☛ TORONTO ✭ FEBRUARY 2019 ☚

---Larger Theatres--- 

Come From Away  (musical) by Irene Sankoff and David Hein.  On September 11th, 2001, 38 planes with 6,579 passengers are stranded in Gander, Newfoundland.  Opened Feb 13, 2018, booking to Jun 30, 2019.  Royal Alexandra Theatre, 1-800-461-3333, www.mirvish.com.  Runtime: 1h40m.  ✭✭✭✭✭  

Così fan tutte  (opera) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  Two men are encouraged to test the faithfulness of their fiancées.  Opens Feb 5, runs to Feb 23.  Four Seasons Centre, 416-363-8231, www.coc.ca.   

Djuki Mala  (performance).  The Australian aboriginal group performs a fusion of traditional Indigenous culture, contemporary dance and storytelling.  Opens Feb 1, runs to Feb 3.  Bluma Appel Theatre, www.ticketmaster.ca/venueartist/131122/2103112. 

Elektra  (opera) by Richard Strauss.  Elektra plans to take revenge on her mother for killing her father.  In German with English surtitles.  Opens Jan 26, runs to Feb 22.  Four Seasons Centre, 416-363-8231, www.coc.ca. 

HOTEL  (circus) by Cirque Éloize.  The story of a place where lives intersect, collide and juxtapose for a brief time.  Opens Feb 6, runs to Feb 10.  Bluma Appel Theatre, 1-855-872-7669, www.sonycentre.ca. 

Jukebox Hero The Musical  (musical) by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais.  A coming-of-age saga written to the music of Foreigner.  Runs Feb 21 to 24.  Ed Mirvish Theatre, 1-800-461-3333, www.mirvish.com.   

The Last Ship  (musical) by Sting.  A young man returns to Tyne and Wear after 17 years to discover the local shipyard is being closed.  Runs Feb 9 to Mar 24.  Princess of Wales Theatre, 1-800-461-3333, www.mirvish.com.

Oslo  (drama) by J.T. Rogers.  The true story of the back-channel talks, unlikely friendships and quiet heroics that led to the Oslo Peace Accords.  Runs Feb 9 to Mar 3.  CAA Theatre, 1-800-461-3333, www.mirvish.com.

The Play That Goes Wrong  (comedy) by Henry Lewis et al.  An amateur production of a murder mystery becomes a disaster.  Runs Jan 8 to Feb 10.  Ed Mirvish Theatre, 1-800-461-3333, www.mirvish.com. 

who we are in the dark  (dance) by Peggy Baker.  A work that explores and illuminates shifting identities, betrayals, secrets, and intimacies.  Opens Feb 21, runs to Feb 24.  Bluma Appel Theatre, 416-368-3110, www.canadianstage.com.       

---Smaller Theatres (Professional)---  

Bears  (drama) by Matthew MacKenzie.  The prime suspect in a workplace accident, flees through the Rockies to escape the RCMP and undergoes a startling transformation.  Runs Feb 28 to Mar 17.  Factory Theatre, 416-504-9971, www.factorytheatre.ca.

Cottagers and Indians  (comedy) by Drew Hayden Taylor.  A look at conflicts between native traditional water usage and property owners up in cottage country.  Preview Feb 5, opens Feb 6, runs to Feb 24.  Tarragon Theatre Extraspace, 416-531-1827, http://tarragontheatre.com. 

The Father  (comedy) by Florian Zeller.  An 80-year-old man can’t quite remember who the people are he is living with.  Preview from Feb 3, opens Feb 6, runs to Feb 27.  Coal Mine Theatre, 1454 Danforth Ave., www.coalminetheatre.com.   

Fierabras  (opera) by Franz Schubert.  The Moor Fierabras is in love with Emma who is in love with Eginhard, a man of whom her father does not approve.  In German with English surtitles.  In concert.  Feb 3 only.  Jane Mallett Theatre, 1-800-708-6754, http://www.operainconcert.com. 

Gruesome Playground Injuries  (drama) by Rajiv Joseph.  The lives of two people from age of 8 to 38 who are brought together by their delf-destructiveness.  Runs Jan 18 to Feb 9.  The Assembly Theatre, 1479 Queen St West, www.leroystreettheatre.com.     

Hook Up  (opera) by Chris Thornborrow.  Questions of consent, shame and power arise in the lives of three new university students.  Opened Jan 30, runs to Feb 9.  Theatre Passe Muraille, https://tapestryopera.com/hook-up.

