Time is a lot like love. Sometimes it doesn’t seem real until you’re confronted with it. Hannah Moscovitch’s play is full of authentic dialogue and interesting, neurotic characters. It’s deeply relatable while exploring abstract themes and presenting them in a way that makes you think deeply about the nature of time and the phenomenon of love.
Read more: Inifinity is a relatable, philosophical story about love and time
PuSh International Performing Arts Festival | various venues | January 21 – February 9, 2020
A new decade; a new artistic director; the same ground-breaking programming. The 2020 PuSh International Performing Arts Festival is almost here, and its line-up is full of local and international performers who are sure to not only entertain us but also leave us with new ideas and plenty to think about. Whether you are a music fan, dance lover, theatre junkie, or you’re just looking for something innovative or quirky, this year’s festival looks like it will fit the bill. Here’s a quick guide to some of the most anticipated shows.
Read more: Keep on PuShing: What to see at the 2020 PuSh Festival
The highly acclaimed creative team of the 2018 Panto, The Wizard of Oz (playwright Marcus Youssef, composer Veda Hille, and director Stephen Drover), is back again for another year; and the Panto is even more highly anticipated after Theatre Replacement co-directors Maiko Yamamoto and James Long won the Siminovitch Prize (the top prize in Canadian theatre) the day before opening night.
Read more: Pinocchio learns about authenticity in the ever-hilarious East Van Panto
Waitress | Broadway Across Canada | Queen Elizabeth Theatre | November 12 – 17, 2019
Sugar, butter, flour: the words ring out in a beautiful harmony to start the show, setting the stage for a predictable romantic comedy infused with themes about the power of food to bring people together and make lasting connections. The impressive retro set of Joe’s Pie Diner (by Scott Pask) is where most of the action takes place as Jenna confronts big questions about life and love, all with a little help from her friends and co-workers, the nerdy Dawn (Gabriella Marzetta), bombastic Becky (Kennedy Salters), and serious Cal (Jake Mills).
Read more: Waitress the musical is missing a few ingredients
Ripped couches, shredded jeans, and broken dreams: American Idiot is the bold, political rock opera that led Green Day back to superstardom in the early years of the 21st century. Fifteen years later, the songs have gained new relevance in our current political climate. The award-winning Broadway show follows three childhood friends as they search for meaning and attempt to escape suburbia.
Read more: Green Day's American Idiot: a punk rock opera with renewed relevance
The Shipment | SpeakEasy Theatre | Firehall Arts Centre | September 24 – October 5, 2019
So you think you know a lot about race? Well, this play may make you think again. The Shipment is a provocatively challenges notions of race, identity, privilege, and power in a way that only fully hits you once you leave the theatre.
Young Jean Lee’s subversive play takes stereotypes about black identity and turns them upside down. In the first section, Omari Newton’s stand-up comedy is a blunt, honest, and at times scathing commentary about white privilege, reverse racism, colour-blindness, and how to not walk on eggshells while still being culturally sensitive.
Read more: The Shipment forces us to confront our biases and think about race
Rent | Broadway Across Canada | Queen Elizabeth Theatre | September 17 – 22, 2019
How do you measure a year? How do you measure a life? Rent’s message that our lives should be measured in love is just as powerful now as it was over twenty years ago when it premiered in 1996. Jonathan Larson’s re-imagining of Puccini’s La Bohème is full of rousing songs and unforgettable lyrics. From the opening notes of “Rent” and the line “How do you document real life when real life’s getting more like fiction each day?” to the iconic “Seasons of Love” and the triumphant finale, this production was a wonderful celebration of love, friendship, and hope prevailing over fear.
Read more: Cherish the moment and stay hopeful: Rent is just as relevant 20 years later
Coriolanus | Bard on the Beach | Howard Family Stage in the Douglas Campbell Tent, Vanier Park | August 21 – September 21, 2019
Coriolanus is one of Shakespeare’s lesser-known and seldom-performed plays, so it’s no surprise that the first-ever production of this work at Bard on the Beach, directed by Bard regular Dean Paul Gibson, was highly-anticipated. Moya O’Connell stars as the ruthless fighter who is betrayed and exiled. Her confident, aggressive performance is the highlight, while the futuristic set and costumes make the production look stunning.
Read more: Dystopian Coriolanus looks stunning, fails to connect emotionally
Superior Donuts
Of the three shows in this year’s festival, Superior Donuts stands out for both its sharp social commentary and strong performances. Tracy Letts’ 2008 play, which was adapted as a TV sitcom in 2017, includes plenty of laugh-out-loud moments along with many sobering, thought-provoking ones.
Arthur Przybyszewski (David Nykl) and Franco Wicks (Chris Francisque) are an odd couple working at Arthur’s family donut shop in Chicago. Arthur has been plodding along in the same rut for years until one day when Franco comes knocking looking for a job.
Newsies | Theatre Under the Stars | Malkin Bowl, Stanley Park | July 6 – August 17, 2019
A classic underdog story about the power of the press, this musical is full of rousing songs, unlikely triumphs, and a love story. Julie Tomaino’s choreography brings it all together in a high-energy frenzy of high kicks and higher jumps. The newsies take New York City by storm and stand up against the most powerful man in town, publisher Joseph Pulitzer.
Read more: The power of the press meets high kicks in Newsies at TUTS
