Preview: MARAT/SADE

Show Description and Press Release:

Soup Can Theatre proudly presents Peter Weiss’ Tony Award winning drama-musical, Marat/Sade! (full title: The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat As Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade) This dark and unflinching show - packed full of madness, melody and Machiavellianism - is sure to be a highlight of Toronto’s summer theatre season!

~ “A vivid and explosive work ... It will stir your imagination and provoke your mind ... It will not leave you untouched” - The New York Times ~

Marat/Sade paints a critical picture of the French Revolution and its unbridled violence through the eyes of eccentric nobleman and sexual deviant, the Marquis de Sade. The work is set in the Charenton Asylum where, as an inmate, De Sade was permitted to write and mount dramatic works using his fellow patients as actors, and to perform the completed pieces before audiences of French Aristocrats. When De Sade presents his latest and most controversial work to date - a dramatization of the assassination of writer and fervent revolutionary leader Jean-Paul Marat at the hand of young and comely idealist Charlotte Corday - his incendiary script inspires and energizes the motley cast of inmates. Despite the asylum director’s attempts to quell the situation, the polite proceedings devolve into an anarchic melee of wit-laced debate, hedonism, and animalism that threatens to bring the whole institution crumbling down.

Soup Can Theatre’s production has stripped ‘Marat/Sade’ of its early 19th century mise-en-scene and placed it in the world of McGill University’s Psychiatry Department, circa 1957.

July 19th-23rd @ 8pm, July 24th @ 2pm. Alumnae Theatre Mainspace.

All tickets and performances $15, available by clicking the header!

Preview: The Rhubarb Festival

Opening this week is the always exciting and interesting Rhubarb Festival over at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Here is the press release below and to be redirected to Buddies website please click the header of this post!

THE 32ND RHUBARB FESTIVAL
Festival Director Laura Nanni

February 16 - 27, 2011
Evening Tickets now on sale 416-975-8555

For two weeks, Canada's premiere experimental performance festival returns to Buddies. Over 100 local and international artists offer up fresh live encounters in contemporary theatre, dance, performance art, music and hybrid forms. This year's line-up includes sacrilegious celebrity impersonations, utopian science fiction, mass pop-up performances in secret spots around the city, and all kinds of glorious transgressions.

RHUBARB'S NEW TWO-WEEK FORMAT
Mainstage Evenings: Wed - Sat, beginning at 8pm - Different programming each night
Sunday Socials: an affably social day of politically-minded performances and events -PWYC
Mobile Works: artists infiltrate the streets of Toronto with surprising performances designed for public spaces - FREE

TICKETS
Wednesday-Saturday Tickets, $20
Sundays, PWYC
Mobile Works, FREE
call or visit the Box Office: 416-975-8555

Festival Sponsor TD
Media Sponsor NOW MAGAZINE

Preview: LOVESEXMONEY

Opening this week in the Factory Studio Theatre space is LOVESEXMONEY.

Show Description:

Olivia is selling her virginity online. Simon buys it. Olivia’s boyfriend Jim has to stop her so they can be happy together again. Accusations fly. Fantasies are exposed. Hearts are broken. Expensive Japanese sex toys are bought, delivered, and put to use with surprisingly devastating consequences.

LOVESEXMONEY is a sexy, witty, romantic, comedy-drama about intimacy in the Information Age. LOVESEXMONEY asks questions about the nature of love and ownership when everything is available somewhere for a price. It’s a hot piece of theatre to thaw out those deep winter blues and a great warm-up for Valentine’s Day. (http://theatrebrouhaha.com/)

LOVESEXMONEY
Written & Directed by Kat Sandler

Dramaturg: Tom McGee
Stage Manager/Designer: Montgomery C. Martin
Assistant Stage Manager & All Photography: Max Martin
Costume Designer: Audrey Marriott
Executive Producer: Taylor Marie Graham
Publicist: Rob Salerno

Featuring:
Brooke Morgan, Danny Pagett, Len Batta, Victoria Kucher, Hannah Barnett-Kemper, & Scott Clarkson

For tickets click here!

Preview: Barrymore

Opening in Toronto and playing a very strict limited engagement of only 30 performances is the eagerly anticipated Barrymore

starring the colourful Christopher Plummer.

