Advertisement

Culture Stage

Fringe Still Flies

Didn’t catch some of the hot shows at last week’s Toronto Fringe?

Don’t worry. You can see some of the hits as part of the Best Of The Toronto Fringe Theatre Festival, running through August 3 at the Toronto Centre for the Arts.

Eight shows play in rep, with two shows a day and three on Saturday (July 21).

The productions include Help Yourself, a darkly funny comedy and winner of this year’s Fringe new play contest Mahmoud, featuring the talented Tara Grammy pomme is french for apple, a West Indian-themed look at women’s lives and Neil LaBute’s The Shape Of Things.

Also on the bill are Rare, a moving work devised by director Judith Thompson and the performers, nine people with Down syndrome a clever and sharp version of Shakespeare’s The Taming Of The Shrew and Julia Lederer’s With Love And A Major Organ, a quirky comedy that looks at romance and reticence in today’s world.

One of the standouts is The Wakowski Bros., Wesley J. Colford’s musical in which a pair of song-and-dance brothers reunite for a single performance years after a bad breakup.

The show, directed by Alex Fallis, is a warm-hearted one, with Derek Scott and Duff MacDonald as the sibs and Lorretta Bailey as the woman who unintentionally caused them to retire their vaudeville act.

See listing.

Dream On, Mon

There are several versions of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream currently playing around town, including Driftwood Theatre’s musical look at the story, at Withrow Park July 24 to 29, and Canadian Stage’s production at High Park through September 2.

But the take on the material by Speakeasy Productions, set in North York during the Caribbean Carnival festival, is sure to be colourful and full of island humour.

Adapted by director Marvin Ishmael, the show features carnival costumes, music and dance calypso, reggae and hip-hop are all part of the production.

The cast includes Joella Crichon, 2011 winner of the queen of the bands, as the gender-switched Patty Quince comedian Jean Paul as Oberon, Andrew Loder as Bottom, Jacquie Skeete as Titania and silk specialist/choreographer Katie McCullough as Puck.

The quartet of lovers are Mitch Myers, Miriam Fernandes, Andrew Aquino and Alison Blair.

See listing.

Ms Stanley Goes To Ottawa

Sarah Garton Stanley, who’s had a long career in Toronto theatre, has been appointed associate artistic director of the National Arts Centre’s English theatre.

Stanley was one of the moving forces in 80s and 90s indie Toronto theatre, leading the groundbreaking company Die in Debt and following Sky Gilbert as artistic director of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. She was associate director at Factory Theatre, a co-founder of the Harold Awards and co-artistic director of Self-Conscious Theatre. In addition to directing award-winning productions, she’s taught at various institutions around the country.

At the National Arts Centre, Stanley will work with incoming artistic director Jillian Keiley, with whom she’s collaborated as dramaturg on previous projects, among them Afterimage and Oil And Water.

stage@nowtoronto.com | twitter.com/nowstage

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Recently Posted