Little Menace: Pinter Plays  (comedies) by Harold Pinter.  A performance of 10 of Pinter’s very short plays.  Previews from Feb 16, opens Feb 21, runs to Mar 10.  Young Centre, 416-866-8666, http://www1.soulpepper.ca.     

Magic Tonight  (magic).  James Alan presents a weekly live magic show with guest magicians.  Every Sunday.  The Cage, 292 College St., 416-995-1736, www.magictonight.ca/tickets/.

Merry Munsch Pyjama Party  (children).  Some favourite Robert Munsch stories acted out by actor in pyjamas.  For ages 4+.  Runs Feb 9 to May 5.  Artscape Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie St., 416-368-8031, http://solarstage.on.ca.

Mules  (comedy) by Beth Graham & Daniela Vlaskalic.  Two friends from high school, one of whom is smuggling drugs, hide in an airport washroom.  Opens Feb 15, runs to Mar 2.  Streetcar Crowsnest, 345 Carlaw Ave, www.theatrefront.com. 

New Magic Valley Fun Town  (comedy) by Daniel MacIvor. A Cape Bretoner visits his old childhood pal after an absence of 25 years.  Previews from Feb 20, opens Feb 27, runs to Mar 31.  Tarragon Theatre Mainspace, 416-531-1827, http://tarragontheatre.com.

Once On This Island  (musical) by Stephen Flaherty & Lynn Ahrens.  A peasant girl on a tropical island uses the power of love to bring people together.  Runs Dec 6, 2018-Mar 3, 2019.  Lower Ossington Theatre, 100 Ossington Ave., https://tickets.ticketwise.com/event/once-on-this-island-toronto.

Othello (tragedy) by William Shakespeare.  Iago tries to make his commander Othello doubt the faithful ness of his wife.  Runs Feb 5-10.  Monarch Tavern, 12 Clinton St, www.shakespearebashd.com. 

Paolozzapedia  (performance) by Adam Paolozza.  Commedia dell’arte, storytelling and family anecdotes create a show about the creative nature of memory through the fragmenting act of immigration.  Previews from Feb 16, opens Feb 20, runs to Mar 3.  Theatre Passe Muraille, 416-504-7529, www.artsboxoffice.ca. 

Prince Hamlet  (tragedy) by William Shakespeare.  An adaptation of the play featuring a cross-cultural, gender-bent cast.  Preview Feb 6, opens Feb 7, runs to Feb 24.  Berkeley Street Theatre, 416-368-3110, www.canadianstage.com.     

Rhubarb Festival (festival).  The 40th annual festival of new queer works in theatre, dance, music, and performance art.  Opens Feb 13, runs to Feb 24.  Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander St., 416-975-8555, http://buddiesinbadtimes.com.

Rose  (musical) by Mike Ross & Sarah Wilson.  To discover her place in the world Rose must conquer the mountain that stands in her way.  Opened Jan 23, runs to Feb 24.  Young Centre, 416-866-8666, http://www1.soulpepper.ca.     

salt.  (drama) by Selina Thompson.  A play based on retracing one of the routes of the Transatlantic Slave Triangle – from Bristol, UK to Ghana in western Africa to Jamaica.  Opens Feb 7, runs to Feb 10.  Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge St., www.sonycentre.ca/calendar-event-details/?id=436. 

The Tashme Project: The Living Archives  (drama) by Julie Tamiko Manning & Matt Miwa.  The story of Japanese Canadians subjected to Canada’s internment laws during World War II.  Opened Jan 30, runs to Feb 10.  Factory Theatre, 416-504-9971, www.factorytheatre.ca.

Towards Youth: a play on radical hope  (performance) by Andrew Kushnir.  A play exploring the use of drama by young people to express their anxieties about the world.  Previews from Feb 25, opens Feb 28, runs to Mar 16.  Streetcar Crowsnest, 345 Carlaw Ave., http://crowstheatre.com. 

The 26 Letter Dance  (drama) by Hélène Langevin.  A journey through the world of letters and words.  For ages 4-8.  Runs Feb 26 to Mar 16.  Young People’s Theatre, 416-862-2222, www.youngpeoplestheatre.ca. 

Ugly Duckthing  (children).  A puppet musical about a strange animal looking for a family.  For ages 3+.  Runs Jan 5 to Feb 3.  Artscape Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie St., 416-368-8031, http://solarstage.on.ca.

The Virgin Trial  (drama) by Kate Hennig.  Princess Elizabeth must navigate a labyrinth of political and sexual intrigue in the Tudor court that threatens her life.  Opened Jan 24, runs to Feb 3.  Young Centre, 416-866-8666, http://www1.soulpepper.ca.     

