Urban Planner: April 16, 2014

In today's Urban Planner: Killer burlesque, a night of SpecFic, and a new screening series.

By Torontoist

Catch Bianca Boom Boom at Tassels and Tabletops. Photo by Chris Hutcheson.

• Performing Arts: Smart and sexy will collide for one special night, courtesy of Nerd Girl Burlesque. Tassels and Tabletop 7: Attack of the Killer Bs is busting with burlesque boys and babes who all have names starting with B. Get hot with performances by Belle Jumelles, Bianca Boom Boom, and Boy Joystick, and then spend the rest of your evening playing board games. Some will be provided, but attendees are welcome to bring their own favourites as well. The Central (603 Markham Street), 7:30 p.m., $10. Details
• Trivia: Your friends may be buying homes, getting married, and having babies, but you know a crapload about TV, and you should be proud. Bring your big brain of somewhat useless knowledge to Community Trivia Night and be rewarded! Besides the exciting rounds of trivia based on the show, there will be a screening of the top three favourite episodes, and a costume contest (dress as your favourite character, naturally). Office Pub (117 John Street), 8 p.m., $5. Details
• Books: This city may be overrun with book and poetry nights, but the Chiaroscuro Reading Series (ChiSeries) aims to set itself apart by focusing soley on horror, sci-fi, and fantasy pieces. Authors Samantha Beiko, Keith Hollihan, and Robin Richardson will share excerpts of their respective works, and musical performances will be provided by Kari Maaren. ROUND Venue (152a Augusta Avenue), 8 p.m., PWYC. Details
• Film: When Atom Egoyan gave up creative control of Camera Bar to the adjoining Stephen Bulger Gallery in 2006, many wondered whether the small 50-seat theatre had a future amongst the other repertory cinemas the city has to offer. It has operated in a limited capacity by offering free films on Saturday afternoons and through being rented out for private events, but the folks at The Seventh Art and MDFF are hoping that a new monthly screening series will help transform the theatre into something more in keeping with Egoyan’s original vision. Stephen Bulger Gallery (1026 Queen Street West), 8 p.m., $9. Details

Ongoing…

• Art: If The Forbidden City: Inside the Court of China’s Emperors has a mascot, it’s Emperor Yongzheng. The image of the 18th-century Chinese ruler dominates the promotional material of the exhibition, which is one of the centrepieces of the Royal Ontario Museum’s centennial year. His portrait certainly has visual appeal, but Yongzheng is also a figure associated with surprising elements of life within the former imperial palace. Royal Ontario Museum (100 Queens Park), all day, $27 adults. Details
• Art: “The greatest art always returns you to the vulnerabilities of the human situation.” – Francis Bacon

  “In the human figure one can express more completely one’s feelings about the world than in any other way.” – Henry Moore

  These quotations, which welcome visitors to “Francis Bacon and Henry Moore: Terror and Beauty,” immediately establish the exhibition’s tone and focus. Each artist’s distortions of the human figure, shaped by their wartime experiences, capture the vulnerability of our mortal forms. Art Gallery of Ontario (317 Dundas Street West), all day, $25 adults. Details

• Festivals: A week of performing arts programming created by artists 21 and under, The Paprika Festival features readings, theatre and dance performances, and social events that aim to encourage youth involvement in the arts and foster the creation of art by young people. The festival boasts many alumni in the arts and arts-related fields, and this year’s crop of budding writers, directors, and performers may give young-at-heart attendees a glimpse of future Dora-winning work. There’s a double bill of workshopped shows each night of the week, with readings beforehand and late-night cabaret programming afterward. Over the festival’s closing weekend, the evenings turn into full days of arts events. All main-stage shows are $5; unlimited access festival passes can be purchased for $50. Many events are free of charge. For the full programming schedule, consult the festival’s website. Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace (16 Ryerson Avenue), FREE–$5, $50 festival pass. Details
• Festivals: Taking place in five Canadian cities for the second time, The Spur Festival brings together thinkers, innovators, and academic and creative types for a series of lectures, meetings, and performances on “nationally relevant and locally nuanced” ideas. Here in Toronto from April 3 to April 6, the festival will include noted lawyer Michael Geist on free speech, an urban planning panel moderated by Shawn Micallef, talks by author Cecil Foster and photojournalists Rita Leistner and Mike Kamber, and much more. Many of the events, including the opening and closing parties, are free; a few have ticket prices ranging from $10 to $30. For full details, visit the festival’s website. FREE–$150. Details
• Theatre: Zack and Abby are the couple that others envy—the ones who seem to have it all. But secrets hide behind the beautiful home, the loving marriage, and the promising careers. Company Theatre’s Belleville—produced in association with Canadian Stage—explores the darkness that’s revealed in this seemingly perfect relationship after Abby finds her husband at home one day when he’s supposed to be at work. Berkeley Street Theatre (26 Berkeley Street), 1:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., $22–$49. Details
• Theatre: Up until Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez made that movie, the word “Gigli” was associated with images of beauty, the splendour of the opera, and, more specifically, the renowned Italian tenor Beniamino Gigli. In Irish playwright Tom Murphy’s The Gigli Concert, originally written in 1983 and on stage now at Soulpepper Theatre, the singer’s voice represents not only beauty, but hope itself—the one saving force that can pull its two central characters from deep depressions. And, thankfully, the journey to the other side is infinitely more watchable than the previously mentioned Hollywood film. Young Centre for the Performing Arts (50 Tank House Lane), 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., $29–$74. Details
• Theatre: Despite its provocative title, there’s actually very little that’s controversial about Mike Bartlett’s Cock, making its Canadian premiere at the Theatre Centre. Its subject matter might have been viewed as more controversial in 2009, when the play premiered at the Royal Court in London—but after five years, this story of a love triangle between two men and a woman has lost part of its taboo-challenging appeal. Luckily, though, its emotional appeal has endured. The Theatre Centre (1115 Queen Street West), 1:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., $25–$35. Details
• Dance: Told through South American music and dance, Arrabal is the story of a young girl desperate to find out what happened to her father after the Argentine military made him disappear when she was just a baby. Her search leads her to the Tango clubs of Buenos Aires, where she discovers both the truth, and herself. Panasonic Theatre (651 Yonge Street), 8 p.m., $44–$84. Details
• Music: Small World Music Society is celebrating Asian and South Asian Heritage Month with the Asian Music Series. Zakir Hussain and Masters of Percussion, Sultans of String, Jonita Gandhi, and Shafqat Amanat Ali are among the many talented artists who will perform in venues across the city throughout April and May. Multiple venues, 8 p.m., $12–$109. Details
• Theatre: We’ll bet you’ve never had a dinner party quite as interesting as this one. Mark Leith invites you to sit down with the founder of political spin, Edward Bernays; the inventor of propaganda, Dr. Joseph Goebbels; and the spearhead of the war on terror, Karl Rove—in the Act 2 Studio Works production of Dinner With Goebbels. Red Sandcastle Theatre (922 Queen Street East), 8 p.m., $22. Details

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 us with all the details (including images, if you’ve got any), ideally at least a week in advance.