Sunday, June 11, 2017

Come From Away nabs best direction of a musical, but not best musical, at Tony Awards by J. Kelly Nestruck

Canadian-penned Come From Away, about the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, in Gander, Nfld., was nominated for seven awards

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 09:27PM
Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Soulpepper takes on Edward Albee in 2017/18 season by Brad Wheeler

Company will showcase two plays by the late American playwright, including The Goat or, Who Is Sylvia? and A Delicate Balance

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 06:00AM
Friday, May 26, 2017

Musical theatre director Donna Feore is Stratford’s secret weapon by J. Kelly Nestruck

Almost three decades after her festival debut in Guys and Dolls, the go-to musical director is set to bring it to the modern stage

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 03:23PM
Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Against The Grain’s La Bohème is back for round 2 by Robert Harris

Six years after the show helped announce the Toronto theatre company’s presence, Against The Grain is once again staging its contemporary retelling of Puccini

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 05:21PM
Tuesday, May 16, 2017

On stage, it’s now all coming back to Meat Loaf by Brad Wheeler

In Toronto on Tuesday, cast members from the new Jim Steinman musical Bat Out of Hell charmed thousands with an upbeat four-song peek outside Ed Mirvish Theatre

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 02:53PM
Monday, May 15, 2017

Come From Away wins four Helen Hayes Awards, including outstanding musical

The 9/11-inspired musical also received the award for outstanding musical director, outstanding supporting actress in a musical and outstanding ensemble in a musical

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 11:12PM

Video: Meat Loaf says new musical is as lively as his shows

Meat Loaf says a musical inspired by his greatest hits is 'high energy' like his live performances. 'Bat Out of Hell' debuts in Toronto in the fall.

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 02:55PM
Friday, May 12, 2017

The delicate art of creating an on-stage family by Naomi Skwarna

The Globe’s Johanna Schneller and Ian Brown sit down with the actors who portray them in The Boy in the Moon, a play based on Brown’s memoir about their son’s genetic disease

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 02:07PM

The Russians are coming … to a stage near you by J. Kelly Nestruck

A handful of long-in-development musicals, inspired by some of the country’s great 19th-century works, come at an odd time given current political climate

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 01:53PM
Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Will Toronto’s newly merged theatres have more clout? by Martin Knelman

New president and CEO of Civic Theatres Toronto has hopes for Sony Centre, St. Lawrence Centre and Toronto Centre for the Arts

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 03:24PM
Monday, May 8, 2017

Review: Cirque du Soleil’s thrilling Volta is crippled by its story by Robert Everett-Green

Despite bringing the usual marvels that come along with a Cirque production, the new show has numerous dull patches

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 05:54PM

Come From Away wins five Outer Critics Circle Awards

Canadian production set in Newfoundland after 9/11 wins outstanding new Broadway musical award

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 09:25AM
Saturday, May 6, 2017

Stephen Fry to perform at Shaw Festival in 2018 by J. Kelly Nestruck

Popular English actor reveals his plans for next year at members event

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 03:41PM
Thursday, May 4, 2017

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to open on Broadway in 2018 by Gordon Cox

Disney Theatrical Production’s stage version of Frozen is also due to open in spring 2018

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 03:57PM
Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Niagara Catholic schools nixed play on gender for being ‘not age-appropriate’ by J. Kelly Nestruck

Niagara Catholic District School Board elementary schools cancelled a touring play because of fears it was beyond younger students’ comprehension

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 10:22PM

Strictly Ballroom waltzes onto Toronto stage for North American premiere by Brad Wheeler

The musical, directed and choreographed by Drew McOnie, is a reimagining of the 1992 Baz Luhrmann film of the same name

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 03:43PM

What playwright Sky Gilbert is watching, reading and listening to by Brad Wheeler

Sky Gilbert is enjoying Feud: Bette and Joan, Neapolitan Novels, Amelia al ballo and Goya

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 03:07PM
Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Niagara catholic schools cancel touring play on gender identity by J. Kelly Nestruck

Boys, Girls, and Other Mythological Creatures, aimed at students from Grade 1 to 4, is centred on an eight-year-old named Simon/e who feels ‘boxed in by the restraints of gender’

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 09:07PM

Alberta Theatre Projects raises funds and will operate beyond next season by Marsha Lederman

After a 77-per-cent drop in corporate sponsorship, community helps the company raise $250,000 to operate past 2018

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 03:00PM

In COC’s Louis Riel, costume design brings new perspective to history by Jeremy Freed

Canadian Opera Company costume designer Gillian Gallow incorporated historical Canadiana with modern fashion to tell the story of the life and legacy of Louis Riel

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 09:25AM

Come From Away lands seven Tony nominations including best musical

The Canadian musical is set in Gander, N.L., during the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 08:41AM
Friday, April 28, 2017

Midsummer, while plentifully playful, could use an extra sprinkling of stars by J. Kelly Nestruck

The romantic comedy, which shares a time of year and a character name with Shakespeare, presents a familiar story played out in a theatrical way

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 03:36PM
Thursday, April 27, 2017

Uriel Luft: Ballet impresario was devoted to dance by M.j. Stone

During his tenure Les Grands Ballets Canadiens grew into an acclaimed international company

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 07:17PM
Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Drag shows aren’t free-for-alls for straight women letting loose by Jaime Woo

An influx of straight women at gay bars and in the audience of drag shows demands a reminder: Respect the queens and their stage

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 03:13PM

Thomas Mitchell Barnet hopes to strike gold in Stratford’s Treasure Island by Brad Wheeler

The young actor is just one of a number of vibrant upstarts looking to make their mark at Stratford this year

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 02:36PM
Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Come From Away scores seven Outer Critics Circle nominations

The Canadian musical is a nominee for the outstanding new Broadway musical award

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 02:34PM
Friday, April 21, 2017

Trio of Canadian ballet companies debut emotional program at National Arts Centre by Martha Schabas

ENCOUNT3RS features newly commissioned ballets by the National Ballet of Canada, Ballet BC and Alberta Ballet

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 03:06PM

Grand visions flame out at Louis Riel opera by Robert Harris

Riel didn’t live up to its expectations and Thursday night turned out to be a difficult evening at the opera house, but for reasons that are quite illuminating

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 02:53PM

Toronto’s Opera Atelier brings baroque back by Robert Harris

Company reintroduces classic European performances with a modern flair to audiences in Versailles, Salzburg and Milan

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 02:37PM
Thursday, April 20, 2017

Marie Chouinard’s take on Bosch is beautifully unsettling by Martha Schabas

Canadian choreographer Marie Chouinard crafts a dance/theatre piece based on Hieronymous Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 06:26PM

For the Vancouver Opera Festival, the drama is offstage by Marsha Lederman

As the new general director of the Vancouver Opera, Kim Gaynor is overcoming unexpected obstacles for the company’s inaugural festival

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 03:54PM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards