Tarragon - Infinity

Stellar cast and a fascinating story, although some of the math and philosophy on time flew over my head. We really enjoyed the show and the twists of time.

Acting Up Stage Company - Passing Strange

Electrifying journey of discovery, providing cultural charicatures from L.A. to Amsterdam to Berlin. Amazing performers, great score and choreography, highly recommended.

Tarragon - Sequence

Science, religion and luck coming together in a plot like a Mobius strip - where is the beginning, where is the end. Intriguing show with outstanding performances and a treat to see some favourite Soulpepper actors in a different setting. Strongly recommended.

Theatre Passe Muraille - Alien Creature

I think this play was about the difficult life of a poet, but in any case it was a very powerful one person show. The juxtaposition of magic as metaphor for creativity was interesting. Beatrice Pisano was amazing, giving a strong physical and intellectual performance, drawing us in completely. It was exhausting.

TIFF Sesquicentennial Celebration - Canada's Essential 150 Films

Including drama, documentary, animation, shorts, etc, TIFF's ambitious programming to screen the 150 most important Canadian films ever made, in honour of Canada's 150th birthday, started off with a bang. In the first week I took in Sarah Polley's fascinating Stories We Tell, a moving documentary in Manufactured Landscapes featuring Edward Burtynsky and two terrific collections of short films. Check out the programming as there are many more amazing free screenings to come, as this initiative unfolds over the rest of this year.

Mirvish - The Audience

Dialogue rich and touching many historical UK highlights, this play nonetheless suffers from a lack of action. The most action is the clever costume changes for the Queen, as the PM meetings jump back and forth in time. Fiona Reid was amazing as the Queen and got all the best lines.

National Geographic - Kenny Broad: The Risky Science of Exploration

A fascinating collection of stories on risk, friendship, exploration and the pursuit of science in some pretty scary places. In deep underwater caves, remote locations, among venomous snakes and more, Kenny truly communicated his mixed feelings: "I love it more than I hate it". Awesome show!

T.O. Fringe NSTF - Silk Bath

Interesting concept and delivery and the cast was great, but it took some discussion around the play description to understand the message.

T.O. Fringe NSTF - Songbuster: An Improvised Musical

Awesome and talented troupe, who have clearly worked together for a while. Taking a random location from the audience they created a cogent story, complete with songs, on the fly. A great show!

T.O. Fringe NSTF - Western, A Play with Music

Creative storytelling and staging, a poignant story of life in a different time, with many perspectives. The old West was unforgiving.

T.O.Fringe NSTF - The Dath of Mrs Ghanaian & The Beginning of New Physics

"A Political Fantasy" - depicting a wordplay among four female world leaders, in a scenario providing insights into increasing their power. Unfortunately, the caricatures depicted did not ring true and the premise was absurd. 

TIFF - Winter Season Launch

Always a great member benefit - the highlights of the upcoming season. And a screening of the new film release from Studio Ghibli was greatly appreciated. Another good reason to become a member!

T.O.Fring NSTF - Clique Claque

An interesting concept, but the script fell a little short. The visions of the future were distracting, as they were too ambitious for the time frame, and the ending was a bit flat.

T.O. Fringe NSTF - ManicPixieDreamGirls

Manic is right. I think this was about first auditions, but who knows ... Great costumes, amazing physical energy and comic relief - not your typical dance performance.

T.O. Fringe NSTF - Blood Ties

Unexpected on so many levels - a death story told with humour and as a musical, complete with an unexpected twist. This unusual story of friendship is sold out today for a good reason, but other performances are available, if you hurry.

Gardiner Museum - 12 Trees of Christmas: The Joy of Creativity

These were indeed very imaginative interpretations of Christmas trees - from plastic bottles to magazine pages to natural materials. Most definitely the most unusual Christmas trees I have ever seen, but there were a few gems in the collection. Adults have to pay admission to see them, so I'm not sure it’s worth the trip if you don’t plan to take in some of the galleries while you are there, however my daughter and I enjoyed the show.

AGO - Mystical Landscapes: Masterpieces

A very popular exhibit – it was pretty crowded. But worth the opportunity to enjoy some pretty impressive landscapes by Gauguin, Monet, Van Gogh and others. Some were indeed mystical.....

AGO - Small Wonders

An incredible collection of sculptures inside miniature boxes, either prayer beads or small alters. Absolutely fascinating and worth seeing - be sure to read about how they are created, as this will answer the inevitable wonder about how on earth they are able to carve inside the beads.

AGO - Pop-Up Planetarium

Pop-Up Planetarium – Interesting, but not quite as captivating as we were expecting. Perhaps because the space was rather small. I did learn an important new piece of information though - did you know that the earth is being constantly dusted by cosmic debri - tons of it enters our atmosphere and drifts down every day. Does this mean the planet is growing ......

T.O. Fringe NSTF - Two Truths and a Lie

Can you assess who is telling the truth and who is lying,  when the stories are expertly told with just enough amusement and stupidity to make it plausible.

T.O. Fringe NSTF - Date Me

An improv of a first date, based on randomly chosen online dating profiles, amusingly captures those awkward and exciting moments.