Toronto Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 17

BWW Review: THE ILLUSIONISTS Amazes with Diverse Magic
by Taylor Long - December 15, 2017

When is the last time you've been awestruck? THE ILLUSIONISTS - LIVE FROM BROADWAY, presented by Mirvish, puts you face-to-face with seven of the world's greatest illusionists, as they deliver an extraordinary, hypnotizing stage show, exploring magic and trickery through the ages....

BWW Review: Drayton's MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET at Mirvish Drags Through the Hits
by Taylor Long - December 14, 2017

Most people love jukebox musicals. Seeing some of the greatest hits from legends like Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins performed live, creates a nostalgic experience that is undeniably entertaining. Unless you're not a fan of the jukebox style - and I should state that ge...

BWW Review: Bad Hats' PETER PAN at Soulpepper Inspires the Imagination
by Taylor Long - December 13, 2017

With a little creativity, anything is possible. Soulpepper's presentation of Bad Hats Theatre's PETER PAN is proof that imagination can push the limits of what is possible on stage. Set in the round, the wonderfully-clever production has chuckling adults and wide-eyed children all believing in fairi...

BWW Review: The National Ballet's THE NUTCRACKER is a Dazzling Tradition for All Ages
by Taylor Long - December 11, 2017

His melodies are timeless. Tchaikovsky's most popular ballet has become a holiday tradition for audiences across the globe. Lucky for us Torontonians, The National Ballet of Canada's annual production of THE NUTCRACKER is a dazzling masterpiece....

BWW Review: MR. SHI AND HIS LOVER Croons at the Intersection of Musical and Opera
by Taylor Long - December 10, 2017

MR. SHI AND HIS LOVER, a new take on an old love story, manipulates perception in a tale of perception manipulation. Through seven non-linear scenes, performed in Mandarin with Chinese and English surtitles, MR. SHI AND HIS LOVER integrates a mix of introspective arias and narrative songs. The theme...

BWW Review: Seduced by the Music of Love at the TSO's BEST OF TCHAIKOVSKY
by Taylor Long - December 06, 2017

If love had a sound, it would take the form of the colourful melodies pervading the air during the TSO's BEST OF TCHAIKOVSKY. Led by guest conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, the TSO is showcasing a program of two Tchaikovsky favourites and one rare gem, especially for cellist Joseph Johnson. Wilson demonst...

BWW Review: Predictability Increases Unpredictability in Canadian Stage's HEISENBERG
by Taylor Long - December 04, 2017

Uncertainty, or the state of being uncertain, involves not being able to clearly identify or define something. Simon Stephens' HEISENBERG thrives on uncertainty. Using physicist Werner Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle as the underlying theme, Canadian Stage's Canadian premiere production fuses sci...

BWW Review: Tailor made Hometown 'A CHRISTMAS CAROL' at SHAW FESTIVAL
by Michael Rabice - December 04, 2017

Tailor Made Hometown 'A CHRISTMAS CAROL' Charles Dickens himself would most likely approve of the charming version of his classic story of miserly Ebeneezer Scrooge and his influence over everyone in a quaint hometown. The Shaw Festival's Artistic Director Tim Carroll has programmed A CHRISTMA...

BWW Review: TSO's HOME ALONE IN CONCERT Creates a Sense of Community
by Taylor Long - December 02, 2017

A multi-generational community was created at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra's HOME ALONE IN CONCERT. I grew up watching the film and it quickly became a tradition during the holiday season. Spending an evening laughing beside children who are maybe seeing the film for the first time, or grandparent...

BWW Review: Ross Petty's A CHRISTMAS CAROL Panto is Undeniably Fun
by Taylor Long - December 01, 2017

Ross Petty's annual holiday musical is a tradition for many Torontonians. With this year's production, A CHRISTMAS CAROL - The Family Musical with a SCROOGE LOOSE!, that tradition is sure to continue. Led by AJ Bridel and Dan Chameroy, A CHRISTMAS CAROL is undeniable fun, performed by an abundantly ...

BWW Review: The National Ballet's NIJINSKY; The Dancer Trapped in the Man
by Taylor Long - November 25, 2017

The mind is a fascinating, terrifying and often incomprehensible place. The National Ballet of Canada's production of John Neumeier's NIJINSKY explores the mind through the lens of one of the world's most famous ballet dancers, Vaslav Nijinsky. Neumeier's skilled theatricality encompasses the piece,...

BWW Review: Second City's THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY SWEATER is a Holiday Must!
by Taylor Long - November 22, 2017

Everyone loves the holidays, making Second City's holiday show a staple of the season. THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY SWEATER pokes fun at the cheery period between Remembrance Day and New Year's Day when we stress about gifts, spend too much time with relatives and drink too much liquor at office par...

