Toronto Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 15

BWW Review: YELLOW RABBIT Places Fear and Human Instinct in the Spotlight
by Isabella Perrone - November 26, 2018

In a desolate world, to what lengths are people willing to go to feel safe? In YELLOW RABBIT, produced by Silk Bath Collective and Soulpepper and directed by Jasmine Chen in its world premiere, two people must determine what they value most, and suffer greatly at the hands of the leader of a refuge ...

BWW Review: WE KEEP COMING BACK is a Visually Dynamic, Personal Look into Jewish-Polish Identity
by Isabella Perrone - November 24, 2018

WE KEEP COMING BACK, produced by Factory Theatre and Selfconscious Productions, begins with a dream of Warsaw, but strangely enough, never quite gets there. Most ideas expressed go unanswered by the cast, and rightfully so, given the show's foundation....

BWW Review: Willy Wonka Re-Invented for the 21st Century
by Taylor Long - November 23, 2018

This is not your parents' Willy Wonka. CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, the new musical by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, is a bigger, brighter, louder version of the beloved novel by Roald Dahl. Featuring larger-than-life projections, updated characters, and brand-new music - the world of Willy ...

BWW Review: UNCOVERED: JONI MITCHELL & CAROLE KING Re-imagines the 21st Century's Biggest Singer-Songwriter Hits
by Isabella Perrone - November 18, 2018

What happens when you put eight accomplished singers, two dynamic actresses, and a back-up band that steals the show more than once? You get UNCOVERED: JONI MITCHELL & CAROLE KING....

BWW Review: OKLAHOMA! at Scarborough Music Theatre
by Student Blogger: Brynn Bonne - November 12, 2018

Out of your dreams, and onto the stage! Scarborough Music Theatre's Oklahoma! Shines at the Scarborough Village Theatre until November 17th...

BWW Review: ESCAPED ALONE's Cast is the Welcome Light in a Dark Story
by Isabella Perrone - November 06, 2018

Caryl Churchill's 2016 work ESCAPED ALONE receives a subtle, simple rendition in its Canadian premiere. Produced by Soulpepper and the Necessary Angel Theatre Company, the piece walks a fine line between mundane and manic for the entirety of its 50-minute view time....

BWW Review: THE ROYALE Hits Hard on Sport, Sacrifice, and Honour
by Isabella Perrone - October 26, 2018

Written by Marco Ramirez and directed by Guillermo Verdecchia in this Soulpepper production, THE ROYALE is described as a match told in six rounds. What viewers actually get is a 90-minute whirlwind of emotion packed to the brim with subtle self-reference and a gut-wrenching showdown between a risin...

BWW Review: AIN'T TOO PROUD Succeeds on its Stunning Talent
by Taylor Long - October 18, 2018

The soul of Motown is alive in Toronto. On its final stop before Broadway, AIN'T TOO PROUD busts open the Motown catalogue at Mirvish's Princess of Wales Theatre. With explosive vocals that reach every extreme of the human voice, high-energy choreography, and a playlist of 31 Motown favourites - AIN...

BWW Review: Crime and Consequence Fuel THE NETHER with a Dynamic Look Into the Ethics of Virtual Reality.
by Isabella Perrone - October 16, 2018

How do you charge a person in the flesh for their actions in a simulation? Produced by Coal Mine Theatre and Studio 180 Theatre, Jennifer Haley's work shines as a multi-world crime investigation....

BWW Review: THE WOLVES at Crow's Theatre Serves as a Reminder of Female Strength
by Isabella Perrone - October 15, 2018

Sarah DeLappe's first foray into playwriting is a complete knockout, and is brilliantly directed by Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster and produced by The Howland Company and Crow's Theatre. ...

ORALTORIO: A THEATRICAL MIXTAPE Examines Society and Culture Through Black Music
by Isabella Perrone - October 15, 2018

Striking audio and powerful stories drive ORALTORIO: A THEATRICAL MIXTAPE as the lives of black women, never named yet eerily familiar, are brought to life in this new Soulpepper and Obsidian Theatre production, directed by Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu. ...

BWW Review: DR. SILVER Masterfully Conducts a New Type of Theatrical Experience
by Isabella Perrone - September 22, 2018

DR. SILVER: A CELEBRATION OF LIFE is setting a new standard for Canadian musical theatre. From the moment you arrive at the venue, you're faced with a mass of Dr. Silver's followers - they're friendly, but it's unsettling to watch the room slowly fill with mini cups of blue water....

