Time for another instalment of my Theatre Crawl listings. The month of April has arrived and with it, we have a great many shows to enjoy!
Opening This Week
Take d Milk, Nah?
Written and Performed by Jivesh Parasram
Directed by Tom Arthur Davis
Dramaturgy by Graham Isador
Theatre Passe Muraille – Backstage
April 10 – 22, 2018
Tickets: $20; available online
In Take d Milk, Nah?, Parasram blends personal storytelling and ritual to walk an audience through the Hin-do’s and Hin-don’ts at the intersections of these cultures. The show is a refreshingly candid and delightfully funny look at race, religion and nationalism(s): What divides us – and what we’re willing to accept in the desire to belong. Oh, and there’s a cow.
Love and Information
Written by Caryl Churchill
Directed by Tanja Jacobs & Alistair Newton
Canadian Stage
April 10 – 29, 2018
Tickets: $35 to $59; available online
Told through a theatrically-adventurous medley of short vignettes, Love and Information features an ensemble of actors performing over 100 roles. With a dazzling instinct for the absurd, Churchill confronts the data overload that bombards us every day – painting an instantly-recognizable portrait of modern human connection. In an effort to convey the frenetic pace of the information society, the play is structured as 57 vignettes performed in just under two uninterrupted hours.
Mouthpiece
Created and Performed by Norah Sadava & Amy Nostbakken
Directed and Composed by Amy Nostbakken
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre
April 11 – 22, 2018
Tickets: $20 to $35; available in person, at 416-975-8555, or online
In the wake of her mother’s death, Mouthpiece follows one woman, for one day, as she tries to find her voice. Interweaving a cappella harmony, dissonance, text, and physicality, two performers express the inner conflict that exists within one modern woman’s head. Ranging from tender to merciless, with uncompromising precision, the play magnifies a daughter’s contemplation of her mother, and becomes a rigorous investigation of womanhood itself.
Le Menteur / The Liar
Written by Pierre Corneille
Directed by Joël Beddows
Théâtre français de Toronto
April 11 – 22, 2018
Tickets: $25 to $49; available online
*Saturday Rush Tickets for $20; PWYC Wed & Thur
Le Menteur tells the story of the young Dorante at the moment of his arrival in Paris and his introduction into a world of gallantry and prestige. There, he invents a thousand lives in order to carve himself a choice place in his new environment. However, after a misunderstanding about the names of two young women, Lucrèce and Clarice, Dorante finds himself caught in a cascade of lies. No longer able to tell truth from fiction, he himself gets lost in a maze of falsehoods.
Category E
Written by Belinda Cornish
Directed by Rae Ellen Bodie
Coal Mine Theatre
April 11–29, 2018
Tickets: $42.50 + HST; available online
Rush tickets $25 (cash only, 30 minutes before performance starts)
Two subjects imprisoned in a human test lab are joined by a third. Under constant surveillance by The Eye – a futuristic, multinational corporation dedicated to manufacturing the best products money can buy. When not tending to wounds, burning skin and itchy backsides, they make the best of their horrifying circumstances by telling each other tall-tales, spying on the neighbours, and trying to finish a seventeen-year-old crossword puzzle. Will they survive? Or will they kill each other first?
Queen Marie
Written by Shirley Barrie
Directed by Rosemary Doyle
Musical direction by Paul Comeau
Alumnae Theatre
April 13–28, 2018
Tickets: Wed 2-for-1, Thu–Sat $25, Sun PWYC; avail at 416-364-4170 or online
This is a musical comedy about the life of Marie Dressler, who was one of the funniest Canadians in showbiz. She ventured from small-town Ontario to make a name for herself in Vaudeville, on Broadway and in Hollywood, where she starred alongside icons Charlie Chaplin and Greta Garbo. Dressler won an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1931 for her role in Min and Bill, and she’s also well-known for her title role in Tugboat Annie.
Opening Later This Month
Selfie
Written by Christine Quintana
Directed by Stephen Colella
Based on the original French language version
Young People’s Theatre
April 23-May 11, 2018 | Recommended for ages 13 & up
Tickets: $24 Adults | $19 Seniors 65+ & Youth 1-18 | HST & service charges extra; avail online
The first party of the school year comes packed with expectations. It’s a time to renew old friendships and perhaps find new love. But what happens when an incident shatters the connections between three friends? Teenage relationships are complicated enough – especially when you add the reckless power of social media. Incisive and witty, Selfie is a reflection on sexual consent, failed communication and self-promotion in this era of Instagram.
