Faithful readers might remember Lisa Pijuan from previous Torontoist stories, and we're sure you'll be pleased to learn she is as inimitable and inexhaustible as ever. RED is still going strong at the Lula Lounge every couple of months or so, and tonight's edition is a special one commemorating Women's Remembrance Day with a talented all-female line-up. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Sistering. Be prepared for the usual eclectic mix of... [continue]

(Kindly pointed out by TOist reader Ben.)... [continue]

Dear reader David overheard this gem outside the Hyatt hotel last week: Paris Hilton Type 1: ...no, that's not where Yonge and Sheppard is. Paris Hilton Type 2: Oh? Paris Hilton Type 1: Yonge and Sheppard (makes cross with arms) is where Yonge meets Sheppard....... [continue]

Everyone's all excited over the reopening of New Generation Sushi, and that's all very well and good, but it seems no one has been paying much attention to the odd goings on, sign-wise, across the street at Sushi Time: First of all, it seems to have been renamed either J-Time or I-Time - it's hard to tell. This doesn't help in clearing anything up - we're even more confused, what with the old name plainly... [continue]

Torontoist would like to extend our congratulations to the creative team of The Drowsy Chaperone, which just garnered a truckload of Tony Award nominations. The Drowsy Chaperone was written by the hilarious Torontonian team of Lisa Lambert, Greg Morrisson, Bob Martin and Don McKeller. The show got its start at the little old Toronto Fringe Festival back in the day, followed closely by a run at Theatre Passe Muraille, and it has been growing ever... [continue]

We're usually pretty forgiving when it comes to bad musical theatre. There's a secret part of us that digs an overwrought power ballad every now and then. And while we've never been particularly big Andrew Lloyd Webber fans, there is a secret shameful part of us that kind of enjoyed Cats. Plus, there is one Webber song that we do genuinely love - Tell Me on a Sunday, from Song and Dance. So our expectations... [continue]

There's no room for objectivity here - we've loved Boygroove since they graced the stage of the Tarragon Extra Space last summer and became the runaway hit of the Toronto Fringe. Our inner theatre student admires the sharp direction and the skill of the performers, our inner musical satire lover thrills to the spot-on songs and dances, and our inner 14-year-old thinks they're just plain dreamy! Andrew Bursey, Matt Alden, Jon Paterson, and Scott Walters... [continue]

Every other Sunday night at the Drake Underground, David Shore hosts the always awesomely hilarious Monkey Toast, an improvised talk show. Each week he interviews a different guest - anyone from Nash the Slash to Quirks and Quarks' Bob MacDonald - and a troupe of six of the city's best improvisors do comedy based on the interview. The next Monkey Toast takes place on Sunday (April 30th) at 8pm, with Sean Cullen as David's guest.... [continue]

Two guys, indy-looking hipster 20-somethings, exit the new Diesel Theatre (aka the old Second City building) on Blue Jays Way. Guy: Now I've got Britney Spears' Toxic stuck in my head. F*CK! Both guys sing it softly under their breath as they walk away....... [continue]

Today on Weird Shit Our Neighbours Throw Out: toronto business magazine. Capital letters are for hippies. We especially like how the cover photograph has nothing whatsoever to do with the cover stories. Now, what was shaking up the business world in February of 1983? Why, the very pinnacle of message pad technology... Post-Its! Setting the office supply world on its ear since 1983. Yes, we found this magazine with the Post-It samples still intact. Some... [continue]

The biggest drill we have ever seen has been tunneling its way into Front Street for the past few weeks. We're not sure why. Ah. Well, that explains everything. We fondly recall the tunnel project of '96. That was a mighty fine tunnel project.... [continue]

One of the prettiest signs of spring our city has to offer, patches of scilla (a lovely species of hyacinth) blanketing parks and lawns all over the place.... [continue]

We finally got around to seeing CanStage's anachronistic (and possibly mid-life crisis-induced) production of Hair last night. As the photos in the adverts promise, the cast is young, gorgeous, and sometimes scantily clad. The tagline in the adverts ("Now More Than Ever") is less accurate, however. Hair is very much a product of its time, a reaction to the draft and the Vietnam War, and a celebration of the free-lovin' hippy lifestyle. And while there... [continue]

It seems the little recipe our (now)resident shit disturber Ann cooked up (but not literally cooked up - no more e-mails telling us we should be flayed alive, please and thank you) yesterday caused a bit of a stir among the humourless and misinformed. We would like to state for the record that no seals were harmed for the posting of the recipe. Seriously, though, what alarms us most about the kerfuffle in our in-box... [continue]

Happy Passover! Yeah, that's right, it's our second Passover post of the day, and if we can be arsed to go back to Loblaws for the extraordinarily phallic horseradish root that we saw there yesterday there might even be a third. And tomorrow might see a Baked Goods Review celebrating all our favourite kosher snacks (macaroon, anyone?) - we even found honey-flavoured matzoh at the grocery store last night! So brace yourself, kids. Even if... [continue]

Ronnie Burkett has long been the patron saint of puppeteers - living proof that one can make a living by pulling strings. His marionettes are consistently beautiful, complex characters peering out of their carved faces, and his multi-faceted storytelling is always well-served by his theatrical ingenuity. Burkett's latest offering, 10 Days on Earth, is by far his most restrained show yet. It tells the story of Darrell, a developmentally disabled 50-year-old man with the mind... [continue]

Up on our favourite bustling strip of Bayview (home to the much beloved Elegant Garage Sale and Hollywood Gelato) sits Rahier, a charming little Easter egg of a patisserie. The peaceful pastel interior is filled to the brim with tasty treats from a simple and delicious pear danish to elaborately decadent miniature mousses. There are some lovely sandwiches to be had (various vegetables and cheeses on a baguette, of course), but they're no match... [continue]

More Weird (but Potentially Useful) Shit Our Neighbours Throw Out. Does anyone even use a bread box anymore? Doesn't it encourage the growth of mold? Didn't the kid in that creepy Robert Munch book The Boy in the Drawer hang out in a bread box for awhile? We think that's reason enough to shun the bread box - that shit gave us nightmares for years.... [continue]

Hey, remember when you were a little kid and your parents would take you to the library every Saturday morning for storytime, and the air was just buzzing with energy and noisy kids but as soon as the storyteller started to speak everyone magically shut up? And even if you don't, don't you wish you did because it sounds like such a lovely memory? Yeah. Well, you're in luck, because Speak! is here to fill... [continue]

Wait, that's not love in the air today, it's snow! Never mind. In any case, there is an incredibly dirty joke hiding somewhere in this sign.... [continue]