Toronto Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 7

Review: Sharp concept helps keep THE SHARK IS BROKEN afloat
by Isabella Perrone - October 03, 2022

What do you get when you place three actors at varying points in their careers on a boat, anchor them in the Atlantic Ocean, add a faulty mechanical shark to the equation, and delay shooting for weeks on end?...

Review: When it rains, it pours - SINGIN' IN THE RAIN makes a splash in Toronto
by Isabella Perrone - October 02, 2022

In a world where films are constantly being adapted for the stage, it’s refreshing to see a stage production that came from a movie and still shines like the sun on a rainy day, despite the difference in medium....

Review: PUBLIC ENEMY at Canadian Stage
by Ilana Lucas - September 28, 2022

Canadian Stage’s PUBLIC ENEMY is a modern dining-room drama where opinions are loudly aired and ignored. Effectively staged by Brendan Healy, with an impressive cast inhabiting its dysfunctional but believable characters, it’s like watching a conversation by your most frustrating group of relatives....

Review: COCKROACH at Tarragon Theatre
by Ilana Lucas - September 25, 2022

We regularly use “cockroach” as dehumanizing language for the Other in an attempt to justify their oppression or extermination. That’s the central metaphor of Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho)’s Cockroach, a scathingly funny screed that pits a wisecracking insect against the ghost of Shakespeare in a fight for th...

BWW Review: The World Premiere of 1939 at the Stratford Festival is a Moving and Powerful 'Must-See' Play
by Lauren Gienow - September 19, 2022

If you live in Stratford, Ontario, you may have heard the buzz around town about a new play at the Stratford Festival’s Studio Theatre. Written by Jani Lauzon and Kaitlyn Riordan, 1939 had its world premiere last week and audiences sprung to their feet to show just how moved they were by this beauti...

BWW Review: THE MISER at Stratford Festival is Rich with Laughter
by Lauren Gienow - September 18, 2022

Originally scheduled for the 2020 season, THE MISER, starring Colm Feore and directed by Antoni Cimolino, is currently playing at the Stratford Festival’s Festival Theatre stage. This Moliere comedy of manners fits right into current times, and this new adaptation by Ranjit Bolt is filled with pop c...

BWW Review: QUEEN GONERIL at Soulpepper Theatre
by Samantha Wu - September 14, 2022

Set seven years before the tragic events in King Lear, playwright Erin Shields takes on the dynamic character of Goneril, Lear's eldest daughter, posing the question of what drives her ambition?...

BWW Review: KING LEAR at Soulpepper Theatre
by Samantha Wu - September 12, 2022

Soulpepper Theatre brings Shakespeare's King Lear, the classic tale of a King's descent into madness and his daughters' struggle with power, to the Young Centre for the Performing Arts until October 1. ...

Review: AS YOU LIKE IT at Canadian Stage's High Park Amphitheatre
by Ilana Lucas - August 12, 2022

Banishment, unassailable friendships, brotherly hate, love at first sight, philosophy, a magical forest, and a witty young woman in disguise. These classic Shakespearean elements and more await audiences of Canadian Stage's Dream in High Park production of AS YOU LIKE IT, in bloom at the High Park A...

BWW Review: EVERY LITTLE NOOKIE at Stratford Festival has Humour and Heart
by Lauren Gienow - August 04, 2022

If you are a theatre-goer looking to venture outside your comfort zone, or if you often don’t feel seen or represented by the societal norms typically presented in modern theatre pieces – then Sunny Drake’s new play EVERY LITTLE NOOKIE might be exactly what you are looking for. That’s not to say tha...

Review: WEI at Aki Studio
by Ilana Lucas - July 31, 2022

WÉI, a new 50-minute dance piece choreographed by Yvonne Ng, is billed as an exploration of identity and belonging, asking questions about the importance of nature versus nurture. While the answers may be inconclusive, this meditation on individuality vs. collective development explores the concepts...

Review: ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL at Stratford Festival Explores Murky Moral Territory with Passion and Delight
by Lauren Gienow - July 18, 2022

For the sixth time in the Stratford Festival’s history, a production of ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL is being mounted. It is fittingly being performed at the brand new Tom Patterson Theatre alongside RICHARD III. This is relevant because these were the two plays that launched the inaugural season of th...

Review: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST at Shaw Festival
by Michael Rabice - July 14, 2022

A breezy comedy of manners, as only Oscar Wilde could pen, is a welcome way to return to Niagara-on-the Lake's SHAW FESTIVAL. For it's 60th anniversary audiences are in for a familiar treat as THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST returns to the stage in all it's witty charm. Hints of covid still pervade ...

