Results tagged “themusical”

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).

Hello! Although you probably didn’t notice, this Torontoist writer was away for a week, and as a result we failed to do something very important. Specifically, to congratulate Norm Wilner on becoming NOW’s senior film critic. We're not doing this just because we know Wilner keeps an eye on Torontoist to see if he gets a mention, but because we like his work so much that we can’t think of anyone better to step into John Harkness’s (non-literal) shoes.

As the unofficial fansite of Roncesvalles' favourite success story (and one of the oldest operating movie theatres in this country), Torontoist is pleased to tell you about another exciting event being staged by the good folks at the Revue Film Society. This time, money will be going towards brand-new educational initiatives the theatre aims to have up and running in early 2008, including a film school for neighborhood kids. This particular event, starting at...

It used to be that as sure as you could count on awkward conversations at the office Christmas party and a stocking full of clementines on Christmas morning, you could count on being able to turn your TV to channel 11 on Christmas Eve to see a certain Bing Crosby vehicle featuring the best-selling single of all time: White Christmas. While channel 11 (it's certainly not CHCH anymore...what is it?) has given up its...

One of the best numbers in LOTR: The Musical: The Musical! is "The Nerds Will Come," and describes the producer's faith that the much-maligned Middle Earth musical mishmash would succeed, regardless of the attention of traditional theatre-goers because of the geek dollar. Ironically, the success of this very amusing show will likely also rest on the same principle.

Last night at the beautiful Winter Garden Theatre, the winners of the 28th Annual Dora Awards were announced in a ceremony hosted by the hilarious Rick Miller (of MacHomer and Bigger Than Jesus fame). The Doras are basically Canada's version of the Tonies, except you can't watch them on TV and see Molly Ringwald and John Stamos jazz-hand their way through a radical new interpretation of Hello, Dolly! As one might expect, the whole affair is generally more sedate and even less people care about the results. But we do! It's also somewhat validating to see shows that Toronto reviewed positively get the respect they deserve (and occasionally shocking to see the same respect lavished on things we thought were crap). Now, there were a lot of awards being handed out last night, so let's be a jerk and ignore the hard work of all the behind-the-scenes people and focus on the flashier trophies.

Over The Top Festival organizer Eric Warner has issued a letter to the Canadian Football League to cease and desist use of his festival's name. Warner's annual event, featuring diverse programming in music, film, and theatre, is now entering its sixth year in Toronto, while the CFL is promoting its fall Grey Cup events also as "Over The Top Festival".

It's that time of year again! Anyone with dreams of conquering the Toronto stage and $700 to spare ($600 for a KidsVenue show) should probably hop along over to the Fringe website to download an application form for next summer's festival. Every year, hundreds of theatre companies apply to try to take advantage of the Toronto Fringe's venue space for seven performances along with other perks - not the least of which being a 100% return on the box office! - but the selection is entirely based on random lottery.

Canstage opened its new season at the Bluma Appel with a much-ballyhooed production of Of Mice and Men (scooping Stratford's 2007 season), which resulted in Torontoist's inbox becoming full of e-mails requesting that we audition our dogs for the show (we declined). Things recommenced rather more innocuously at the Berkeley Street Theatre with the world premiere of The Story of My Life, a self-labelled "small musical." The two-hander is all about friendship and death. Or something.

Here’s are the questions for the inquest: Did the avian flu fell Bat Boy? Or was it overly-harsh critics in the conservatory with the candlestick? Or was it just a bad show?

Death, sickness and resurrection in today's theatre round-up:

Torontoist's question is this: After recent shows like Urinetown, Top Gun: The Musical, and Evil Dead I & II: The Musical, can the musical genre withstand any more ironic abuse here in Toronto? Or have these ironic musicals gone beyond irony and achieved some sort of post-ironic earnest state? Yes and yes, we say.

Toronto's theatre community is all abuzz and aflutter about this item that appeared The Globe and Mail's "Feed the Goat" gossip column today:

Don't hold your breath, but we should know within the next fortnight whether Toronto will be chosen as the launch site for the largest theatrical project ever conceived. My sources in London tell me the show's producers are seriously considering Toronto for the world premiere, either in late 2005 or early 2006. Details of the show itself are under very tight wraps, but I'm reliably informed that it's based on a very hot creative literary property (which is not Harry Potter); that it's not a stage musical in the traditional sense, although music is a big part of it; and that the set uses three interlocking revolving stages and 18 elevators. Needless to say, the estimated $100-million (U.S.) investment would be an enormous boost to Toronto's sluggish economy and its reputation. As of now, it's a 50-50 proposition.

Given Toronto's recent big-time theatre woes -- early farewells to fare like The Producers, Hairspray and Urinetown -- this rumour seems a little spurious.... which is just the way Torontoist likes 'em.Our first guess was The Lord of the Rings: The Musical, but that show -- no joke! -- is already slated to open on London's West End in the fall of 2005. Our next was that it was Garth Drabinsky's big Toronto comeback with a musical stage production of his film The Gospel of John, a hot literary property if there was ever one; alas, we think this washed-up impressario is not up to such impressive impressario-ing at the moment.Our biggest hope is that the project is a megamusical production of Richard Greenblatt's musical-in-development about satirical pianist-in-a-bowtie Tom Lehrer, which he previewed to great hooting and hollering at last night's Cold Reading Series Christmas Cabaret. A blog can dream, can't he or she?If you Torontoist readers hear anything, be sure to let your favourite Toronto blog know now. (Only if your favourite Toronto blog is Torontoist, of course.)