Toronto Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 25

BWW Review: NEWSIES in Toronto is a Hit Full of Heart
by Alan Henry - July 09, 2015

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...

BWW Reviews: Stratford Festival's THE TAMING OF THE SHREW is a Must See
by Lauren Gienow - July 06, 2015

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...

BWW Review: Toronto Says 'YEAH' To Kinky Boots
by Alan Henry - June 29, 2015

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....

BWW Reviews: Stratford Festival's SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER
by Lauren Gienow - June 24, 2015

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....

BWW Review: THE ADVENTURES OF PERICLES at the Stratford Festival is Moving and Fun
by Lauren Gienow - June 05, 2015

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....

BWW Reviews: SWEET CHARITY at SHAW FESTIVAL
by Michael Rabice - June 01, 2015

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...

BWW Review: The Performers Rise to the Challenge in Stratford Festival's CAROUSEL
by Lauren Gienow - June 01, 2015

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....

BWW Review: Stratford Festival's THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK is an Honest and Stunning production
by Lauren Gienow - May 31, 2015

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....

BWW Review: Stratford Festival's THE PHYSICISTS is Delightfully Disturbing
by Lauren Gienow - May 31, 2015

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 loo...

BWW Review: A Star is Born in Stratford's THE SOUND OF MUSIC
by Alan Henry - May 30, 2015

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....

BWW Review: M'DEA UNDONE, Not Your Typical Opera
by Jason Carlos - May 27, 2015

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 ...

BWW Review: Stratford Festival's HAMLET is Exciting from Start to Finish
by Lauren Gienow - May 26, 2015

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...

BWW Review: TITANIC Doesn't Sink At The Princess of Wales Theatre
by Alan Henry - May 25, 2015

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...

BWW REVIEW: Julia Cho's DURANGO is Driven by Complex Characters
by Jason Carlos - May 25, 2015

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....

BWW Review: MORRO AND JASP 9-5 is Charmingly Entertaining!
by Jason Carlos - May 20, 2015

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....

BWW Review: The LOT's AMERICAN IDIOT Is High Energy Rock And Roll
by Brittany Goldfield Rodrigues - May 14, 2015

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...

BWW Review: BEDROOM FARCE is Messy and Hilarious!
by Jason Carlos - May 12, 2015

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...

BWW Review: HGJTC's THEREFORE CHOOSE LIFE is Sheer Perfection
by Alan Henry - April 25, 2015

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 married...

BWW Review: HERETIC Misses a Few Targets
by Jason Carlos - April 12, 2015

Perfect? Far from it - but the Soup Can Theatre's latest production, HERETIC still showcases the beauty of indie theatre. Framed as a one-woman show, Sarah Thorpe both directs and stars in this new retelling of the story of Joan of Arc. The 50-minute production highlights the complex aspects of Joan...

BWW Review: DAME EDNA Bids Her Possums A Glorious Goodbye in Toronto
by Alan Henry - April 12, 2015

It's very rare that you see a performer so skilled in his/her craft that that performer can command the attention of two thousand patrons for two and a half hours single handedly. On Thursday night I had the pleasure of witnessing such a performance: that of Barry Humphries - or as he's best known, ...

BWW Review: THE DAISY THEATRE Is A Wild Ride
by Jason Carlos - March 23, 2015

Ronnie Burkett's THE DAISY THEATRE is a unique night of live entertainment. His unscripted and over the top show featuring over forty marionette puppets will have you laughing out loud for the whole 90(ish) minute run. At the beginning of the show Ronnie explains that it may run over depending what ...

BWW Review: BULL is a Thrilling Fight Full of Punch
by Jason Carlos - March 19, 2015

The Coal Mine Theatre's second production, Mike Bartlett's BULL, offers a cutthroat and ruthless look into a highly competitive workplace situation. This small independent theatre company located at the bottom of a Danforth pizza joint offers a new experience for Toronto theatregoers in the East End...

BWW Review: VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE Has All The Makings Of A Hit Broadway Play
by Alan Henry - March 18, 2015

Christopher Durang's Tony Award winning play, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, opened last night at the Panasonic Theatre. The play's premise is reminiscent of a sitcom: Masha, a famous actress past her prime (and the most successful sibling) returns home for a weekend to visit her siblings Soni...

BWW Review: TIME STANDS STILL is a Cathartic Theatrical Journey
by Jason Carlos - March 17, 2015

The TSS Collective is presenting a remount of last summer's hit Toronto Fringe show, TIME STANDS STILL by Pulitzer Prize winner Donald Margulies. Director Jordan Merkur expertly stages this Tony Award-nominated play with a strong cast, set and direction. From start to finish, the audience was captiv...

BWW Review: Toronto Audiences Will Fall In Love With ONCE All Over Again
by Alan Henry - February 23, 2015

I never saw Once, now playing at The Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto, during the National Tour's engagement here last year. After attending the media opening of the all-Canadian production Sunday afternoon, I can see why a return engagement was needed. Audiences will fall in love with this show, over ...