BWW Review: Gasps All Around at Mirvish's DISGRACED
by Taylor Long - November 17, 2017

A lesson in what not to say at a dinner party, Mirvish's presentation of Ayad Akhtar's DISGRACED is tense and unsettling. Originally a production from the Hope and Hell Theatre Company, director Robert Ross Parker discusses the play as having 'the power to make us uncomfortable.' Certainly true. As ...

BWW Review: Musical Stage Company's UNCOVERED is Unmissable
by Taylor Long - November 15, 2017

What makes a show unmissable? The perfect combination of smart arrangements performed by an ensemble of artists who are the experts of their instruments. UNCOVERED is all of that. The annual concert, produced by the Musical Stage Company, pays tribute to some of the greatest musicians in the world. ...

BWW Review: GREASE is Not the Word in Toronto's New Production
by Taylor Long - November 10, 2017

You could escape the cold weather for those 'hot summer nights', but it may not be as warm as you had hoped. GREASE THE MUSICAL takes us all back Rydell High with a newly imagined production by director and choreographer, Josh Prince (Broadway's Beautiful - The Carole King Musical and Shrek - The Mu...

BWW Review: Soulpepper's THE GOAT OR, WHO IS SYLVIA? Shocks with Gripping Performances
by Taylor Long - November 09, 2017

'You don't understand,' repeats Martin. You'll have to see it to really understand. Soulpepper presents Edward Albee's shocking Tony Award-winning play, THE GOAT OR, WHO IS SYLVIA? (2002) Featuring an outstanding cast, including Soulpepper's Artistic Director, Albert Schultz, this production is proo...

BWW Review: Red Sky's Insanely Physical BACKBONE Will Leave You Breathless
by Taylor Long - November 04, 2017

Exploring the connectedness of everything - BACKBONE, presented by Red Sky Performance in association with Canadian Stage, is a stimulating exhibition of dance....

BWW Review: Top 10 Moments from the COC's Ensemble Studio Competition
by Taylor Long - November 02, 2017

Canada is a country known for its musical talent. The Canadian Opera Company's Ensemble Studio Competition, CENTRE STAGE, showcased a curated selection of that talent last night. The competition auditions singers from across the country and selects a few lucky artists to compete for an invitation to...

BWW Review: Thrilling Vocal Spectacle Distracts From Troubled Book in BAT OUT OF HELL THE MUSICAL
by Taylor Long - October 28, 2017

'I remember everything!' shouts Strat - a fitting opening to such a nostalgia-stirring show. BAT OUT OF HELL THE MUSICAL takes Jim Steinman's epic and beloved music, originally conceived as a musical, and creates, in the Ed Mirvish Theatre, a spectacle unlike anything else....

BWW Review: TSO Honours Maureen Forrester with Howard Shore Premiere and Mahler Favourite
by Taylor Long - October 20, 2017

One of the greatest Canadian voices in classical music, contralto Maureen Forrester was a legend. The Toronto Symphony Orchestra paid tribute to the beloved singer, in a concert of new works for Mezzo-soprano and one of Forrester's most memorable recital pieces, Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde (The S...

BWW Review: Less is More in Ravi Jain's SALT-WATER MOON at Mirvish
by Taylor Long - October 19, 2017

Pull everything back. Slow everything down. Suddenly you can focus with more intention. This is exactly what Ravi Jain achieves with his Factory Theatre production of David French's SALT-WATER MOON. Presented by Mirvish at its most intimate theatre, the 700-seat Panasonic, the play forgoes props, co...

BWW Review: Mirvish's THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME is a Surreal Visual Feast
by Taylor Long - October 16, 2017

Perception-twisting is the best way to describe the effect this play had on me. THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, Simon Stephens' Olivier and Tony Award-winning play, based on the novel by Mark Haddon, has finally come to Canada. The National Theatre touring production of Marianne E...

BWW Review: THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SHADOW is a Fairy Tale Gone Hilariously Awry
by Taylor Long - October 16, 2017

I was not prepared to laugh that much. Theatre Lab's THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SHADOW could have easily been called Peter Pan Gone Wrong . The musical-comedy takes the familiar story and flips it on its head....

BWW Review: HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS - IN CONCERT at the Sony Centre
by Taylor Long - October 13, 2017

The magic returns to the Sony Centre. HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS - IN CONCERT presents the second film in the franchise, accompanied by Joshua Gersen and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, performing John Williams' epic score....

BWW Review: COC's ELIXIR OF LOVE is Charming to the Core
by Taylor Long - October 12, 2017

Small town charm is the fuel for the Canadian Opera Company's ELIXIR OF LOVE. Set in any town Ontario, Donizetti's beloved characters appear even more appealing and recognizable in James Robinson's quaint production. As part of the bel canto operatic repertoire, beautiful singing is an exception...