We Are All Treaty People  (drama) by the Artists of Making Treaty 7.  Two children – one Indigenous, one white – are told by the Trickster they cannot be friends.  For ages 6+.  Runs Feb 11 to 22.  Young People’s Theatre, 416-862-2222, www.youngpeoplestheatre.ca. 

---Smaller Theatres (Community & Student)---

Dick Whittington and His Cat  (panto) by Ben Crocker.  A poverty-stricken youth becomes Lord Mayor of London after he sells his cat to a rat-infested country.  Opened Jan 31, runs to Feb 9.  [community]  Tranzac Club, 292 Brunswick Ave,  http://nagsplayers.com.  

The Land Grabber  (drama) by James Phelan.  A survivor of Ireland’s Famine is driven to expand his farm and risk the censure of his neighbours.  Runs Feb 14-Mar 2.  [community]  Alumnae Theatre, 70 Berkeley St, http://torontoirishplayers.com. 

Next to Normal  (musical) by Tom Kitt & Brian Yorkey.  A mother struggles with worsening bipolar disorder that affects her family.  Preview Feb 7, opens Feb 8, runs to Feb 23.  [community]  Scarborough Village Theatre, 416-267-9292, https://theatrescarborough.com.  

The Pirates of Penzance  (operetta) by Arthur Sullivan & WS Gilbert.  A young has been apprenticed to a pirate instead of a pilot.  Opened Jan 25, runs to Feb 3.  [community]  Parish Hall Auditorium, 651 Dufferin St., 416-922-4415, www.saintanne.ca.

Scott Shorts and Zelda  (drama) by Allyson McMackon et al.  An original pastiche of physical theatre and spoken word celebrating the Jazz Age and Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald.  Opens Feb 6, runs to Feb 16.  [student]  Young Centre, 416-866-8666, www1.youngcentre.ca.

Top Girls  (drama) by Caryl Churchill.  A woman celebrates her job promotion with famous women of history and fiction.  Runs Jan 18 to Feb 2.  [community]  Alumnae Theatre, 70 Berkeley St., 416-364-4170, www.alumnaetheatre.com. 

You Never Can Tell  (comedy) by George Bernard Shaw.  An independent woman and her children accidentally run into her husband and their father in a seaside town.  Opens Feb 7, runs to Feb 16.  [student]  Young Centre, 416-866-8666, www1.youngcentre.ca.

☛ ELSEWHERE ✭ FEBRUARY 2019 ☚

*BARRIE*

Every Brilliant Thing  (comedy) by Duncan Macmillan.   As a mother battles chronic depression, a child creates a list of everything that makes life worth living.  Runs Jan 24-Feb 2.  Five Points Theatre, 705-792-1949, www.tift.ca.       

*CAMBRIDGE*

Dracula  (opera) by Dylan Langan.   An operatic adaptation of Bram Stoker’s vampire novel.  Feb 15 only.  Cambridge Centre for the Arts, www.vcopera.ca.       

*GUELPH*

Dracula  (opera) by Dylan Langan.   An operatic adaptation of Bram Stoker’s vampire novel.  Feb 17 only.  Harcourt Memorial United Church, www.vcopera.ca. 

Dueling Magicians  (magic) by Mike D’Urzo & Ray Chance.   Two magicians try to one-up each other in magic tricks.  Feb 2 only.  River Run Centre, 519-763-3000, http://riverrun.ca.    

Emily Brown and the Thing  (children) by Tall Stories.  Emily and her rabbit Stanley find a “Thing” crying outside their window.  Opens Feb 19, runs to Feb 21.  River Run Centre, 519-763-3000, http://riverrun.ca.     

*HAMILTON*

Crees in the Caribbean  (comedy) by Drew Hayden Taylor.  The story of two middle-aged First Nations seniors, on their very first trip out of the country.  Opens Feb 1, runs to Feb 16.  Dofasco Centre, 1-800-465-7529, www.theatreaquarius.org. 

*KINGSTON*

Outerbridge - Clockwork Mysteries (magic) by Ted Outerbridge.  A high-energy magical adventure for both adult and family audiences.  Feb 2 only.  Grand Theatre, www.kingstongrand.ca.

What a Young Wife Ought to Know  (drama) by Hannah Moscovitch.  A look at the dilemmas of a young married woman in 1920s Ottawa with no access to birth control.  Opens Jan 30, runs to Feb 17.  Baby Grand Theatre, 613-530-2050, www.theatrekingston.com.    

