Results tagged “dieselplayhouse”

ART: Not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven, not eight, but nine (phew!) visual art exhibitions open today at the Harbourfront Centre. Featuring pieces ranging from a diseased baby vulture to an upside-down Christmas tree, there's sure to be something for everyone in your twisted, post-modern family. Harbourfront Centre (235 Queens Quay West), opening tonight from 6–10 p.m., runs until January 4, 2009, FREE.

Evil Dead: The Musical has returned to Toronto. Again. It was actually all the way back in 2003 that it made its debut in the Tranzac Club. Back then, it was known as Evil Dead 1 & 2: The Musical, on account of the fact that it took the plot of both of the first two movies in the cult schlock-horror franchise. It was a quirky concept and the budget little-show-that-could found itself an audience. After some successful runs in Montreal and New York, it came back last summer with its new, abbreviated moniker to much fanfare, even winning itself a Dora (The Audience Choice Award). It was still in a venue where audience members could order a beer with the show, but their tickets were a bit pricier over at the Diesel Playhouse. Now, the show is back at the Diesel again, promising new cast members and special effects. Just when you think it's gone, it comes back again, more powerful than ever (much like a reanimated corpse possessed by an evil Candarian demon).

The Diesel Playhouse is currently playing host to Cabaret U-Mano, a puppet-based theatre troupe. But their show has more in common with Meet the Feebles than Lambchop's Play-Along. True to its name, the show is set up cabaret-style, with different puppet characters coming onstage (alongside their various puppeteers, decked out in adorable lululemon blacks) and performing songs one after another. For the songs, the puppets lip synch to various popular songs - everything from Nina Simone to the Stars on 54 version of "If You Could Read My Mind". But the gender-bending puppets tend to give balls-to-the-wall performances, often attempting to undress their puppeteers, or themselves. The result is something between The Muppet Show and a drag show.

This review of Real Time comes to us from a guest contributor, Johnnie Walker, whose play The Zoo-Keeper's Love Song appeared in last year's Fringe Festival.