Theatre

Canada > Archive by tag 'Theatre'

Weekend Roundup: Best Bets for April 20 to 22

Friday, April 20
The Ottawa Shakespeare Company stages the most famous assassination story of all time. Julius Caesar, a classic Shakespearean tragedy, tells a story of betrayal and the death of the world’s leader. Experienced actors bring Shakespeare’s timeless story to life at the Centrepointe Theatre.

Evolution Theatre is offering two plays for a single ticket! [boxhead] is about a young geneticist who one day discovers a cardboard box stuck on his head and undergoes many revelations in his quest to remove it. Mary Magdalene and Adventures in Sobriety tells the story of a woman who has spent 2000 years homeless, and discovers spirituality and passion after literally crashing into an AA meeting.

Bring your kids to celebrate Earth Day at the Canadian Children’s Museum. Kids can get their hands dirty with clay, build the city of the future with MEGABloks®, and learn how to make music using everyday items. Activities are available for ages five and under. (more…)

Hot Dates: Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats

The cast of Cats

April 10 to 15

Get ready for a whisker-twitching good time as Cats leaps onto stage for an unforgettable performance at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Rollicking characters bring T.S. Eliot’s whimsical poems to life in the only North American production endorsed by Webber. The record-breaking show is one of Broadway’s longest-running musicals, and timeless hits such as “Memory” still cause goosebumps.—Caitlin Dawson

Hot Entertainment: The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest photo by David Cooper

The tone is anything but earnest in Oscar Wilde’s beloved farce that examines the theme of triviality and skewers Victorian social conventions. The Importance of Being Earnest runs until Apr. 15 at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage.—Sheri Radford

Weekend Roundup: Best Bets for March 30 to April 1

Chic coats, cool jewellery, and plenty to decorate the home are on offer at this weekend's Ottawa Antiques Show.

Friday, March 30
The Ottawa Antiques Show is back for its annual spring edition, bringing with it a slew of great finds. But make no mistake: this isn’t your grandma’s show. While it does boast an assortment of century-old antiques, it’s also the place to find designer goods and hidden treasures. Vendors carry a selection of retro and vintage products; think designer jewellery by Tiffany & Co., haute couture accessories from Chanel and Hermès, handbags by Prada, and Rolex watches. Happy hunting!

Celebrate Canada’s diverse musical talent with Classical JUNOs in Concert, where JUNO nominated performers, such as Susan Hoeppner and Christina Petrow ska Quilico, break out an array of instruments to perform classical pieces, including those by nominated composers. The afternoon concert is free and held in the lobby of the National Arts Centre.

Saturday, March 31
Step into the fantastical world of Tara Luz Danse – Les Billes, a creation of choreographer Anik Bouvrette, at the Shenkman Arts Centre. Here, dancers incorporate unusual objects into their movements: large marbles, lit hoops, and Chinese lanterns that resemble planets. In this lush performance of contemporary dance that has charmed both children and adults – not an easy task – the audience gets swept up in the question “When I close my eyes, in my imagination, I see…”

Come and be astounded by the magic of world-class illusionist Greg Frewin in his Vegas-style show, Beyond Belief, at the Théâtre du Casino. Frewin is the only magician to have won every major magic award in North America, and he has performed throughout the world. His show, featuring tigers, showgirls, and amazing illusions, will undoubtedly leave you beyond belief, just as it’s name promises. (more…)

Hot Entertainment: Cabaret with Ute Lemper

Ute Lemper

Sultry, seductive Ute Lemper seems to have stepped straight out of a 1920s European cabaret. She’s dazzled audiences in Germany and around the world with her concerts and musical-theatre roles, and is also a talented dancer and painter. See the celebrated chanteuse in Berlin Nights/Paris Days: The Art of Chanson at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts (Mar. 24).—Sheri Radford

Hot Date: Shrek’s a Green Monster

photo by Joan Marcus

MARCH 20 TO APRIL 1 Everyone’s favourite secretly affable green ogre is back at it in Shrek the Musical. Joined by the comedic antics of Donkey, the sharp wit of Princess Fiona and an extensive cast of fairy-tale characters, Shrek sets out to reclaim the deed to his land in an epic adventure featuring 19 all-new songs. The new production offers up stunning set design, rousing dance numbers and, of course, laughs for the whole family. Toronto Centre for the Arts, Tuesday to Sunday 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday 2:30 p.m., $46 to $180; call 416-644-3665 or visit here to purchase tickets.

Weekend Roundup: Best Bets for March 16 to 18

Friday, March 16
Get creative at the Canadian Museum of Civilization’s Vintage Fun – Making Do workshop, which is part of their March Break program. Bring your whole family and travel back in time to the 1920s and 1930s. Play Bingo, do some candle dipping, make arts and crafts, play a giant board game, or put your shoes on and try your feet at some swing dancing.

Art, nudity, and live performances come together at Bleu Nuit, a multimedia performance Art show at Falldown gallery this Friday. The show features a 1960s nude style photography collection called “Business Casual Fun,” by Irene Barrot Vasquez, in collaboration with Nilton De Menezes. NDMA, Zoo Legacy, and Live Projections and body art by Ariane Beauchamp will make up the live performance roster. With door prizes from Gypsy & Co., Young Janes, and Allegro, this is an art show not to be missed!

