At PAL Studio Theatre until November 17, 2019
If you think of British playwright Caryl Churchill, Harold Pinter and Samuel Beckett you’ll come close to imagining Escaped Alone: gritty, funny, existential ponderings all wrapped up in fractured, free-range dialogue and a bonus – one hilarious dance routine.
Tanja Dixon-Warren as Mrs J in Escaped Alone. Credit: Javier Sotres
At Pacific Theatre until November 2, 2019
Little could 18-year-old Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, travelling across Europe with her married lover Percy Bysshe Shelley and their friend Lord Byron, anticipate that the short story she conceived or began writing (Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus) during that trip, would endure across the centuries.
Poster by Emily Cooper
Goldcorp Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre until November 3, 2019
Two parallel scenes are standouts: Jess bathing John in his shower and Eddie washing Ani in her bathtub. There’s physical intimacy in both scenes (naked bodies, washcloths, water) without emotional or sexual connection.
Ashley Wright as Eddie and Teal Sherer as Ani in Cost of Living. Credit: David Cooper
Under the Big Top at Concord Pacific until December 29, 2019
Monumental and spectacular in every detail, Luzia takes you on a surreal journey into a land blessed with sun and moon, tropics and desserts, exotic birds, butterflies, strange animals, music, song and rain, lots of life-giving rain.
At Bobby’s Apartment (2531 Ontario Street) until October 26, 2019
How often do you get to sit up close to Jonathan Winsby singing Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics? Not often enough.
The Company cast with Jonathan Winsby (centre, front) as Bobby. Credit: Nicol Spinola
At Studio 16 until October 20, 2019
Under Aaron Craven’s excellent direction, Body Awareness got me thinking about ‘the male gaze’ all over again. I respect a theatre company that consistently recharges my batteries.
Suleka Mathew as Phyllis and Jennifer Copping as Joyce in Body Awareness. Credit: Shimon Photo
At Jericho Arts Centre until October 20, 2019
Dancing Lessons could go so wrong but this Naked Goddess Productions, under the always thoughtful direction of Sarah Rodgers, gets it right. Putting the autism spectrum on stage is a delicate business especially since the neurological disorder presents itself so variously and lends itself to lampooning at the expense of those not neurotypical.
Andrew Coghlan as Ever and Sandra Medeiros as Senga in Dancing Lessons. Credit: Angelo Renai
At Arts Club Granville Island Stage until October 26, 2019
If the Arts Club Granville Island stage didn’t have a roof, The Birds & the Bees would simply float away. It’s that light.
Tom McBeath as Earl and Susinn McFarlen as Gail in The Birds & the Bees. Credit: Moonrider Productions
Anvil Theatre Centre until October 6, 2019
The late Canadian-American playwright Tom Cone summed it up beautifully: “Nothing can compare with the intensity of a living actor on the stage.” Patrick Street Theatre gives us not one but two actors – alternating nightly – to prove the point.
Luisa Jojic and Peter Jorgensen alternate nightly as George Herringbone in Herringbone. Credit: Mark Halliday
At Firehall Arts Centre until October 5, 2019
The most challenging and exciting moment in this production is the longest, silent, face-to-face stare-down between the five actors and the audience that I have ever experienced in the theatre. What did I feel? Guilt? Sorrow? Empathy? All of the above? I’m still processing. . . .
Andrew Creightney in The Shipment. Credit: Ryan McDonald