*KITCHENER/WATERLOO*

Dracula  (opera) by Dylan Langan.   An operatic adaptation of Bram Stoker’s vampire novel.  Feb 16 only.  Knox Presbyterian Church, 50 Erb Street West, Waterloo, www.vcopera.ca. 

Masters of Illusion  (magic).  Grand illusions, levitating women, appearances and vanishes, escapes, comedy magic, sleight of hand and beautiful dancers.  Feb 13 only.  Centre in the Square, 1-800-265-8977, https://centreinthesquare.com.  

*LONDON*

Maggie & Pierre  (drama) by Linda Griffiths.  The story of the romance between Pierre Trudeau and a 20-something flower child.  Preview Feb 12, opens Feb 13, runs to Feb 23.  Grand Theatre, 519-672-8800, www.grandtheatre.com. 

Le Nozze di Figaro  (opera) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  Figaro’s master wants to sleep with Figaro’s fiancée before her wedding.  Opened Jan 25, runs to Feb 3.  [student]  Paul Davenport Theatre, Western University, https://tickets.grandtheatre.com/single/psDetail.aspx?psn=8450.

The Penelopiad  (drama) by Margaret Atwood.  Why did Odysseus kill ten of Penelope’s handmaidens on his return home after a 20 year’s absence?  Opened Jan 25, runs to Feb 9.  Grand Theatre, 519-672-8800, www.grandtheatre.com.  

Vigilante  (musical) by Jonathan Christenson.  The ghosts of the Donnelly family massacred in Lucan in 1880 tell their side of the story.  Previews from Feb 19, opens Feb 22, runs to Mar 9.  Grand Theatre, 519-672-8800, www.grandtheatre.com.   

*MARKHAM*

Outerbridge - Clockwork Mysteries (magic) by Ted Outerbridge.  A high-energy magical adventure for both adult and family audiences.  Feb 3 only.  Flato Markham Theatre, www.markham.ca.

*MISSISSAUGA*

La Bohème (opera) by Giacomo Puccini.  Life and love among starving artists in 19th-century Paris.  In Italian with English surtitles.  Feb 7 & 9.  Living Arts Centre, 905-306-6000, www.livingartscentre.ca. 

This Is The Point  drama).  A joyous and unflinching portrait of four individuals whose lives have been shaped, in part, by cerebral palsy.  Opens Feb 26, runs to Feb 27.  Living Arts Centre, 905-306-6000, www.livingartscentre.ca.     

*NIAGARA FALLS*

Broadway Showstoppers  (revue) by Lee Siegel.  An all-new tribute to Broadways greatest musicals.  Runs Feb 22 to Apr 15.  Oh Canada Eh? Dinner Show, 8585 Lundy’s Lane, 1-800-467-2071, www.ohcanadaeh.com.      

Wild Magic  (magic) by Greg Frewin.  Frewin performs stunning large-scale illusions including one with a white Siberian tiger.  Runs Jan 2 to Jun 30.  Greg Frewin Theatre, 905-356-0777, http://gregfrewintheatre.com. 

*OTTAWA*

Apollo / Paz de La Jolla / The Dream  (ballets) by Balanchine, Justin Peck and Ashton.  The National Ballet of Canada performs a triple bill.  Opened Jan 31, runs to Feb 2.  NAC, 1-866-850-2787, http://nac-cna.ca.   

Big Bang Festival  (festival).  A festival about sound and colour for children and their families.  Opens Feb 17, runs to Feb 18.  NAC, 1-866-850-2787, https://nac-cna.ca/en/bigbang. 

Bingo Ladies  (musical) by Grant Tilly.  Three women are in major competition at a Friday night bingo.  Preview Feb 26, opens Feb 27, runs to Mar 2.  The Gladstone, 613-233-4523, www.thegladstone.ca.  

Blood on the Dance Floor  (dance) by Jacob Boehme.  Boehme looks to his Australian aboriginal ancestors in a quest for hope and love.  Opens Feb 22, run to Feb 23.  La Nouvelle Scène, 1-866-850-2787, http://nac-cna.ca.

Le Cid  (drama) by Pierre Corneille.  A new version of Corneille’s play by Gabriel Plante.  In French.  Opens Nov 29, runs to Dec 1.  La Nouvelle Scène, www.nouvellescene.com/spectacles/le-cid. 

Copper Promises  (dance) by Victoria Hunt.  Hunt explores the cultural and physical journey of her Maori ancestor.  Opens Feb 22, run to Feb 23.  La Nouvelle Scène, 1-866-850-2787, http://nac-cna.ca. 

