1) Things I Know To be True

Stratford Festival fans should not miss Tom McCamus and Seana McKenna in this poignant drama about parenting children who have moved into their own lives and the next chapter for the parents left behind.

Tom McCamus, Seana McKenna. Photo Dahlia KatzInspired by Tracy Letts’ “August Osage County,” playwright Andrew Bovell wrote the play shortly after his mother died. He said, “At that moment, I became ‘nobody’s child.’

“Also, my youngest child has left home and is studying at university – I was ‘nobody’s immediate father.’ I wanted to explore what that meant.”

In its review, the British Radio Times wrote, “It is a rare thing for a suburban family drama to resonate quite as acutely and uncomfortably as “Things I Know to Be True.”

Christine Horne, Seana McKenna. Photo Dahlia KatzFans of McKenna will recall her expertise at playing less-than-perfect mothers, including the morphine-addicted Mary Tyrone in the Stratford Festival’s 2018 production of Eugene O’Neill’s “Long Day’s Journey into Night.” Read all the reviews at this link.

McKenna first met her co-star McCamus 50 years ago. The duo, who first played husband and wife at the Stratford Festival’s 2010 production of “Phèdre,” are not to be missed in this production directed by Philip Riccio.

Details Details:
Extended to Feb. 26 by popular demand at the CAA Theatre, 651 Yonge St, Toronto.
Box Office: 1-800-461-3333
Tickets and info at this link.

2) Yerma

Sarah Gadon, best known for her work on TV and film, including “Alias Grace,” “Letterkenny,” “A Dangerous Method,” “Cosmopolis” and “Maps to the Stars” makes her theatrical debut in this not-to-be-missed production.

Sarah Gadon, Daren Herbert. Photo Tim LeyesThe play by Federico García Lorca was written in 1934 and tells the story of a childless woman with a desperate desire for motherhood. Social conventions are challenged through the exploration of various themes around marriage, jealousy, and friendship.

First produced at The Young Vic in 2016, the inaugural production went on to become one of the UK’s most acclaimed and awarded productions of the decade.

Book your tickets now because the first three weeks have already sold out!

Directed by Diana Bentley.
Starring: Martha Burns, Sarah Gadon, Daren A. Herbert, Louise Lambert, Michelle Mohammed and Johnathan Sousa.

Details Details:
On now until March 5 at Coal Mine Theatre, 2076 Danforth Ave., Toronto.
Tickets and info at this link.

3) Pressure

You think the weather here in Ontario is causing problems?

Kevin Doyle. Photo by Cylla von TiedemannIn the drama “Pressure,” Kevin Doyle, a.k.a. Molesley of “Downton Abbey,” stars as Scottish meteorologist James Stagg, whose forecasting was critical to the success of the D-Day invasion of 1944.

Olivier nominee Malcolm Sinclair (well known for his film & TV work including “Casino Royale” and “Foyle’s War”) plays General Eisenhower.

Malcolm Sinclair, Laura Rogers. Photo Cylla von Tiedemann
Don’t miss the North American premiere of “Pressure” which was a hit in London’s West End in 2018. On now to March 5

Details Details:
On now until March 5 at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King St W, Toronto.
Box Office: 1-800-461-3333
Tickets and info at this link.

4) Girls and Boys

The sleeper hit on stage now in Toronto is “Girls & Boys” at the Studio Theatre at Crow’s Theatre.

Fiona Mongillo. Photo Sarah LappanoThe production debuted last summer with Stratford’s Here for Now Theatre Company before being picked up by Crow’s. In his review of the current production, the Toronto Star‘s Joshua Chong wrote: “It was already an astonishing performance then. Yet somehow, some five months later, Mongillo manages to deliver something even more profound than before.”

In the Stage Door blog, Christopher Hoile wrote: “The solo show is one of the most emotionally and intellectually gripping plays I’ve seen all year. ”

In this one-woman tour-de-force, an unexpected meeting at an airport leads to an intense, passionate, head-over-heels relationship.

Details Details:
Extended to Feb. 19 by popular demand at Crow’s Theatre, 345 Carlaw Avenue, Toronto.
Box Office: (647) 341-7390 ext. 1010
Tickets and info at this link.

 

5) At Hamilton’s Theatre Aquarius:

The Extinction Therapist

“The Extinction Therapist” is making its world premiere in Hamilton!

Calgary playwright, and Governor General’s Award nominee, Clem Martini has crafted a play featuring a woolly mammoth, a T-Rex and other characters on the brink of extinction who gather for group therapy.

Director Christine Brubaker, who specializes in new work, spent three seasons at the Stratford Festival. Her assistant director credits include “The Diary of Anne Frank” and “Alice Through the Looking-glass.”

Watch for Rebecca Northan, who plays a flirtatious woolly mammoth dying to find a mate. Northan has become a favourite at the Stratford Festival, don’t miss our podcast at this link.

Rebecca NorthanKaren Ancheta portrays Nelson’s Short-Eared Shrew. Ancheta is the artistic director and co-founder of Porch Light Theatre Hamilton and has worked to boost Indigenous, Black, and racialized artists.

Karen AnchetaRichard Clarkin, who plays Dr. Marshall, is a regular on CBC TV’s “Son Of A Critch.” Clarkin was selected as best supporting actor at the 2019 Canadian Screen Awards for his work in “The Drawer Boy.”

Details Details:
On now until February 11 at Theatre Aquarius, 190 King William St, Hamilton.
Box Office: 1-800-465-7529
Tickets and info at this link.

Listen to Keith Tomasek’s podcast interview with Rebecca Northan.