July 11, 2011

The Toronto Fringe is underway; this is your opportunity to catch some of the zaniest, most interesting, most hysterical, most heart-wrenching dramas of the Toronto theatre year!

So how exactly do you “fringe?” Start at the Fringe Club, located right behind Honest Ed’s, where you’ll hear all the Fringe buzz, have the opportunity to check out free activities, and enjoy the free nightly cabaret. Next, stay up to date at www.fringetoronto.com to find up to the minute reviews; you can also find out show times/dates for all the plays at this handy website, a must for any Fringe-goer. Miss one of the most popular shows? Two Best of The Fringe extensions will give you the opportunity to catch the sell-outs you long to see. No matter how you fringe, be sure to arrive on time – there are absolutely no latecomers admitted to shows.

The Toronto Fringe Festival continues until July 17, 2011. You can buy tickets and learn everything there is to know about the Fringe (well, almost!) at www.fringetoronto.com.

July 7, 2011

A hilarious musical about friendship, teamwork, romance and drama in the office, 9 to 5: The Musical has been lauded as “The Perfect Post-Work Indulgence” by the New York Post. Based on the 1980 film by the same name starring Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, this musical features the original “9 to 5” title track as well as several new songs written by Dolly Parton.

9 to 5: The Musical will be in Toronto for only four more shows (including tonight)! Featuring three-time Tony nominated Dee Hoty, Mamie Parris and American Idol runner-up Diana DeGarmo, you aren’t going to want to miss this exciting production! The show starts at 7:30pm tonight at Toronto Centre for the Arts; tickets range in price from $54 to $154. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to http://www.dancaptickets.com/.

June 14, 2011

The sequel to the hilarious “Women Fully Clothed,” “Women Fully Clothed: Older and Hotter” presents Robin Duke, Jayne Eastwood, Kathryn Greenwood and Teresa Pavlinek, called “the funniest women in Canada” by Eugene Levy. The show explores everything from mother/daughter relationships to cross-border shopping to craft shows, making the ordinary extraordinarily funny!

“Women Fully Clothed: Older and Hotter” starts today at the Royal Alexandra Theatre and continues until June 19th. Tonight’s performance is at 7:30pm; tickets range in price from $39 to $64. For more information or to purchase tickets, check out www.mirvish.com/shows/womenfulyclothed!

May 18, 2011

Based on the 1906 novel by Edith Nesbit, The Railway Children is the tale of three children reduced to poverty after the arrest of their father. Moving from London to a cottage in the country, Bobbie, Peter and Phyllis find themselves living close to the train tracks where they become friends with the local railway porter.

Featuring a real vintage 66-ton steam locomotive, it’s not a surprise that this production takes place at Toronto’s new 1,000 seat Roundhouse Theatre, which was custom-built for The Railway Children’s North American debut! Today’s performances are at 2pm and 7:30pm; tickets for the matinee range from $25 to $69; tickets for the evening performance range from $25 to $140. To purchase tickets or find out more, visit The Railway Children’s website.

May 13, 2011

Staged by popular demand, The Aleph returns to the Soulpepper stage, starting tonight! An adaptation of a short story by Jorge Luis Borges created by Canadian director Daniel Brooks, designer Michael Levine, and actor/Soulpepper founding member Diego Matamoros, this production was one of 2009’s most loved performances on the Soulpepper playbill.

What is “the aleph?” It’s the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and it is silent. It is also the only difference between the word “truth” and the word “death.” In Borges short story, the word “aleph” represents an all-seeing portal; in the production of the play, the aleph is open to interpretation, and the show raises many of the possible uses of the powerful letter/symbol/literary device.

Enjoy The Aleph tonight at 8pm; purchase tickets at www.soulpepper.ca.

May 4, 2011

Based on the British comedy by the same name, Calendar Girls won rave reviews in London, and is now at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto! The twelve ladies of a chapter of the Women’s Institute take on a charity fundraiser to support Leukemia research, but with a twist. Instead of the typical Women’s Institute calendar, the ladies drop their drawers for the creation of a calendar featuring pictures of the members discreetly posing nude while engaged in activities such as baking and knitting.

Catch Calendar Girls today at 2pm and 8pm. Tickets for matinee performances range from $30 to $76; tickets for evening performances range from $45 to $84. If you can’t make it to the show today, performances continue until May 28th. Purchase tickets at mirvish.com.

April 20, 2011

Woody Harrelson has called Toronto “his favourite city in North America,” so it is no surprise that he will stage Bullet For Adolf with Children at Play Productions, right here in our city! Harrelson staged This Is Our Youth in Toronto in the summers of 2003 and 2004, and returns to T.O. to stage his latest production, Bullet For Adolf, at the Hart House Theatre.

A mostly fictional story, the plot was inspired by Harrelson’s 1983 summer construction job. Characters are loosely based on real people from the conversations Harrelson had with his friend, Frankie Hyman, while on the job. The play also involves a gun that was once intended to kill Hitler.

Bullet For Adolf runs until May 7th; tonight’s showing is at 8pm. TIckets are $32 for general admission, and $18 for students and seniors. For more information, or to purchase tickets for the world premiere of this play, go to www.uofttix.ca.