Reviews 2015
Reviews 2015
In 2015 Stage Door received 169,843 pageviews from 80,587 unique visitors from 166 countries. Compared to last year, these numbers are up by 36,728 pageviews, up by 20,597 unique visitors and even up by 12 countries.
The company with the largest number of entries in the top 50 is the Stratford Festival with eleven, followed by Mirvish Productions and the Tarragon Theatre each with four. The Canadian Opera Company, Precisely Peter Productions and the Storefront Arts Initiative tie with three each.
Some reviews from the past maintained their holding power. The review of Cirque du Soleil’s Kurios from 2014 which was number one last year was also number one in 2015. Two fixtures of the top ten of past years – Fate of a Cockroach by Tawfiq al-Hakim from 2005 and Zone by Marcel Dubé from 2012 – were joined after the surprising rise of In Gabriel’s Kitchen from 2006.
Even more than last year readers interested in a certain show would read older reviews of the show before it opened. Surprisingly, the older reviews would continue to be read even after the opening and despite a redirect button on the older review. This accounts for the presence on the list of two reviews for Stratford’s The Adventures of Pericles (2003) and (2015) and two for The Sound of Music (2001) and (2015). In some cases, the older review received more hits than the 2015 review. This happened with Soulpepper’s The Play’s the Thing, Ross Petty’s panto version of Peter Pan, the COC’s Bluebeard’s Castle/Erwartung and the Shaw Festival’s You Never Can Tell.
-The Editor-
The 50 Most Read Reviews of 2015:
1. Kurios – Cabinet of Curiosities (2014) by Michel Laprise, Cirque du Soleil, Toronto
2. Zone (2012) by Marcel Dubé, Théâtre français de Toronto et al., Toronto
3. In Gabriel’s Kitchen (2006) by Salvatore Antonio, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Toronto
4. Fate of a Cockroach (2005) by Tawfiq al-Hakim, AfriCan Theatre Ensemble, Toronto
5. Once by Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová, David Mirvish, Toronto
6. Abyss by Maria Milisavljevic, Tarragon Theatre, Toronto
7. Kinky Boots by Cyndi Lauper & Harvey Fierstein, David Mirvish, Toronto
8. Blind Date by Rebecca Northan, Blind Date OnStage & Tarragon Theatre, Toronto
9. Messiah by George Frideric Handel, Against the Grain Theatre, Toronto
10. The Adventures of Pericles (2003) by William Shakespeare, Stratford Festival
11. Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Stratford Festival
12. The Play’s the Thing (2003) by Ferenc Molnár, Soulpepper, Toronto
13. Carousel by Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II, Stratford Festival
14. The Sound of Music (2001) by Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II, Stratford Festival
15. The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare, Stratford Festival
16. ‘O’ (2012) by Franco Dragone, Cirque du Soleil, Las Vegas, NV, USA
17. The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, Crow’s Theatre & Canadian Stage, Toronto
18. Lakeboat by David Mamet, Unit 102 Actors Company, Toronto
19. Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Canadian Opera Company, Toronto
20. She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith, Stratford Festival
21. Edmond by David Mamet, Storefront Arts Initiative, Toronto
22. Peter Pan (2000), Ross Petty Productions, Toronto
23. Brimstone and Treacle by Dennis Potter, Precisely Peter Productions, Toronto
24. Pyramus and Thisbe by Barbara Monk Feldman, Canadian Opera Company, Toronto
25. Waiting Room by Diane Flacks, Tarragon Theatre, Toronto
26. Hana’s Suitcase (2010) by Emil Sher, Young People’s Theatre, Toronto
27. Bluebeard’s Castle/Erwartung (2001) by Bela Bartók/Arnold Schoenberg, Canadian Opera Company, Toronto
28. Nirbhaya by Yaël Farber, Nightwood Theatre, Toronto
29. The Sound of Music (2015) by Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II, Stratford Festival
30. Marat/Sade by Peter Weiss, Soulpepper, Toronto
31. The Big Sleep by Alvin Rakoff & John D. Rakoff, Theatre Aquarius, Hamilton
32. Talking Heads (Program A) by Alan Bennett, Precisely Peter Productions, Toronto
33. I, Claudia (2002) by Kristen Thompson, Tarragon Theatre, Toronto
34. Click, Bait & Switch by The Second City, The Second City, Toronto
35. You Never Can Tell (2005) by George Bernard Shaw, Shaw Festival, Niagara-on-the-Lake
36. Man’s Dominion by David Castro, Toronto Fringe Festival
37. The Chasse-Galerie by The Red One Theatre Collective, Storefront Arts Initiative, Toronto
38. Harlem Duet (2006) by Djanet Sears, Stratford Festival
39. Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward, David Mirvish, Toronto
40. The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures by Tony Kushner, Shaw Festival, Niagara-on-the-Lake
41. The Adventures of Pericles (2015) by William Shakespeare, Stratford Festival
42. The Last Wife by Kate Hennig, Stratford Festival
43. The Dirty/Beautiful (2005) by Stephen Massicote, Crow’s Theatre, Toronto
44. The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God (2003) by Djanet Sears, Obsidian Theatre, Toronto
45. The House of Yes by Wendy MacLeod, Storefront Arts Initiative, Toronto
46. Mamma Mia! (2000) by Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus, Mirvish Productions, Toronto
47. Talking Heads (Program B) by Alan Bennett, Precisely Peter Productions, Toronto
48. The Physicists by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Stratford Festival
49. Julie by Philippe Boesmans, Soundstreams & Canadian Stage, Toronto
50. Mary’s Wedding by Stephen Massicote, Blyth Festival
©Christopher Hoile
Photo: Chaos Synchro from Kurios. ©2014 Martin Girard.
2016-01-01
The 50 Most Read Reviews of 2015