Last summer, Chris Earle's one man show Democrats Abroad was Torontoist's favourite out of the zillions of Summerworks shows we saw in three days. Our brain came close to exploding that weekend, but fortunately it didn't, and we survived long enough to sing the praises of Chris Earle. And fortunately for all of you who missed the clever, creepy, and hilarious Democrats Abroad the first time around, you can catch the remount at the Factory......

After a whirlwhind, SummerWorks-filled weekend (we saw nine shows in three days for Eye - whew!), Torontoist needed a couple of days to recover from the theatre marathon. But it was all worth the risk of brain implosion, for there are some really stellar pieces playing this at this year's festival, and you still have a whole weekend left to catch them. Here are our top three: First off, pictured above is the cast......

Cirque du Soleil's much-anticipated new show, Corteo, opens tonight in that signature blue and yellow tent next to Ontario Place. If Torontoist's trusty informant (we're in with one of the ushers) is to be believed, Cirque's latest offering once again promises the usual suspension of the laws of physics, this time for a story involving a clown's funeral procession. But if Cirque's ticket prices stretch the purse strings a little too far, don't worry,......