Theatre, in co-production with Studio 180 Theatre. Directed by Joel Greenberg, the stage drama follows the journey of a family dealing with the effects of dementia. Edou...

BWW Review: A LINE IN THE SAND is Intense, Intimate and Heartbreaking
by Jason Carlos - March 12, 2016

The next piece in Factory Theatre's Naked Season is Guillermo Verdecchia and Marcus Youssef's acclaimed play, A LINE IN THE SAND. Nigel Shawn Williams directs this stripped down and intimate production about a tense and unconventional relationship between a Canadian soldier and a young Palestinian t...