Hamlet_director’s cut  (drama) by William Shakespeare.  A condensed version of Shakespeare’s play performed by one actor.  In French.  Opened Jan 30, runs to Feb 2.  NAC, 1-866-850-2787, http://nac-cna.ca. 

Mile(s)tones  (children) by Zonzo.  Three laid-back virtuosos spout all the colours of the great Miles Davis while hypnotic videos draw you into the mix.  For ages 6-12.  Runs Feb 17 to 18.  La Nouvelle Scène, 1-866-850-2787, http://nac-cna.ca. 

The Mountaintop   (drama) by Katori Hall.  A poetic imagining of events on the night before the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.  Runs Jan 22-Feb 10.  Great Canadian Theatre Company, 613-236-5196, www.gctc.ca.

Of Mice and Men  (drama) by John Steinbeck.  George and Lenny man-child he looks out for dream of a homestead of their own.  Runs Feb 13-Mar 2.  [community]  Ottawa Little Theatre, 400 King Edward Ave., 613-233-8948, www.ottawalittletheatre.com.   

Prince Hamlet  (tragedy) by William Shakespeare.  An adaptation of the play featuring a cross-cultural, gender-bent cast.  Preview Feb 27, opens Feb 28, runs to Mar 9.  NAC, 1-866-850-2787, http://nac-cna.ca.   

Revisor  (dance) by Crystal Pite & Jonathon Young.  A dance version of the classic comedy by Nikolai Gogol.  Opens Feb 28, runs to Mar 2.  NAC, 1-866-850-2787, http://nac-cna.ca. 

The Revolutionists  (comedy) by Lauren Gunderson.  In 1793 Paris four women murder Marat (or perhaps not) and dream about changing the world.  Preview Feb 13, opens Feb 14, runs to Feb 23.  The Gladstone, 613-233-4523, www.thegladstone.ca.  

Le Songe d’une nuit d’été  (comedy) by William Shakespeare.  Acrobats from the Flip FabiQue circus troupe enliven this tale of two couples who flee into an enchanted forest.  In French.  Opens Feb 13, runs to Feb 16.  NAC, 1-866-850-2787, http://nac-cna.ca.   

undercurrents  (festival).  A festival of eight plays by emerging artists from Ottawa and the rest of Canada.  Opens Feb 6, runs to Feb 16.  Various venues, http://undercurrentsfestival.ca     

The Wedding Party  (comedy) by Kristen Thomson.  A glimpse of a joyous, hellish and often alcohol-fuelled post-wedding reception.  Opens Feb 1, runs to Feb 9.  NAC, 1-866-850-2787, http://nac-cna.ca.   

Weird: The Witches of Macbeth (drama) by Phillip Psutka.  Circus arts are used to tell the story behind the three witches in Shakespeare’s play.  Opened Jan 30, runs to Feb 9.  The Gladstone, 613-233-4523, www.thegladstone.ca.     

*RICHMOND HILL*

Geronimo Stilton: Mouse in Space  (children) by John Maclay.  Geronimo has to overcome his fears to save New Mouse City from space invaders.  For JK to Grade 6.  Feb 18 only.  Richmond Hill Centre, www.rhcentre.ca. 

*ST. CATHARINES*

Emily Brown and the Thing  (children) by Tall Stories.  Emily and her rabbit Stanley find a “Thing” crying outside their window.  Feb 18 only.  FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 905-688-0722, www.firstontariopac.ca.   

Pete the Cat  (children) by Theatreworks USA.  A groovy blue cat is on his way to stay with a new family.  For ages 3+.  Feb 18 only.  FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 905-688-0722, www.firstontariopac.ca.   

Things My Fore-Sisters Saw (drama) by Leslie McCurdy.  Meet four women of African Descent who affected change in Canada.  Feb 9 only.  FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 905-688-0722, www.firstontariopac.ca.

This is the Point  (performance) by Ahuri Theatre.  A portrait of four individuals whose lives have been shaped, in part, by cerebral palsy.  Opens Feb 14, runs to Feb 16.  FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 905-688-0722, www.firstontariopac.ca.  

*SUDBURY*

Here on the Flight Path  (comedy) by Norm Foster.  John, a would-be writer, interacts with three different female neighbours over a three and a half year period.  Preview Feb 7, opens Feb 8, runs to Feb 23.  Sudbury Theatre Centre, 705-674-8381, www.sudburytheatre.com.

*THUNDER BAY*

Huff  (comedy) by Cliff Cardinal.  Wind and his brothers, caught up in solvent abuse, struggle to cope with the death of their mother.  Runs Feb 7 to 23.  Magnus Theatre, 807-345-5552, www.magnus.on.ca.