The candles are lit, the curtains drawn, it’s time for a ghost story. Duncan MacMillan’s adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s Rosmersholm is a poignant tale which feels like it’s been ripped out of today’s headlines. Full of complex ideas and even more complicated characters, Rosmersholm delves into the ambitions, heartaches, and politics of the Norse nobility.…
What would happen if you randomly inserted a clown into a Chekhovian-style melodrama? Parlous Theatre’s answer is a brilliant* show full of chaos, laughs, gasps, and fun. Spectacular* from start to finish, Insert Clown Here leans heavily into the melodrama genre while simultaneously subverting everything we think we know about it. Written and directed by…
The Bacchanal is in full swing at the Coal Mine Theatre! DION: A Rock Opera is Coal Mine’s first ever World Premiere, and they could not have picked a more epic piece to start off 2024. Composed by Ted Dykstra, Libretto by Steve Mayoff, and directed by Peter Hinton-Davis, DION is an exciting, fresh, sexy…
The CAA Theatre has been transformed into a gloomy, storm-filled Russian estate for Mirvish Productions’ Uncle Vanya. One of Chekhov’s most famous works has been brilliantly adapted by Liisa Repo-Martell, and paired with Chris Abraham’s insightful direction, it’s a production for the ages. Initially premiering at Crow’s Theatre in 2022, and I could not be…
They say that tragedy plus time equals comedy, but A Lysistrata dares to ask what we get when we add comedy plus time. What we get is truly something different, fun, and relevant. With act2studioWORKS’ unique ethos of providing opportunities in theatre for artists fifty and over, A Lysistrata takes on entirely new meanings while…
The final production of Factory Theatre’s season of Myth-makers is the world premiere of Colleen Wagner’s brilliant play Armadillos. A meta-theatrical journey into the Greek myth of Thetis and Peleus, Armadillos explores how the stories we tell affect who we are. Directed by the inimitable Jani Lauzon, featuring an incredible cast and stunning design, Armadillos…
Opera Atelier returned to Koerner Hall for their fully staged production of Handel’s The Resurrection. This stunning production is directed and choreographed by Opera Atelier’s Co-Artistic Directors Marshall Pynkoski and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg. A spectacle for the senses, The Resurrection is a perfect addition to your spring/Easter itinerary. This was my first time seeing a…
Theatre Smith-Gilmour is conjuring up the mythical tales set down by Ovid in the Guloien Theatre at Streetcar Crow’s Nest with their production of Metamorphoses 2023. Directed by Michele Smith, this awe-inspiring production tells stories of change: from the wrath of the gods to the deeds of spurned mortals, Metamorphoses 2023 brings its audience along…
The Red Sandcastle Theatre is home this week to The Chekhov Collective and the latest instalment in their Page to Stage Theatrical Readings of Literary Works series, The Fiancé. Also known as “The Betrothed”, The Fiancé was the last short story Chekhov was able to complete before he passed away. This traditionally banal yet uncharacteristically…
The Red Sandcastle Theatre is keeping the holiday spirits high with John D. Huston’s production of A Christmas Carol. Based on the one-man versions Dickens used to perform himself, this production is sure to delight those familiar with the story as well as new-comers alike. With just a few performances scheduled, you certainly don’t want…
A View from the Box 