Show Description:
Christopher Plummer’s Tony Award-winning tour de force is an unforgettable portrayal of legendary actor, John Barrymore, a man of colossal talent and contradictions, and one of the greatest Shakespearean actors of all time. Set in 1942, the final year of John Barrymore’s life, BARRYMORE takes place on the stage of a Broadway theatre, where the actor is struggling to recreate his performance in the title role of Shakespeare’s Richard III.

With coruscating wit, humour, irreverence and poignancy, playwright William Luce—the acclaimed author of The Belle of Amherst, about poet Emily Dickinson—shows us the many facets of this complicated man: the actor who dazzled London with his portrayal of Hamlet… the young Barrymore and his relationship with his loving grandmother, herself a famous actress… his alcoholic father, and his siblings, Lionel and Ethel… his four disastrous marriages… the Hollywood success he disdained… and his own all-consuming battle with booze which soon claimed his life. (The Group Tix Company)

Barrymore

Written by William Luce
Directed by Gene Saks
Starring Christopher Plummer
At the Elgin Theatre in Toronto
Runs until March 9.

For tickets click here!

Preview: Eternal Hydra

Opening this week at the Factory Theatre is the critically acclaimed Eternal Hydra. The show joins Ruined as a must see powerful piece of theatre playing right now in Toronto. Cara Ricketts and David Ferry star in the play that is being produced by Crow’s Theatre in association with Factory Theatre.

Show Description:
Vivian, a scholar, unearths a long-lost manuscript by firebrand author Gordias Carbuncle that is supposedly a work of staggering genius. When Selma Thomas’s connection to Carbuncle is discovered, it sparks a controversy reaching from the high-powered publishing world of present-day New York, to 1930’s Paris, and the American Civil War. Eternal Hydra is about identity politics, sex and the myth of genius – a thrilling look at the making of a modern masterpiece.

Eternal Hydra

Written by Anton Piatigorsky
Directed by Chris Abraham
Until Feb. 13
Factory Theatre, 125 Bathurst St.
TICKETS: $28 to $40 at 416-504-9971 or by clicking here!

Photo by Monica Esteves

Preview: The Misanthrope

A new adapted version of the classic Molière work The Misanthrope is opening this week at Tarragon. In this interpretation; "Molière's fierce satire about personal and aesthetic integrity is set in today’s celebrity culture machine. Despite the Misanthrope’s biting critique of the film industry, he has fallen in love with a rising starlet. Torn between desire and unflinching morality, our contemporary anti-hero strikes out at hypocrisy in a world shamelessly built on it. Will love or misanthropy triumph?" (Tarragontheatre.com)

Sounds really interesting to us, we are checking the show out on Thursday and will let you know what we think!

The Misanthrope
By Molière
Tarragon Theatre
30 Bridgman Avenue Toronto
In a version by Martin Crimp
Directed by Richard Rose
Starring Patrick Galligan, Stephen Gartner, Michelle Giroux, Stuart Hughes, Brandon McGibbon, Julian Richings, Maria Ricossa,Andrea Runge and David Storch

For tickets or more information regarding The Misanthrope please click here.

Preview: The Year of Magical Thinking

In this dramatic adaptation of Joan Didion’s award-winning memoir, a recent widow struggles with the sudden loss of her husband of forty years and their only child. Seana McKenna reprises her critically acclaimed performance.

The Globe and Mail loved this show, click here to read the article!

From The Belfry Theatre Company in Victoria, British Columbia
The Year of Magical Thinking
Written by Joan Didion
Directed by Michael Shamata
Starring Seana McKenna
At Tarragon Theatre
The Year of Magical Thinking runs in Toronto until Dec. 12

Click the header for tickets!

(Courtesies of Tarragontheatre.com)

Opening this week in the city

Again, I have to say that Theatre Passe Muraille has another fascinating piece premiering this month. It seems this space is always placing must see plays and musicals on its stage. You Fancy Yourself seems like the small west end theatre has another possible hit on its hands, check it out!

