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......

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......

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. Not that you need to be an out-and-proud geek to be able to enjoy this show,......

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......

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". Warner's "Over The Top Festival" arrives on May 3rd, bringing acts such Daniel Johnston......

Toronto theatre crowds like to think of themselves as pretty brainy; quick to criticize stiff performances and dead box office sales, but if you're of the lowbrow type, then wait no morgue: Evil Dead: The Musical has risen again for another run—or slow walk—at the Diesel Playhouse. When it opened originally in our fair city, the musical (co-directed by Canada's Christopher Bond and Tony Award-winner and Buffy alum Hinton Battle) was expected to be......

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......

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......

Well, it was Toronto’s theatre critics, rather than the city’s theatrical performers, who were in the spotlight last week when Bat Boy: The Musical announced that the show was going to close a month ahead of schedule on March 19. Publicist Carrie Sager spelt out the reason for the early end in a press release:Toronto audiences have embraced the half-bat half-boy creature who leapt from the pages of Weekly World News to the stage of......

Death, sickness and resurrection in today's theatre round-up: -- Canada's theatre community is mourning Tom Patterson, the trade-magazine journalist who founded the Stratford Festival of Canada to save his economically-depressed home town in 1953. Patterson died yesterday after battling a long illness. -- If you're hoping to see Bat Boy: The Musical tonight, better call and check with the box office before swooping over to the Bathurst Street Theatre. Several cast members are reportedly "severely......

Guess who's coming to town? Well, yes, Santa Claus. But following St. Nick by a month and a half is Bat Boy of Bat Boy: The Musical. Flying in from runs in New York, London and L.A. (and boy are its wings tired, ha, ha), the cult ironic musical -- billed as "a cross between My Fair Lady and Edward Scissorhands" -- is arriving at the Bathurst Street Theatre in early February. Ripped from the......

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......