2022 Toronto Theatre Wrapped

By year’s end I’ll have seen 160 shows, most of them in Toronto. Not bad for a theatrical year that only got going in late March. It’s been a beautiful year for art in this city, and it was a pleasure to experience it so fully.

So I can’t well stop myself from doing a chill little favourites list, can I? Let’s start with 10 shows that I can’t stop thinking about.

Here are the rules:

One per director.
Chronological order.
GTA only.
Shows towards the beginning of the year get some extra love because they happened right after a lockdown.

Without further ado, the moderately arbitrary and highly personal list. For added fun, I’ll include links to cool reviews of the shows by other critics.

The Antipodes, dir. Ted Dykstra (Coal Mine Theatre)

The Antipodes felt like Toronto theatre’s grand return. The ensemble cast filled the tiny Coal Mine space with an immensely exciting energy. I went twice, the second time sitting in the rush seats behind the stage for a different view. Annie Baker’s sensibilities mesh brilliantly with Dykstra’s. I went back and read the play a couple weeks ago; I couldn’t stop seeing this production and hearing this cast, the sounds of the Danforth outside. I’ll remember it forever, I suspect. Favourite moment: Simon Bracken’s chicken monologue. And Ari Cohen’s monologue that repeats phrases beginning with “Jerry taught me everything I know”. Check out Glenn Sumi’s NOW review here.

Three Women of Swatow, dir. Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster (Tarragon Theatre)

I saw Three Women of Swatow in previews, and the whole crowd seemed thrilled by it, me included: funny, touching, and artfully directed, this thing did a hell of a lot in 80 minutes. Favourite moment: Carolyn Fe’s opening monologue. Check out Joshua Chong’s Intermission review here.

Killing Time: A Game Show Musical, dir. Margot Greve (Mixtape Projects)

Before Killing Time: A Game Show Musical went off to the Hamilton Fringe, they did a short run in Toronto. Mixtape Projects, a group of emerging artists, knew exactly what they wanted to do with this game show spoof and pulled it off triumphantly. A joy. Favourite moment: morph suit. Check out Jessica Watson’s Intermission review here.

R.U.R. A Torrent of Light, dir. Michael Hidetoshi Mori (Tapestry Opera)

God, was R.U.R. A Torrent of Light beautiful. Nicole Lizée’s score is next-level gorgeous, Mori hit it with a specific concept, and the design was vividly realized. Nuts. I need to see more opera, I guess! Favourite moment: when the percussion kicks in for the first time. You’ll have to settle for my piece on this one.

Sweeney Todd, dir. Mitchell Cushman (Talk is Free Theatre)

Sweeney Todd was an out-of-body experience for me. Somehow, it pulled me in so deep that having to walk from room to room for each song was enlivening rather than tiring. Eagerly awaiting the upcoming Cushman Merrily at Crow’s. Favourite moment: I mean, it has to be Cyrus Lane’s “Joanna (Reprise)”, right? Oh but “By the Sea”… oh but “City on Fire”… I think about this show a lot. Check out Sweeney expert Aisling Murphy’s Intermission review here.

Creation Destruction, dir. Dana Gingras (Animals of Distinction/Luminato Festival)

If there’s one thing I’ve learned this year, it’s that chamber rock and contemporary dance are a perfect combo. Add to that a black-and-white experimental flicker film, and, yeah: Creation Destruction is perfectly tailored to my tastes. It’s difficult to be existential and energetic simultaneously, but this show pulled it off. Favourite moment: the sun sets, creating a spooky and beautiful orange frame for the flickering screen. Again, I think only I wrote about this.

1-MAN NO-SHOW, dir. Isaac Kessler (Toronto Fringe)

Isaac Kessler’s one-person show 1-MAN NO-SHOW was ridiculous, and gloriously theatrical. Favourite moment, from an article I wrote: A bearded man in a beret stands on stage, arms outstretched and legs spread wide. Dramatic music plays. For five minutes, the audience has been throwing chunks of rotten banana at him, trying to land one in his open mouth. Most fly past him; some fall short. A woman launches one from the third row. It hits his forehead, slides down his face, and comes to rest under his glasses. The audience roars, jumping to their feet in a fit of Dionysian ecstasy. Yeah.

Uncle Vanya, dir. Chris Abraham (Crow’s Theatre)

Chris Abraham’s beautiful Uncle Vanya was the hit of the year, and it’s not hard to see why. The second time I saw this show was a matinee, and it was a perfect experience: being a little sleepy is ideal for Chekhov, I think. Tom Rooney’s performance has been rightly hyped, but what hangs around in my mind most these days is Kimberly Purtell’s lighting design. With the aid of haze and in conjunction with the set, it framed the play’s smallness with a gorgeously spiritual bigness: the light of god. Favourite moment: everything Bahia Watson did. Check out Martin Morrow’s Globe review here.

Cockroach, dir. Mike Payette (Tarragon Theatre)

A shimmering haze of language and movement, Cockroach is dangerously direct yet complexly and beautifully imperfect. 70 minute one acts are all the rage, but can often feel clipped. Not so with Cockroach — it’s a full, vital meal. Favourite moment: when the soundscape cuts out and Anton Ling is left sitting in silence. A striking contrast to the play’s otherwise constant loudness. Check out J. Kelly Nestruck’s Globe review here.

‘da Kink in My Hair, dir. Weyni Mengesha (Soulpepper Theater/TO Live)

Went through lots of options for this last slot, but ‘da Kink in My Hair won out for how much it hyped up my matinee audience. Very happy I finally got to experience this classic piece. It’s earned it’s reputation. Favourite moment: the monologues. Check out Kemi King’s Intermission review here.

Oh, that was difficult. Now some honourable mentions:

Is God Is, dir. Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu (Canadian Stage/Obsidian)
TPM’s #BeyondTO Festival
Kamloopa, dir. Kim Senklip Harvey (Soulpepper Theatre)
ADAM&EVE, created by Marissa Blair and Jeroen Lindeman (Mad Paradox/TO Fringe)
Flight of the Ballooncaster: The Hottest Air, created by Devon Hyland and Connor Thompson (Balloon-Based Productions/TO Fringe)
Trojan Girls & The Outhouse of Atreus, dir. Mitchell Cushman (Outside the March/Factory)
Goneril/Lear, dir. Weyni Mengesha and Kim Collier (Soulpepper Theatre)
The Shape of Home: Songs in Search of Al Purdy, dir. Frank Cox-O’Conell (Crow’s Theatre/Festival Players)
Indecent, dir. Joel Greenberg (Studio 180 Theatre/Mirvish)
I Love the Smell of Gasoline, dir. Will Dao (Pencil Kit Productions/RUTAS Festival)
Tartuffe, dir. Paolo Santalucia (Theatre Erindale)
The Man That Got Away (A Special Appearance), dir. Peter Hinton-Davis (Buddies)
The photography of Dahlia Katz
The show-specific cocktails at Crow’s
The Fringe Patio
The Revue Cinema
Pascal Siakam

It’s been a great year. Writing resolutions for 2023: quality over quantity; more embedding/interviews; more writing for places that aren’t here; more contemporary dance; more love.