My In The City series returns with a personally curated list of events as part of what I have been calling my birthday / celebration of life week. This year, I have decided to switch it to an Aquarius season celebration.
As per my usual, the list includes some theatre, live performances, music and film screenings around Toronto, as well as, films and a series you can screen from the comfort of home.
As always, hope you find some new favourites.
Theatre / Live Performance
Troilus and Cressida
Written by William Shakepeare
Shakespeare BASH’d
January 29 to February 8
The Theatre Centre
Set during the Trojan War, Troilus and Cressida recounts the love affair of its title characters. Inside the besieged city of Troy, the Trojan prince Troilus is lovesick for Cressida. Cressida is drawn to Troilus, too, and her uncle, Pandarus, brings them together.
Searching for Aimai
A Cahoots Theatre Production
Written & Performed by Coleen Shirin MacPherson
February 15th to March 1st
The Theatre Centre
A woman is about to give birth but can’t hear the songs of her ancestors. Forced to confront her self doubt, she locks herself in the bathroom in a surreal attempt to reignite the sacred fire. She is pulled toward her great-great grandmother, and into the tangled, half-erased threads of her mixed-race lineage. Inspired by the gap between what we see and what we know, this is a solo play that wrestles with the limits of belonging.
Niimi’iwe Dance Double Bill
Featuring Conversations: Hidden Stories by Vanguardia Dance Projects & Aanmitaagzi and Spine of the Mother by Raven Spirit Dance
February 5 – 8
Native Earth’s Aki Studio
The Niimi’iwe Dance Double Bill explores the nuances of Indigenous identity stories with these two dance pieces presented in a single evening followed by talkbacks with the artists after each show.
Looking at stories of displacement and erasure, Conversations is a journey through what has separated us from ourselves and each other. Through soil, fabric, land and water, the work reaffirms a sovereign right to ancestral memory, connection and future.
The metaphor of the Spine of Mother Earth is a name given by Indigenous Elders in South America to the Andean mountain range that spans from the base in Argentina, through the Americas and ends at the tip of Alaska. Our bodies become the landscape like the mountain ranges that connect the North and South (the Eagle and the Condor) and through this we find our kinetic connection to others that transmits impulse, breath and spirit.
Risqué at the Rivoli: Opera meets Burlesque
Valentine’s Day
Rivoli Toronto
Opera Revue is bringing back their wildly popular Risqué at the Rivoli opera/burlesque show to Toronto’s iconic Rivoli Toronto for two cheeky shows, one at 7pm and the spicier one at 10pm. A great evening out for couples, singles, friends, and anyone looking to have a fun night out.
Music
National Arts Centre Orchestra’s Eroica
Sat, Feb 7, 2026
Roy Thomson Hall
Led by the vibrant Alexander Shelley, the National Arts Centre Orchestra will showcase Jean-Yves Thibaudet in Saint-Saëns’s sparkling “Egyptian” Concerto, paired with Beethoven’s groundbreaking “Eroica” Symphony, a stirring testament to resilience and the human spirit.
Donkoraba by Djely Tapa
Batuki Music Society in association with Alliance Française Toronto
Sat, Feb 7, 2026
Alliance Française Toronto Spadina Theatre
Djely Tapa is a singer-songwriter based in Montreal. Her first album Barokan evokes the African blues and the vibrations of the Sahel and is tinged with electro. She is a singer-songwriter with a powerful, crystalline voice, and an heir to the rich tradition of the griots.
Film
RACCORD Festival
Two Special Screenings; 4pm and 6pm
January 31
Alliance Française Toronto Spadina Theatre
The Regroupement des artistes cinéastes de la francophonie canadienne (RACCORD) presents a selection of short and feature films, offering a platform to Francophone filmmakers living in minority communities across Canada.
The films will be presented in French with English subtitles. Free but RSVP recommended.
Cronos (1993)
Directed by Guillermo del Toro
February 6 – 7
Revue Cinema
Del Toro’s feature debut with Cronos, a highly unorthodox tale about the seductiveness of the idea of immortality. Kindly antiques dealer Jesús Gris (Federico Luppi) happens upon an ancient golden device in the shape of a scarab, and soon finds himself the possessor and victim of its sinister, addictive powers, as well as the target of a mysterious American named Angel (Ron Perlman).
Streaming
Green Room (2015)
Directed by Jeremy Saulnier
At the end of their low-budget tour, a punk band accepts a gig at an isolated rural club, only to discover that their hosts are neo-Nazis. This is a well crafted horror-thriller starring Patrick Stewart as a diabolical club owner who squares off against t unsuspecting but resilient young punk band.
Currently streaming on Netflix.
Blossoms Shanghai
Directed by Wong Kar Wai
Blossoms Shanghai is the first original episodic series by legendary filmmaker. An adaptation of Jin Yucheng’s award-winning novel Blossoms, the series chronicles the ascent of self-made millionaire Ah Bao, the Jay Gatsby of Shanghai, during the economic boom that followed the opening of the Shanghai stock exchange. Renowned Chinese actor Hu Ge stars as Bao, personifying the idealism and adventurism that defined the 1990s.
Currently streaming on The Criterion Channel.
Saints and Warriors
Directed by Patrick Shannon
Set against the sweeping backdrop of Haida Gwaii, the documentary explores two titles: the Skidegate Saints’ quest to defend their All Native Basketball Championship and the community’s fight to reclaim their land and waters, stolen under the Indian Act of 1876. These intertwining battles on and off the court highlight what some might call “a silly game of putting the ball in the hoop” has become a profound tool for political action, community leadership, and cultural survival in Haida Gwaii.
Available exclusively on Crave starting on January 26.
The Wrecking Crew
Directed by Angel Manuel Soto
In this action comedy, two estranged half-brothers, Jonny (Jason Momoa) and James (Dave Bautista) are forced to reunite after their father’s mysterious death. As they set out to uncover the truth, buried secrets resurface and loyalties are tested, unveiling a conspiracy that can tear their family apart. Together, they are ready to WRECK anything that gets in their way.
Available on Prime starting on January 28.