THE ANGER IN ERNEST AND ERNESTINE by Leah Cherniak, Robert Morgan and Martha Ross (Beacon Theatre Company). A man and woman experience love, anger and the stress of cohabitation. Opens Jan 22 and runs to Jan 30, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mats Sat and Wed 2 pm. $15, students $10. PALMERSTON LIBRARY, 560 Palmerston. beacon.theatre.company@gmail.com.

ATTEMPTS ON HER LIFE by Martin Crimp (University College Drama Program). Five performers examine the life of a mysterious woman in this multimedia piece. Opens Jan 27 and runs to Feb 7, Tue-Sat 8 pm. $15, students/seniors $10. HELEN GARDINER PHELAN PLAYHOUSE, 79A St. George. 416-978-8849, uofttix.ca.

A BOILER ROOM SUITE by Quenten Doolittle and Rex Deverell (Tryptych). Two street people share stories while huddling for warmth in this original opera. Jan 23-24 at 7:30 pm. $40, students/seniors $30 (fundraiser for Street Haven at the Crossroads.) TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 2737 Bayview. 416-763-5066 ext 1, tryptych.org.

DRAWING BLOOD: THERAPISTS, MOVIE STARS AND OTHER VAMPIRES (Obstructed View). Six characters interact in a series of vignettes by Mitchell Cushman, Natasha Greenblatt and Johnny Walker. Jan 23-24 at 8:30 pm. Pwyc. THEATRE PASSE MURAILLE BACKSPACE, 16 Ryerson. 416-504-7529.

THE FAMOUS REMAINS OF PIGGY PALACE (18 Hands Theatre Collective). Inspired by the Pickton farm murders, this musical cabaret looks at how 65 women can vanish. Jan 25-26 at 8 pm. Pwyc. LOWER OSSINGTON THEATRE, 100A Ossington. 18hands.t35.com.

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF by Joseph Stein, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick (Theatre Unlimited). A Jewish patriarch clings to tradition in a changing world in this musical. Opens Jan 23 and runs to Jan 31, Thu-Sat 8 pm, mats Sat-Sun 2 pm. $23, students/seniors $21. MEADOWVALE THEATRE, 6315 Montevideo. 905-615-4720.

FIDELIO by Ludwig van Beethoven (Canadian Opera Company). A woman disguised as a man works at a prison where her husband is unjustly incarcerated. Opens Jan 24 and runs to Feb 24: Jan 24, 27, 30, Feb 4, 12, 18, 21 and 24 at 7:30 pm, Feb 7 at 4:30 pm, Feb 15 at 2 pm. $60-$290, youth $30-$98. FOUR SEASONS CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, 145 Queen W. 416-363-8231, coc.ca.

GROUNDSWELL FESTIVAL (Nightwood Theatre). The festival of new works by women offers staged readings of plays by Lisa Codrington, Natalie Meisner, Florence Gibson, Sally Stubbs, Beatriz Pizano and Madeleine Blais Dahlem. Opens Jan 26 and runs to Jan 31, Mon-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. Pwyc ($10 suggested). BERKELEY STREET THEATRE, 26 Berkeley, upstairs. 416-368-3110, nightwoodtheatre.net.

HALLAJ by Soheil Parsa and Peter Farbridge (Modern Times Stage Company). The new play about a Sufi mystic gets a staged reading as part of Flurrious. Jan 22-23 at 8 pm. $10. ARTA GALLERY, 55 Mill, bldg 9. 416-214-1428, moderntimesstage.com.

STRANGER by Simon Rice and Shaun McComb (Praxis Theatre). Existential dilemmas are explored regarding a man's murder and his killer's trial. Opens Jan 23 and runs to Feb 8, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $20. THEATRE CENTRE, 1087 Queen W. praxistheatre.com.

UBUNTU (THE CAPE TOWN PROJECT) (Neptune Theatre/Theatrefront). A South African man and a Canadian woman find they are haunted by the same family ghosts. Previews to Jan 27. Opens Jan 28 and runs to Mar 1, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mats Sat-Sun 2:30 pm. $32-$38, previews $19, Fri rush $10. TARRAGON THEATRE, 30 Bridgman. 416-531-1827, tarragontheatre.com.