Party it up in Chinatown with Poptronic at Shanghai Restaurant. Poptronic is a DJ night led by CKCU’s DJ Jeff Main. He will be spinning an upbeat mix of indie electronic, synthpop, and electropop. This is anything but top 40 pop music! So come out, listen to songs you won’t hear anywhere else, and diversify your musical tastes.

Canoeing is just one of the activities to explore at the first annual Outdoor Adventure & Travel Show in Ottawa.

Saturday, March 17
As frigid winter winds give way to warm, spring sunshine check out the first-ever Outdoor & Adventure Travel Show at the CE Centre. Learn about amazing travel destinations from safaris to eco-holidays and camping trips. Watch kayak, canoe, and scuba experts in the demo pools, climb the Rock Wall, or get inspired to bike, hike, run, or play water or mountain sports. Make sure to see the world premiere of The Best of the Reel Paddling Film Festival. (more…)

Weekend Roundup: Best Bets for March 9 to 11

Rococode from Vancouver is just one of the bands playing at Mavericks this weekend. Photo credit: Robyn Jamieson.

Friday, March 9
Start your weekend off right by partying it up with some fun indie bands at Mavericks. This is the LP release show for Anchors, the newest album from Ottawa indie rock band and show headliner Kalle Mattson. Also on the bill: Rococode, a three-boy and one-girl band from Vancouver that strives to make exciting and meaningful pop music; The Richardson Band, an Ottawa indie/folk band that just recorded its first EP; and the Ashleys, another Ottawa indie/rock band.

Get lucky at the first late night performance of Third Time Lucky, performed by Toronto-based comic storyteller Paul Hutcheson at The Gladstone. Pornography, an allergic reaction to shellfish, and orgies are just some of the topics Hutcheson covers in this solo show. Hutcheson has performed in more than 25 fringe festivals, winning awards in New York, San Francisco, Montreal, and Ottawa. This play is part of the Black Box Set Theatre Festival, which runs until March 17.

Get in the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day a few days early with Ottawa Irish Week. The week-long festival and longstanding Ottawa tradition invites you to celebrate Ireland through music, poetry, history, dance, theatre, and sport. This Friday, get entertained and eat Irish fare at The Erin Luncheon at St. Patrick’s Home of Ottawa. Various events run from March 8 to 17.

Saturday, March 10
Laugh, cry, and support a good cause at The Vagina Monologues this Saturday. Carleton University’s own Vaginas Against Violence are once again putting on a fantastic show, which is run and performed by Carleton students. All proceeds from ticket sales go towards the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre and the international V-Day campaign, which supports victims of sexual violence in Haiti in an effort to end gender-based violence locally and globally. If you’ve never seen this show that serves up story after story to honour the female anatomy, you’re missing out. (more…)

Hot Entertainment: Intimate Apparel

Intimate Apparel photo by David Cooper

It’s 1905, and plain, sensible, lonely Esther yearns for love. She sews custom lingerie for the uptown ladies of New York—for the downtown working ladies, too—all the while wishing she could wear one of her own exquisite creations. See playwright Lynn Nottage’s exploration of race, class, identity and desire at the Granville Island Stage (to Mar. 10).—Sheri Radford

Weekend Roundup: Best Bets for March 2 to 4

This photo shows actors from Orpheus Musical Theatre Society rehearsing for "Rent."

Friday, March 2
Orpheus Musical Theatre brings its rendition of the Tony Award-winning Rent to the stage. Based on Puccini’s La Bohème, this rock opera follows a group of young, struggling artists trying to make it in New York City. Gritty and modern, the friends face challenges that range from relationships to money to the health threat of HIV and AIDS. See why the musical lasted 12 years on Broadway when this local theatre group takes on the show. (And don’t be surprised if you start humming songs like “La Vie Bohème B” and “Seasons of Love” and dreaming of running away to the Big Apple.) Opening tonight and running until March 11.

In 1971, Pink Floyd played two shows in Quebec, one in Montreal and one in Quebec city, for the first time ever. Celebrate the 40^th anniversary of these legendary concerts with the 2011 travelling show Eclipse – The Pink Floyd Story, on at Casino du Lac-Leamy. This commemorative performance demonstrates the band’s evolution, with a live band performing the best of Pink Floyd from the early days to the later years. Moving lights, spectacular lasers, and video projections make this a complete sensory experience.

Enter the musical universe of Kyssi Wète this Friday at the National Arts Centre. Wète mixes the sounds and rhythms of blues, reggae, rumba, soul, raga, and pop to transport his audiences somewhere between France, Jamaica, and the Congo. Using human diversity and relationships as his inspiration, he relays messages of interracial harmony with his unique voice.

Saturday, March 3
Celebrate International Women’s Week on the opening day of the Celebrate HER Charity Music and Art Festival. The festival celebrates outstanding women in the Ottawa community with a week full of art, music, dance, theatre, and spoken word poetry. Check out this year’s centrepiece: the “Amazing Women-Femmes d’exception” photo installation at Alpha Soul Café, which includes women such as University of Ottawa professor Constance Backhouse and children’s author Naomi Guzman Poole. (more…)