The Blue Dragon Royal Alexandra Theatre (260 King Street West) Jan. 10 to Feb. 19 $25-$99 2012 is the Year of the Dragon on the Chinese calendar, but in the hands of Canadian theatre mastermind Robert LePage, the place where dragons really shine is on one of Toronto’s biggest stages. The Blue Dragon opened last [...]

Private Lives Royal Alexandra Theatre (260 King Street West) September 16 to October 30 Tuesday to Saturday at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2 p.m. $35–$175 We admit to some level of trepidation when we went to see the much-hyped, Broadway-bound production of Noël Coward’s classic comedy Private Lives. As you no doubt [...]

As far as live acts go, the Blue Man Group would seem to fall somewhere between a ‘90s Lollapalooza side stage oddity and an indisputably bitchin’ laser show. Stemming from this altogether radical branch of entertainment, the resulting performance is a cavalcade of flashing lights, pulsating rhythms, and perhaps most surprisingly, hearty laughs.

Enjoyment of Hugh Jackman In Concert hinges in part on one's love of musical theatre—Jackman sings mostly showtunes and musical ditties—but mostly on one's love of Hugh Jackman. The performer, best-known for his acting roles in the X-Men franchise, Kate & Leopold, and Australia, and as Wolverine in the X-Men films, is aware of this, and spends much of the show's two hours trying to charm the audience. Judging by the response when we saw him opening night, he succeeds.

Fourteen-year-old J.P. Viernes soars as one of four actors sharing the lead in Billy Elliot the Musical. It was with no small amount of fanfare that the touring production of Billy Elliot the Musical arrived in Toronto. Boasting a pedigree of seventy-three international theatre awards—including ten Tony Awards—the show already had quite the reputation, which [...]

This weekend in Toronto: a very sustainable solstice festival, Sondheim's Roman comedy musical, ice ice skating while the DJ revolves it, a giant face mural unveiled, an improvised tribute to David Mamet, and a small army of comics each joke for a minute.

Urban Planner is Torontoist’s guide to what’s on in Toronto, published every weekday morning, and in a weekend edition Friday afternoons. If you have an event you’d like considered, email all of its details—as well as images, if you’ve got any—to events@torontoist.com. The Broadway company of Rock of Ages, which opens tonight at the Royal [...]

“I’m cool with you being gay, Jewish, and Wiccan, mom, but do you have to wear that wreath?” Photo by Lindsay Anne Black. It’s been a very exciting week for Toronto Fringe enthusiasts. First, there was the announcement of the festival’s partnership with both Mirvish and the Randolph Centre for the Arts, which means the [...]

Photo by Robert J. Saferstein. It’s only on for the rest of the week, so you’ll have to hurry, but as far as seeing theatre in this town goes, getting tickets to August: Osage County is about the best favour you could do yourself this year. The Pulitzer Prize–winning Steppenwolf production—coming to us by way [...]

Each week, Drama Club looks at Toronto’s theatre scene and tells you which shows are worth checking out. Puberty’s tough, yo! Photo of Blake Bashoff by Joan Marcus. Here at Drama Club, we generally consider Mirvish shows to be outside our purview (although that certainly doesn’t stop them popping up elsewhere on Torontoist). But when [...]

What Honest Ed’s lacks in architectural artistry compared to more high-brow institutions, it makes up for in self-promotional bombast. From its “quirky hand-painted signage” to the low-price Toronto souvenirs, badly painted Elvis busts, and abandoned theatre props, Honest Ed’s is a museum of kitsch. Now a local illustrator, Christopher Hutsul, has designed a stationery set [...]

Torontoist loves local artists, and we love short films, so naturally we try to support local artists who make short films. This Tuesday, recent York film grad Nick Butler is organizing the Annex Film Party, a fundraising event for his new project, A Thing of the Past. Butler has assembled an impressive lineup of performers, [...]