YOU FANCY YOURSELF by Maja Ardal (Contrary Company). A young Icelandic girl tries to fit in on the rough streets and schoolyards of 50s Edinburgh. Previews Jan 27. Opens Jan 28 and runs to Feb 14, Tue-Sat 8 pm. $25-$28, students/seniors $20-$25, preview $15. THEATRE PASSE MURAILLE, 16 Ryerson. 416-504-7529, contrarycompany.com

Courtesies care of nowtoronto.com

Opening this week in the city

Here is the weekly list of theatre openings in the city.

Bird Brain by Vern Thiessen (Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People). A man shelters baby birds while dealing with his community's strict rules in this play for ages 3 to 8. Previews Nov 30 at 2:30 pm. Opens Dec 2 and runs to Dec 30, Sun 11:30 am and 2:30 pm (call or see website for other times). $20, stu/srs $15. 165 Front E. 416-862-2222, lktyp.ca.

The British Invasion by Nevin Grant, Howard Pechet and Anne Allan (Stage West). This musical revue revisits hits from the 60s to the 80s. Opens Nov 27 and runs to Feb 8, Tue-Sat 6:30 pm, Sun 11 am and 5 pm. $55-$90. 5400 Dixie. 905-238-0042, stagewest.com.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (Soulpepper). The holiday classic gets a staging. Opens Nov 27 and runs to Dec 24, Mon-Sat 7:30 pm (except Dec 24), call or check website for matinees. $34-$65, student $28; rush $20 (student $5). Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 55 Mill. 416-866-8666, soulpepper.ca.

Dear Santa by Norm Foster (Theatre Scarborough). Santa tries to overcome a supply shortage to fulfill a special wish. Opens Nov 27 and runs to Dec 12, Thu-Sat 8 pm (except Dec 13, show at 2 pm), Sun 2 pm. $17, students/seniors $14 (Thu and Sun only), student rush $10. Scarborough Village Theatre, 3600 Kingston. 416-396-4049.

A Dickens Of A Christmas (Canadian Children's Opera Company). This fully staged production is based on Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. Nov 28-30, Fri-Sun 7:30 pm, mats Sat-Sun 2 pm. $35, student/seniors $15. Enwave Theatre, 231 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4000, canadianchildrensopera.com.

Grimm (Humber Theatre). Based on Brothers Grimm fairy tales, this play explores violence in daily life. Opens Nov 28 and runs to Dec 6, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mats Nov 30 and Dec 6 at 2 pm. $15, student/seniors $10. Humber Studio Theatre, 3199 Lake Shore W. 416-675-6622 ext 3080.

I'm So Munsch based on stories by Robert Munsch (George Brown Theatre School). This children's show is based on five Munsch stories. Opens Nov 29 and runs to Dec 6, Sat 1 pm. $15, seniors $10, student $6. Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 55 Mill. 416-866-8666.

The Invisible by Marie Brassard (Harbourfront World Stage/Quebec Now!). Brassard weaves movement, sound and set design into a multidisciplinary solo performance. Opens Dec 3 and runs to Dec 6, Wed-Sat 8 pm. $15-$30. Enwave Theatre, 231 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4000, harbourfrontcentre.com.

It's A Wonderful Life based on the film by Frank Capra (Canadian Stage Company). An angel shows a suicidal man the value of his life in this holiday classic. Opens Nov 27 and runs to Dec 20, Mon-Sat 8 pm, mats Wed 1:30 pm, Sat 2 pm. $20-$95, limited Mon pwyc. Bluma Appel Theatre, 27 Front E. 416-368-3110, canstage.com.

Moliere by Sabina Berman (Tarragon Theatre). The Archbishop of France and a rival playwright scheme to destroy Molière's base comedies. Previews to Dec 2. Opens Dec 3 and runs to Dec 28, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mats Sat-Sun 2:30 pm. $32-$38, student/seniors $20-$27, previews $19, Fri rush $10. 30 Bridgman. 416-531-1827, tarragontheatre.com.

Movin' Out by Billy Joel and Twyla Tharp (Rose Theatre). Five friends watch the world change from the 60s to the 80s in this musical. Dec 2-3 at 8 pm. $75-$90. 1 Theatre Lane, Brampton. 905-874-2800, rosetheatre.ca.

