Toronto Theater Reviews

Review: THE SOUND INSIDE at Coal Mine Theatre
by Ilana Lucas - May 25, 2023

Rapp’s play, about a Yale creative writing professor facing down a terrible illness, and her relationship with a challenging student of whom she asks an impossible favour, has lived in my mind since I saw it. It’s a familiar story that goes in new directions; it’s mesmerizingly told, and acted with ...

Review: BOOM X at Streetcar Crowsnest
by Ilana Lucas - May 22, 2023

What did our critic think of BOOM X at Streetcar Crowsnest? Born at the end of 1984, I'm a 'geriatric millennial,' only able to admire the sarcastic, too-cool-for-school slacker aesthetic of my slightly older peers from beyond the confines of artificial generational divides as I toil away at my side...

Review: VACHES At Canadian Stage
by Ilana Lucas - May 19, 2023

VACHES is a moo-sical that will have you moo-ving enthusiastically to its zany beat…even if the plot has more holes than Swiss cheese....

Review: THE CHINESE LADY at Streetcar Crowsnest
by Ilana Lucas - May 14, 2023

Watching THE CHINESE LADY, you get the distinct impression that you are, in fact, trapped in a box, as much an exhibit to the woman watching your gaze as she is to you. She stands on a small, white square platform with a rim that suggests Chinese carvings, the postage stamp that marks the confines o...

Review: PAINT ME THIS HOUSE OF LOVE At Tarragon Theatre
by Ilana Lucas - May 08, 2023

Though her style may not be for everyone, Woolley is clearly a talent to watch, displaying a range of abilities in her twisty, complex script. PAINT ME THIS HOUSE OF LOVE gives us a compelling situation, strong characters, and one truly blazing performance, but also the frustration of a conversation...

Review: TRUE CRIME at Streetcar Crowsnest
by Ilana Lucas - May 05, 2023

The show’s thematic identity crisis notwithstanding, Campbell’s return to the stage is cause for celebration. He knows how to spin a tale that will keep you at the edge of your seat…and how to snatch that seat out from under you while you’re sitting there....

Review: SKYLINE'S THE LIMIT At Second City Mainstage
by Ilana Lucas - May 01, 2023

The comedy complex at the bottom of a soaring condo tower has declared that this SKYLINE’S THE LIMIT, and in its new revue directed by Kirsten Rasmussen, it’s as satisfying as a Leafs playoff series win in overtime....

Review: THE HOOVES BELONGED TO THE DEER at Tarragon Theatre
by Samantha Wu - April 09, 2023

The Hooves Belonged to the Deer, playing at the Tarragon Theatre, is an eye-opening revelation story where conflicting situations conspire and lead to a tumultuous end for for Izzy, a young teen Muslim boy coming to terms with his sexuality while under the lure of a local pastor....

Review: CONVERGENT DIVERGENCY at Winchester Street Theatre
by Ilana Lucas - April 03, 2023

It’s hard to imagine two paired dance shows more different than helix by Atri Nundy and GIVE ME ONE by Danah Rosales, the double bill that makes up Toronto Dance Theatre’s CONVERGENT DIVERGENCY, now playing at the Winchester Street Theatre. They form an intriguing counterpoint that investigates the ...

Review: PRODIGAL at Streetcar Crowsnest
by Ilana Lucas - March 02, 2023

What did our critic think of PRODIGAL at Streetcar Crowsnest? PRODIGAL, written and directed by The Howland Company's Paolo Santalucia and now playing at Crow's Theatre, takes place entirely in the kitchen of the wealthy Clark family over a weekend where the past comes home to roost. Patriarch Rowan...

Review: HAMILTON's Triumphant Return To Toronto Proves You Need To Be In The Room Where It Happens
by Isabella Perrone - February 28, 2023

HAMILTON takes another shot at Toronto as the production returns as part of Mirvish’s 2022/23 season. The show ran briefly in 2020 before it was forced to close early due to the pandemic, meaning many Canadian audiences who’ve been waiting for it the last three years will finally have the chance to ...

Review: REDBONE COONHOUND at Tarragon Theatre
by Ilana Lucas - February 22, 2023

What did our critic think of REDBONE COONHOUND at Tarragon Theatre? That's the hotly debated question in Amy Lee Lavoie and Omari Newton's new play at Tarragon Theatre, co-produced with Montreal's Imago Theatre. In REDBONE COONHOUND, interracial couple Mike and Marissa (Christopher Allen and Chala H...

Review: ENGLISH at Soulpepper Theatre
by Samantha Wu - February 20, 2023

Soulpepper Theatre launches their 2023 season with English playing at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Set in Iran in the spring of 2009, English follows a small adult ESL class where each student and their instructor have their own push-and-pull relationship with their native tongue Farsi ...

