Ossington Theatre - Mary Poppins

A stellar cast, the casting was bang on. Great family fun, lots of energy and enthusiasm on stage and much more than the movie, incorporating additional content from the book. Great music and choreography. It was a fantastic show, with an utterly charming cast - we strongly recommend.

Mirvish - Newsies

Definitely a family friendly musical, the choreography and soundtrack was fabulous. An all around stellar cast, with great "newsie" personalities - whimsical, naive and youthful. A little more special because it was based on true life.

Ossington Theatre - Rocket Man: Celebrating Elton John

This musical review was a  well curated time travel through the career of Elton John. The song selection was awesome and it must have been a challenge to narrow it down. The four person vocal group played off each other very well, with some virtuoso performances by the band. Clearly a crowd favourite, judging by the robust audience response. Very fun way to spend an evening out with a group of friends.

Toronto 2015 PanAm Games - Roller Sports: Figure Skating Free Program

We were so disappointed to not see Canada get a medal in the women's long program, but it was a tight race between three skaters for silver, bronze and just out of the medals. In the Men's competition, Brazil received a standing ovation, as it was clear to everyone this was the gold medal performance. It was awesome to be able to see that live.

T.O. Fringe Festival - My Big Fat German Puppet Show

Whimsical, creative, not your average puppet show. Incorporating audience participation, current events and a stage you have never seen before, this multi-talented warbling puppeteer was chosen among the best of the Fringe.

Toronto 2015 PanAm Games - Roller Sports: Figure Skating Free Program

The short program featured 8 competitors each, but Canada was only represented in the women's competition. Not surprisingly, roller figure skating is very similar to ice skating, but with fewer elements as certain jumps and movements are not feasible on roller skates.  There were several top women and a clear leader on the men's side. Can't imagine the pressure on the Canadian competitor in front of a raucous home crowd. One male competitor was not at the same level as the others - it was courageous of him to compete and the other skaters were very supportive. We really enjoyed the competition and were very glad we bought tickets to experience it live.

T.O. Fringe Festival - Summerland

Absolutely amazing show. What a very talented bunch of kids from Toronto's top performing arts schools. A great, but familiar, story, awesome music and dancing, excellent choreography. Fabulous use of a large and diverse cast. Can't say enough about this fully sold out (sorry) show.

T.O. Fringe Festival - Caws and Effect

A charming shadow puppet show, demonstrating the harshness of a bird's life through predators and pollution, is dramatized with overhead projectors and uncanny raven imitations. Multi-talented, the performers also recorded and arranged the beautiful soundtrack. Several sold out shows and today's enthusiastic crowd attests to the strong appetite for this medium.

T.O. Fringe Festival - The McComedy Show

There were moments of brilliance and demonstrated versatility, with a variety of characters inspired by television. But somehow the overall effort didn't connect with us. Perhaps you need to be more of a sitcom fan .....

T.O. Fringe Festival - Morro and Jasp do Puberty

Not for the squeamish, ‎these clowns bring a refreshing and hilarious look at adolescence, from bodily changes to hormonal influences. Be prepared to vicariously relive your most embarrassing adolescent moments. A great hit and clearly an audience favourite.

T.O. Fringe Festival - Peter N' Chris Present: Here Lies Chris

Awesome duo - this is definitely a show to see. Highly recommended and with an obvious following, Chris and Peter delivered non-stop physical comedy, with a sharp wit. They were literally all over the place !

T.O. Fringe Festival - 2 Ruby Knockers, 1 Jaded Dick: A Dirk Darrow Investigation

Punny and full of magic tricks, this parody of a film noir detective movie was jam packed with laughs, groaners and good ones alike. Audience participation is mandatory.

T.O. Fringe Festival - Becoming Burlesque

I'm not a fan of dance, but burlesque is different. Very talented dancers, with lots of twirking and tasseling to ensure a raucous crowd. Cute little storyline also provided some comic relief.

T.O. Fringe Festival - Graham Clark Reads the Phone Book

‎Who would have thought the phone book could be so funny. Hilarious mix of irreverent tour of the phone book and ad lib, allowing the audience to shape the show by choosing a letter. You will enjoy this!

T.O. Fringe Festival - The Untitled Sam Mullins Project

‎Sam is an excellent story-teller, connecting easily with the audience as he shared four of his truths. Three parts comedy, 1 part drama, highly recommended.

Tremblant Resort - Day 8 - Going Home

It's a leisurely breakfast in the room as everyone packs up. A last minute trip on the Luge track and then picked up some pitas to take to the airport for lunch, as there won't be another opportunity to find food until we get home. Porter shuttle arrives promptly, we arrive, pay the steep departure tax and settle in for the trip home. Overall a great way to spend a week with friends, lots to do, great food and the convenient Porter flights makes Mont Tremblant very accessible.

Tremblant Resort - Day 7 - Mountain Hike

Taking my favourite Le Cabriolet lift to the bottom of the hill for a delicious breakfast of highly embellished waffles at Bisto au Grain de Cafe, this definitely called for a serious hike to burn off the calories. The Gondola ride to the top of the mountain never gets old and delivers us to a variety of trails. We go up to the look-out spot, offering an amazing view of the town below for just a short climb. Then we choose the 360 degree moderate hike, which circumnavigates the top of the mountain along a wooded trail, popping out from time to time at the ski runs, to magnificent views. Lots of benches or chairs along the way, to either rest or just contemplate the view.

Finishing off the afternoon with a swim, the hotel pool and hot tub was still pretty crowded - it really is a family resort .....

Dinner tonight at Wok was a hit. Everyone ordered something different and no one was disappointed. From the salmon to the curries to the calamari to Singapore noodles, all plates were licked clean.

Tremblant Resort - Day 6 - Rain

Now we know why it is so incredibly lush and green here. When it rains, it really rains. Thank goodness we brought raincoats and umbrellas, or we would be stuck in the room. At the bottom of the resort shopping strip we jump on a bus and head to the old town for lunch and a little exploring. Mostly restaurants and bike shops, it is quaint. The rain let up long enough for us to walk back along the bike path - I wasn't paying attention but it was under an hour at a comfortable pace. It's a lovely walk or bike ride.

Afternoon coffee at Bistro au Grain de Cafe at the top of the hill, it was difficult to resist the scrumptious looking pastries. Coffee and ambiance were lovely. Picked up some chocolate at Rocky Mountain for later, obviously a popular spot, it was crowded.

Couldn't resist going back to La Diable for the ribs again. Had a fun evening back in the room with a bottle of wine and a deck of cards and then out to the base of the mountain at 10:30 to catch a fabulous fireworks display to commemorate Canada Day.