It seems perfectly fitting that the first play Shakespeare BASH’d is producing after the COVID-19 lockdowns is one also written during a plague in London. The Tragedy of King Lear has been several years in the making, and it was most definitely worth the wait. Directed by James Wallis and starring Stratford Festival favourite Scott…
Stage Door Dialogues is back for 2023 and the first interview of the year is with the talented Mairi Babb who plays Kent in Shakespeare Bash’d’s production of The Tragedy of King Lear by William Shakespeare. You might recall reading about Mairi in my review of Eldritch Theatre’s Requiem for a Gumshoe, and I’m so…
Since their season announcement, I’ve been looking forward to seeing Red Velvet at Crow’s Theatre and it certainly did not disappoint. Written by Lolita Chakrabarti and directed by Cherissa Richards, Red Velvet looks at the astounding career of Ira Aldridge, the first Black man to play Othello in London. Featuring an absolutely stellar cast, Red…
The next world premiere from Factory Theatre’s season is The Waltz, written by Marie Beath Badian and directed by Nina Lee Aquino. A sequel to her 2018 work Prairie Nurse, audiences now get to experience the next generation as they talk about their parents, the past, and how that’s shaping their lives in the present.…
Tarragon Theatre is starting it’s 2022/23 season off with a total hit! Cockroach, written by Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho) and directed by Artistic Director Mike Payette, chronicles the inner life of a young man as he experiences a very traumatic event. This funny, moving, and poignant work is the kind of powerful theatre we…
My family and I are gearing up to head back to the Stratford Festival this weekend, and both of the plays by Shakespeare which we’re seeing are plays we’ve seen before. They’ll be brand new for my partner, so I’ll be looking forward to seeing his reaction to them. But I feel like the question…
Real Canaan Theatre’s inaugural production The Merchant of Venice is a fascinating take on the Shakespearean classic. Directed by Christopher Lucas, who is also the Artistic Director of the company, The Merchant of Venice uses a small but mighty cast to bring Shakespeare’s work to life. With plenty of fresh ideas to chew on, The…
Soulpepper theatre is offering a unique experience for audiences at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts in the heart of the historic Distillery District. They’re currently producing Erin Shields’ Queen Goneril (directed by Soulpepper’s Artistic Director Weyni Mengesha), a prequel to Shakespeare’s classic King Lear (directed by Kim Collier). While both plays could easily…
In the latest workshop of his adaptation of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, Sky Gilbert gives us a sexy tale of revenge entitled Who’s Afraid of Titus? Performed at the Red Sandcastle Theatre, Who’s Afraid of Titus is certainly for adult audiences only, but you’ll have a killer time! I have to applaud Gilbert not just…
The Bard of Stratford-Upon-Avon is taking over Toronto! With several productions of Shakespeare’s works currently on stage or coming up next month (for more details see my Waiting in the Wings post for September), I thought it was a prime time to talk about my favourite playwright, William Shakespeare. I absolutely understand the apprehension around…
A View from the Box 