Scrooge! The Musical (Civic Light Opera Company). This musical is based on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Opens Dec 3 and runs to Dec 21, Thu-Sat 8 pm, Wed 7 pm, Sun (and Dec 20) 2 pm. $20-$27.50. Fairview Library Theatre, 35 Fairview Mall. 416-755-1717, civiclightoperacompany.com.

Sylvia Plath Must Not Die/Doing Leonard Cohen by Blake Booker (One Yellow Rabbit). These productions explore the lives and works of poets Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton and Leonard Cohen. Opens Dec 2 and runs in rep to Dec 13. $30, student/rush $20 (youth rush $5). Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 55 Mill. 416-866-8666, youngcentre.ca.

(Courtesy of nowotoronto.com)

Opening this week in Toronto

Here is the list of theatre openings for this week:

The Abduction From The Seraglio by WA Mozart (Opera Atelier). Two men plot to rescue their girlfriends from an Ottoman Pasha in this commedia dell'arte opera. Opens Nov 8 and runs to Nov 15, Fri-Sat and Tue-Wed 7:30 pm, Sun 3 pm. $30-$135. Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge. 416-872-5555, operaatelier.com.

And Stockings For The Ladies by Attila Clenmann (Holocaust Education Week). A Canadian airman helps Jewish refugees in post-WWII Germany in this solo show. Nov 7-9, Fri 2 pm, Sat 8 pm, Sun 2:30 pm. Free. Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People, 165 Front E. 416-862-2222, holocausteducationweek.com.

Banana Boys by Leon Aureus (fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre Company). Five young Asian-Canadian men wrestle with issues of race and identity. Opens Nov 12 and runs to Nov 15, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $20, student/seniors $12. Hart House Theatre, 7 Hart House. 416-978-8849, harthousetheatre.ca.

Emilia Galotti by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (Stratford Festival). A prince's obsession with another man's fiancée leads to murder and abduction. Nov 6-9, Thu 8 pm, Fri-Sun 2 pm. $50-$90, student/seniors $22-$69. Avon Theatre, Stratford. 800-567-1600, stratfordfestival.ca.

A Glimpse Of The Light by Ben Finn (TEATRON Jewish Theatre). Holocaust survivors witness the birth of Israel in this musical. Opens Nov 12 and runs to Nov 23, (preview Nov 12 at 1 pm), Thu and Sat (and Nov 12) 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $22-$44. Leah Posluns Theatre, 4588 Bathurst. 416-781-5527, teatrontheatre.com.

Kindertransport by Diane Samuels (Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company). This drama looks at Jewish children separated from their parents during WWII. Opens Nov 6 and runs to Nov 23, Mon-Thu and Sat 8 pm, mats Tue-Wed 1 pm, Sun 2 pm. $32-$52. Al Green Theatre, 750 Spadina. 416-366-7723, hgjewishtheatre.com.

Nikola Tesla, An Evening With Genius by J Michael Newlight and Frank Tabbita (Professional Engineers of Ontario/IEEE Toronto). The inventor recounts his life and envisions a wireless future. Nov 6-8 at 8 pm. $20-$25, stu/srs $15-$20. Betty Oliphant Theatre, 404 Jarvis. 1-888-222-6608, vasicweb.com/tesla.

ScrABrrRrraaNNG - A Cabaret Of Futurist Performance (Graduate Centre for Study of Drama U of T). Performances by Jess Dobkin, Sky Gilbert and others are presented as part of the Futurist Dramaturgy and Performance Conference. Nov 6-8, Thu-Fri 9 pm, Sat 10 pm. (Conference runs Fri-Sat at Robert Gill Theatre, 214 College.) $8-$12. Studio Theatre, 4 Glen Morris. 416-978-7986, graddrama.utoronto.ca.

Soulless by Aaron Bushkowsky (505 Productions Equity Co-op). Five people question their apathy for others and their love of material goods. Opens Nov 6 and runs to Nov 23, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2:30 pm. $20, Sun pwyc. Factory Theatre Studio, 125 Bathurst. 416-504-9971, soullessplay.com.

That Came Out Wrong by Graeme Gerrard (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre). A gay teen deals with coming out in rural Ontario in this comedy. Opens Nov 6 and runs to Nov 16, Thu and Sat-Sun 8 pm, mat Sun 2 pm. $15. 12 Alexander. 416-975-8555, ticketweb.ca.

