Soulpepper - Pita Behrupiya (Twelfth Night)

Very clever adaptation of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night into Hindi, retaining all of the charm and humour, but with a unique twist. Talented performers and wonderful love songs - while we didn't understand the words (sadly the songs were not translated), the gestures and emotion helped us follow along. Highly recommended.

Disenchanted

Entertaining and some clever jabs at the princess myth, this little musical comedy was a good night's fun.

McMichael Gallery - Reframing the Art of Canada

While a little bit of a hike from the city, a wander through the permanent exhibits of the McMichael Gallery is always worh the trip, and the special exhibitions, such as the current reframing one, do not disappoint.  If you can time your visi with the Volunteer Committee's annual art sale in October, there is the opportunity to pick up a gem for your home. The round out the day with a walk through the grounds to enjoy the fall colours and a lovely lunch at the cafe. Hard to find a better way to spend a day with a friend!

Nightwood Theatre - Quiver

Very clever integration of technology with theatre - extremely well done. And a very engaging story, told from multiple voices, with just the right amount of tension. Highly recommended.

Nightwood Theatre - Mouthpiece

Mouthpiece - absolutely compelling two person play with incredible timing. The dialogue and actions were perfectly synchronized, as the actors spoke with one voice and moved as one for much of the play. Non-stop symbolism portraying the essence of our mother's generation, reminding us of how far we have come.

National Geographic Live! I Bought a Rainforest

Entertaining speaker with a strong social conscience and extraordinary approach to photographing subjects, animals and people, to trigger an emotional response. I found Charlie Hamilton James' argument about the rich vs the poor in relation to the rainforest to be particularly enlightening and well worth googling, if you were not at the show.

Ryerson Image Centre - The Edge of the Earth: Climate Change

Fascinating show, telling a compelling story about climate change. Conveniently located downtown, this show is well worth the tiny detour off Yonge St. I particularly liked the manufactured images from Isabelle Hayeur.

World Press Photo Exhibition

Featuring the winning submissions for visual journalism, there are many stories being told here. An annual show, it captures key moments in the past year - the images are moving and inspiring.

TSO Exposed: What Makes it Great - Pictures at an Exhibition

Today, Conductor/Composer Rob Capilow deconstructed Russian composer Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition". The interpretation of the pictures in the creation of the piano music, then interpreted for orchestra in several variations was fascinating.

Canstage- All But Gone

I didn't quite get all of the vignettes, but I enjoyed the singing. While not overall to my taste, the physical comedy was cute and I particularly liked the talking heads.

Soulpepper- Hosanna

Excellent play! Very intense story and strangely engaging. While not a sympathetic character, Hosanna nonetheless draws out your compassion with her raw and emotional performance. A superbly acted two man show.

Canstage - Concord Floral

Very interesting presentation of a familiar theme - teenage bullying. Told through many voices, some unconventional, we didn't know what was coming. Great start to the season!

TSO POPS - The Music of ABBA

The TSO was accompanied by an awesome a capella group from Finland, Rajaton. While a great and definitely entertaining start to the 2016/17 POPS series, but it didn't really utilize the orchestra as much as we would have liked.

Soulpepper- Noises Off

Hilarious, high energy, exhausting physical comedy. Stellar cast with amazing comedic timing and incredible endurance. Lots of laugh out loud fun, this show is not to be missed.

Nuit Blanche

It was a different feel wandering the streets this year, as it was a little harder to randomly find artworks and our stroll along Queen St felt more like Buskerfest. However, we did squeeze our way into City Hall and were mesmerized by the pulsing, swirling globe. Definitely worth the effort to get close.

Theatre Passe Muraille - Brave New World

Excellent adaptation of the book - very thought provoking, the actors portrayal of different cultures was awesome, a stellar cast. Strongly recommended.