THESE WEEKEND EVENTS AND CONCERTS ARE GUARANTEED TO MAKE YOUR TIME IN TORONTO TRULY MEMORABLE!

Fred Penner and Jay Brazeau brighten your family’s weekend in Young People’s Theatre’s The Cat Came Back (photo: Leif Norman)

Pussyfooting Performance
How often have you wanted something only after it was gone? This universal feeling is charmingly captured in the family-friendly production of The Cat Came Back, currently on stage at Young Peoples Theatre. Based on the famous tune by children’s performer Fred Penner, the play tracks the torn conscience of a cranky Mr. Johnson, whose affection for a cat increases or decreases depending on its proximity. Best of all, Penner himself is part of the action!

Milestone Recital
Twenty-five years is a long time for a musical group to exist, but the Amici Chamber Ensemble has managed to thrive for a quarter-century by fostering a creative dynamic based more on friendship than professional distance, and the fun of collaboration over the glory of a spotlit solo. On Friday, the trio celebrates its longevity with a Koerner Hall concert featuring such special guests as soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian and members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Ladies on Stage
Women around the world are connected through shared experiences (and absurdities!) in Pomme is French for Apple. Told from a West Indian perspective by quirky collaborators Liza Paul and Bahia Watson, this vaudeville-style Fringe Festival favourite is on stage Friday and Saturday at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts.

Money Talks
Told through a series of monologues, Factory Theatre’s latest offering, Iceland, follows three characters affected by a financial crisis and the increasingly worrying “c-word”—capitalism. These are common apprehensions, to be sure, and audiences will connect with Canadian playwright Nicholas Billon’s honest perspective on the interplay of money and human relationships. The drama begins with preview performances this Saturday and Sunday.

Local Motive
Toronto is home to untold numbers of talented artists, many of whom deserve more recognition than they currently receive. This idea is at the core of the Made in Toronto Film Festival, a celebration of the arts that began as an attempt to revitalize the city’s interest in locally produced documentary films. Nowadays the festival has a broader scope, and offers events throughout the year that combine movies, music and compelling speakers. This weekend, MINT presents three days of screenings and discussions focusing on economics featuring author Charles Eisenstein.