Unconditional/Waiting For Lefty Brett C Leonard/Clifford Odets (Column 13 Actors Company). This double bill features a drama about sex and violence in the lives of nine New Yorkers, and a one-act play about the taxi cab strike of 1934. Opens Nov 12 and runs to Nov 29, Wed-Sat 8 pm, (Waiting For Lefty Fri-Sat only, 10:30 pm). $15, student/seniors $12, Wed is pwyc. Dancemakers Centre for Creation, 55 Mill, bldg 58. 647-377-4903, column13.org.

(listings courtesy of nowtoronto.com)

Opening this week in the GTA!

I was away in Montreal over the weekend enjoying the luxuries of that beautiful city and missed five days of EAP blogging. Here is the first post - theatre openings for the week of October 23rd - 30th:

Anthony Of Green Gables/Point of View by Michael Misek/Zehra Abbas (Sawitri Theatre Group/Youth Troopers for Global Awareness). This double bill features two plays with a South Asian flavour. Oct 23-25, Thu-Fri 8 pm, Sat 7 pm. $15, stu/srs $10. Sampradaya Dance Centre, 5-3250 Ridgeway, Mississauga. sawitri.com.

A Chorus Line by Michael Bennet, James Kirkwood, Nicholas Dante, Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban (Mirvish). Singers and dancers vie for a spot in a Broadway production in this long awaited musical. Opens Oct 28 and runs to Nov 30, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mats Sat-Sun and Wed 2 pm. $20-$99. Canon Theatre, 244 Victoria. 416-872-1212, mirvish.com.

Edges by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Acting Up Stage Theatre Company). This rock 'n' roll song cycle looks at jobs, love and Facebook friends. Previews to Oct 26. Opens Oct 27 and runs to Nov 10, Sun 7 pm, Mon 8 pm. $25, students are $15. Revival, 783 College. edgestoronto.com.

Leader Of The Pack... The Ellie Greenwich Musical by Ellie Greenwich and Anne Beatts (Encore Entertainment). A young woman becomes famous writing hit doo-wop songs in the early 60s. Opens Oct 23 and runs to Nov 2, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sun 2 pm. $30, mats $28. Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge. 416-872-1111, encoreshows.com.

The Misfit by Anita Majumdar (Theatre Passe Muraille). An Indo-Canadian woman is disowned by her family and community in this solo piece, part of TPM's Fall Festival of Four Plays. Previews Oct 23-24. Opens Oct 25 and runs to Nov 15, Tue-Sat 7 pm, mat Sat 2:30 pm (beginning Nov 1). $30-$35, previews $15, mats pwyc. Mainspace, 16 Ryerson. 416-504-7529, passemuraille.on.ca.

A New Life by Elmer Rice (Theatre Erindale). A widow clashes with her in-laws over who will raise her baby. Previews Oct 23. Opens Oct 24 and runs to Nov 1, Tue-Thu 7:30 pm, Fri-Sat 8 pm, mat Nov 1 at 2 pm. $9-$14. Erindale Studio Theatre, 3359 Mississauga Rd N. 905-569-4369, theatreerindale.com.

One Man Star Wars by Charles Ross (Diesel Playhouse Theatre). Ross plays all the characters in this solo comedy. Opens Oct 28 and runs to Nov 1, Tue-Thu 8 pm, Fri-Sat 7 and 11 pm. $27.50. 56 Blue Jays Way. 416-870-8000.

Pyaasa by Anusree Roy (Theatre Passe Muraille). TPM's Fall Festival of Four Plays opens with Roy's solo drama about a young girl facing India's caste system. Previews to Oct 23. Opens Oct 24 and runs to Nov 15, Tue-Sat 8:30 pm, mat Sat 4 pm (beginning Nov 1). $20-$25, previews $15, mats pwyc. Backspace, 16 Ryerson. 416-504-7529, passemuraille.on.ca.