BWW Review: The Female Experience Exposed - and Hilarious - in Second City's SHE THE PEOPLE
by Isabella Perrone - August 20, 2018

What happens when you get a group of talented women together to write a show? Over a dozen sketches that reveal the funnier aspects of being a woman....

BWW Review: A WITTY WHODUNNIT IN 'THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES' at SHAW FESTIVAL
by Michael Rabice - August 20, 2018

How do you dust off an old classic and make it engaging and fresh for a 21st Century audience. The Shaw Festival has done just that in its gem of production THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES. Many have heard the title but may not be familiar with the details of the intriguingly convoluted case that Sher...

BWW Review: Mirvish's MAMMA MIA! was the Perfect Summer Musical
by Taylor Long - August 19, 2018

From the first crash of drums, you could feel the excitement ripple through the theatre. The beloved musical MAMMA MIA! returned to the Ed Mirvish Theatre for a limited engagement and audiences could not have been more thrilled. Telling the story of Sophie Sheridan and her mother Donna, the show exp...

BWW Review: Soulpepper's BED AND BREAKFAST is Fully Booked with Love and Laughter
by Isabella Perrone - August 19, 2018

Mark Crawford's BED AND BREAKFAST is a two-man show stuffed to the brim with vibrant, interesting characters, that takes place after Brett (Gregory Prest) inherits a family home in some Ontario small-town and packs up his life in Toronto with his partner Drew (Paolo Santalucia) to open a bed and bre...

Will You Be Found? DEAR EVAN HANSEN Open Casting Call in Toronto!
by Taylor Long - July 19, 2018

Calling all Evan Hansens! Mirvish Productions will be doing an open casting call on Monday, July 23, 2018 for the roles of Evan Hansen and Alana Beck. Interested? We have the details here....

BWW Review: THE KING AND I at Mirvish is a Charming Revival of a Problematic Musical
by Taylor Long - July 17, 2018

There's no escaping it - this Rodgers and Hammerstein classic has not aged well. Bartlett Sher's brilliant production of THE KING AND I has arrived in Toronto at Mirvish's Princess of Wales Theatre. While the cast does an exceptional job revitalizing the work, they can't escape the problematic cultu...

BWW Review: Soulpepper's ORLANDO is an Impressive, Existential Look into Identity
by Isabella Perrone - July 14, 2018

How can a life be described when the only constants are a name and a poem? In Soulpepper's production of ORLANDO, the title character struggles with existentialism and a fixation on death - something that seems to constantly elude them....

BWW Review: WICKED Shows No Signs of Slowing Down
by Taylor Long - June 25, 2018

After nearly 15 years, WICKED is still defying gravity. The North American tour of Stephen Schwartz' blockbuster musical WICKED will be whisking Toronto audiences to Oz this summer at Mirvish's Ed Mirvish Theatre. Lucky for us Torontonians, this touring cast is more than capable at navigating the th...

BWW Review: STAGE KISS is a Delightful Summer Romp at SHAW FESTIVAL
by Michael Rabice - June 21, 2018

When the stage directions in a script indicate 'to kiss' any good actor knows it will be 'stage kiss.' That is, kind of awkward at first attempt in the rehearsal hall, but hopefully with practice becomes convincing enough to the audience without the actors actually becoming emotionally involved wit...

BWW Review: An Elegant GRAND HOTEL at SHAW FESTIVAL
by Michael Rabice - June 11, 2018

'People come, people go,' 'some have, some have not.' Simple lyrics that can expose a myriad of stories and wounds. Just what one would expect in a busy hotel. No one is ever quite sure what happens behind the closed doors of a grand hotel, but outward appearances are often just that, appearances t...

BWW Review: Andrew Lloyd Webber's Score Shines Through New Staging of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA at Mirvish
by Taylor Long - June 12, 2018

There's a new chandelier, new sets, and new costumes! But new doesn't necessarily mean improved. Laurence Connor's updated touring production of Broadway's longest-running show, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, has arrived in Toronto. For a first-time Phantom viewer, the experience will be a grand one - bu...

BWW Review: Comedy and High Art Clash in Soulpepper's LA BÊTE
by Isabella Perrone - June 02, 2018

What happens when a street performer is thrown into a court theatre troupe? In Soulpepper's production of the 1991 David Hirson play, the result includes a lot of body humour, monologuing, and deeper-than-expected political commentary....

BWW Review: INNOCENCE LOST at Soulpepper
by Isabella Perrone - May 26, 2018

Soulpepper's production of INNOCENCE LOST: A PLAY ABOUT STEVEN TRUSCOTT is an intense look into a case that changed Canada's judicial system and divided a town....