Review: Atom Egoyan's SALOME Is A Dark, Twisted Descent Into Tragedy
by Isabella Perrone - February 14, 2023

The story of a doomed, distorted princess from biblical infamy makes for an uncomfortable, heavy watch. It also makes for incredible operatic moments, and a gripping, sensory experience, all in under two hours....

Review: ARE WE NOT DRAWN ONWARD TO NEW ERA at Bluma Appel Theatre
by Ilana Lucas - February 10, 2023

What did our critic think of ARE WE NOT DRAWN ONWARD TO NEW ERA at Bluma Appel Theatre? The symbolism is pretty clear: if a single red apple hangs tantalizingly from a lone onstage tree next to a sleeping woman, the fruit will be plucked, innocence will be lost, and Eve and Adam will have to leave t...

Review: THINGS I KNOW TO BE TRUE at CAA Theatre
by Samantha Wu - February 07, 2023

Things I Know to be True is an emotionally driven tale of a family stretched thin. With four adult children, it's not as easy for two loving parents to swoop in and know the right thing to say or do to make their children's crises disappear. Playing at the CAA Theatre for a limited engagement, this ...

Review: THE MAGIC OF ASSEMBLY at Winchester Street Theatre
by Ilana Lucas - February 05, 2023

THE MAGIC OF ASSEMBLY, a vibrant dance show, thrives on making invisible threads visible. With a blend of contemporary and street dance and live music by duo LAL, it’s sometimes bewildering, but mostly, the experience is wild, wacky, and wonderful....

Review: Mozart's Beloved Comic Opera THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO Takes A Gloriously Chaotic Turn At Canadian Opera Company
by Isabella Perrone - February 02, 2023

The Canadian Opera Company presents this production of THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO, originally created by the Salzburg Festival, as part of its 2023 season. Directed here by Claus Guth, some of Mozart's most recognizable operatic works come to life through the COC Orchestra, conducted by Harry Bicket....

Review: PRESSURE at Royal Alexandra Theatre
by Samantha Wu - February 01, 2023

What did our critic think of PRESSURE at Royal Alexandra Theatre? Mirvish Productions presents Pressure playing at the Royal Alexandra Theatre until March 5 2023. Fitting to the name, this performance is a pressurized exploration into the days leading up to D-Day in June, 1944. General Dwight Eisenh...

Review: MARTYR at Aki Studio
by Ilana Lucas - January 22, 2023

Marius von Mayenburg’s MARTYR tells the story of a radicalized Christian teenager and his crusade of extremism that damages everyone around him. ARC’s production's sharp, slick direction and assured cast expose some flaws in the idea-heavy script. However, it ultimately succeeds in showing theatre’s...

Review: JOSEPH AND THE TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT Dazzles in Imaginative New Production
by Isabella Perrone - December 19, 2022

The highly acclaimed production of JOSEPH AND THE TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT has made its way to Toronto. Presented now by Mirvish and directed by Laurence Connor, its premise is straightforward - the Narrator (Vanessa Fisher) is retelling the biblical tale of Joseph (Jac Yarrow) to a group of children....

Review: THE NUTCRACKER Brings The Classic Ballet To Life In Toronto This December
by Isabella Perrone - December 14, 2022

The National Ballet of Canada has brought its beloved production of THE NUTCRACKER back to the stage for the holiday season. Originally created in 1995 and now choreographed (with libretto) by James Kudelka, the production is grand, whimsical, and performed beautifully by all cast members to make fo...

Review: PETER'S FINAL FLIGHT Takes Audiences On A Whimsical Adventure in Ross Petty's Farewell Production
by Isabella Perrone - December 13, 2022

Looking for an escape this winter season? Ross Petty’s final holiday pantomime is whisking audiences away to Neverland on a whimsical, musical adventure that’s got something for everyone, no matter their age....

Review: MIRIAM'S WORLD at Theatre Passe Muraille
by Ilana Lucas - December 11, 2022

Inspired by Martha Baillie’s novel The Incident Report, multi-media artist Naomi Jaye has brought MIRIAM’S WORLD to Passe Muraille. In this approximately 20-minute video installation, the theatre is transformed into a library, where interactions between projections of a librarian and patrons make us...

Review: FISHERMANS FRIENDS THE MUSICAL makes for a reel-ly fun night out
by Isabella Perrone - December 05, 2022

While a musician underdog story isn’t a brand new concept, it’s refreshing to see it done so well - and luckily for audiences, FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS THE MUSICAL is packed to the gills with gorgeous music and vocal performances. ...