Review: DETROIT at Coal Mine Theatre
by Ilana Lucas - July 12, 2022

“Isn’t it funny how nothing ever happens?” That line from Lisa D’Amour’s DETROIT, now playing at the Coal Mine Theatre, could be the motto for its portrayal of suburban ennui. D’Amour’s sharp script and the cast’s committed performances make this show feel vital and present – like, perhaps, somethin...

Review: LITTLE WOMEN at the Stratford Festival Brings a Classic Story to the Next Generation
by Lauren Gienow - July 13, 2022

A beloved story has been adapted for the stage and for the whole family at the Stratford Festival this season and it had its world premiere last Thursday night. Playwright Jordi Mand's LITTLE WOMEN--based on the novels Little Women and Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott is being brought to life on stag...

Review: & JULIET is an Empowering Celebration of Life, Love, and the Freedom to Be Yourself
by Isabella Perrone - July 10, 2022

Gone are the days where Juliet is a tragic, gone-to-soon character in a Shakespeare play; she’s given a new lease on life in a new musical, with a diverse cast of characters and enough pop power anthems to have audiences dancing in their seats, no matter their age....

BWW Review: 2 PIANOS 4 HANDS at Royal Alexandra Theatre
by Samantha Wu - July 01, 2022

Richard Greenblatt and Ted Dykstra are two accomplished pianists who also happen to be pretty darn funny. Together they've created a musical comedic romp, 2 Pianos 4 Hands (2P4H) playing at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, an ode to their lifelong obsession with the 88 keys. If you've ever endured a mus...

Review: TAKE THE MOMENT at Winter Garden
by Ilana Lucas - June 25, 2022

Taking on Sondheim is a daunting task. It’s an even more daunting task to mold his works to fit and frame one’s own life story. Cynthia Dale encourages us to TAKE THE MOMENT at her show at the Winter Garden. Dale’s winning voice and a thoughtful script distinguish this deeply personal show from simp...

Review: MISSION TOTALLY POSSIBLE at Comedy Bar Danforth
by Ilana Lucas - June 25, 2022

With the world on fire in so many different ways, we could all use a good laugh. Second City’s new mainstage offering at Comedy Bar Danforth, MISSION TOTALLY POSSIBLE, provides one, and then some....

Review: HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD Bewitches In Canadian Premiere
by Isabella Perrone - June 20, 2022

Mirvish has brought a truly spellbinding production to the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre this season. After over two years sitting empty, the theatre was packed on an opening weekend showing of the latest show in their 2022 season: the Canadian premiere of HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD....

Review: GASLIGHT at Shaw Festival
by Michael Rabice - June 20, 2022

A Victorian thriller melded with a dash of 21st century female fortitude makes up the fabric of the Shaw Festival's gripping new production of GASLIGHT. Over the years the Festival has mastered presenting these chilling stories in it's quaint jewel box  Royal George Theatre. Memories of REBECCA and ...

BWW Review: SWAN LAKE Soars in New National Ballet of Canada Production
by Isabella Perrone - June 14, 2022

It’s been nearly two years since the National Ballet of Canada had planned on premiering their new SWAN LAKE, but in this case late is definitely better than never. The stunning new production, directed by former Artistic Director Karen Kain, has finally arrived on the Four Seasons Centre’s stage. ...

BWW Review: DIXON ROAD at Canadian Stage's High Park Amphitheatre
by Ilana Lucas - June 14, 2022

Dixon Road, a new musical by Fatuma Adar produced by The Musical Stage Company and Obsidian Theatre in association with Canadian Stage, would not let the burst of rain drenching the High Park stage drown its opening night exuberance. DIXON ROAD ably balances despair and delight to create a show that...

BWW Review: WHERE THE BLOOD MIXES at Young Centre For The Performing Arts
by Samantha Wu - June 10, 2022

What did our critic think? Soulpepper Theatre along with Native Earth Performing Arts presents Where the Blood Mixes written by Kevin Loring. This production, directed by Jani Lauzon, is a story about loss, reconnection, and generational trauma brought about by the hands of those in charge at the St...

BWW Review: Stratford Festival's RICHARD III is a Riveting Night at the Theatre
by Lauren Gienow - June 09, 2022

A riveting production of Shakespeare's RICHARD III at the brand new (and gorgeous) Tom Patterson Theatre. Directed by Antoni Cimolino and starring Colm Feore, this production offers an impressive take on one of Shakespeare's greatest villains. With a skilled company and stunning design and effects,...