There Is No Trifling With Love/On Ne Badine Pas Avec L'amour by Alfred de Musset (Théâtre français de Toronto). Three young people struggle with their passions while trying to fulfill their dreams in this French-language play. Previews to Oct 23. Opens Oct 24 and runs to Nov 8, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mats Sat Nov 1 and 8 at 3:30 pm, Sun 2:30 pm. (Shows with English surtitles: Oct 23, 24, 29, Nov 1 and 7.) $29-$46, student/seniors $24-$32. Berkeley Street Theatre, 26 Berkeley. 416-534-6604.

Top Girls by Caryl Churchill (Soulpepper). A career woman interacts with historical and real women at three seperate locations, including a dinner party. Opens Oct 25 and runs to Nov 22, Mon-Sat 8 pm, mats Wed and Sat (except Oct 25) 2 pm. $34-$65, student $28. Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 55 Mill. 416-866-8666, soulpepper.ca.

The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler (V-Day Toronto). Female monologists perform in this funder for Street Haven at the Crossroads. Oct 25-26, Sat 7 pm, Sun 5 pm. $22.50, stu $18.50. Workman Theatre, 1001 Queen W. 416-928-6796, vdaytoronto@gmail.com.

(information courtesy of nowotoronto.com)

Toronto theatre openings this week

A great piece of theatre is opening this week - check out the Canadian Stage Company's production of Frost/Nixon at the Bluma Apple. Here is your weekly list:

[Boxhead] by Darren O'Donnell (Crow's Theatre/Mammalian Diving Reflex). A geneticist wakes up with a thought-controlling box attached to his head. Previews Oct 18-19. Opens Oct 21 and runs to Nov 2, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2:30 pm. $20-$29, previews $15, Sun pwyc.
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander. 416-975-8555, artsexy.ca.

The Box Social by James Reaney (Preface Theatre). Female deities of revenge help a woman facing a crisis in this adaptation of Reaney's short story. Previews to Oct 16. Opens Oct 17 and runs to Nov 1, Mon-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $16, stu $10.
Walmer Centre Theatre, 188 Lowther. 647-654-8995, prefacetheatre.com.

Frost/Nixon by Peter Morgan (The Canadian Stage Company). A talk-show host elicits an apology and confession from Richard Nixon. Opens Oct 16 and runs to Nov 8, Mon-Sat 8 pm, mats Wed 1:30 pm, Sat 2 pm. $20-$90.
Bluma Appel Theatre, 27 Front E. 416-368-3110, canstage.com.

Going For Love by Glenville Lovell (AW Productions/Sayge Theatre of Barbados). A Barbadian woman living in Canada must choose between love and career. Oct 18-19, Sat 8 pm, Sun 4 pm. $20-$25. De La Salle College Auditorium, 131 Farnham. 416-487-9015.

Heritage Day - Arab Pride (Harbourfront Centre/Canadian Arab Federation). This cultural festival features music, poetry, art and more. Oct 17-18, see website for times. Free and ticketed events. 235 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4000, harbourfrontcentre.com.

Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman (Ryerson Theatre School). Based on the myths of Ovid, stories about characters from classical Greece are told using modern language and humour. Previews Oct 16. Opens Oct 17 and runs to Nov 14, see website for dates and times. $18, stu/srs $14. Abrams Studio Theatre, 46 Gerrard E. 416-979-5118, ryersontheatre.ca.

The Nightwood by Robin Muller (Back Burner Productions). This adaptation of a Celtic fairy tale features puppets, stilt walkers and dance. Opens Oct 18 and runs to Nov 1, Fri-Sun 8 pm, mat Oct 25 at 2 pm. $10. Dufferin Theatre, 651 Dufferin. back-burner-productions.com.

Nunsense by Dan Goggin (Amicus Productions). Nuns raise money for funerals in this musical comedy. Opens Oct 16 and runs to Oct 25, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mats Oct 18-19 at 2 pm. $20, stu/srs $18. Fairview Library Theatre, 35 Fairview Mall. amicusproductions.ca.

A Raisin In The Sun by Lorainne Hansberry (Soulpepper). This drama looks at a black family living in 1950s Chicago. Opens Oct 16 and runs to Nov 15, Mon-Sat 7:30 pm, mats Sat and Wed 1:30 pm. $44-$65, previews/mats $34-$59, stu $28, rush $20 (stu $5). Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 55 Mill. 416-866-8666