The roster for this year’s North by Northeast music and film festival is already shaping up nicely, with free Yonge and Dundas Square concerts announced for The Flaming Lips, Bad Religion, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah and Matthew Good. Other confirmed guests include Of Montreal, The Men, 2:54, Bran Van 3000, The Black Belles, Art vs. Science and more, and there’s even a gala presentation of Irvine Welsh’s Ecstasy on June 14 at The Royal (Welsh himself will be in attendance). Those hoping to put off sleep to experience waiting in lines and listen to some good old-fashioned tunes can now buy tickets and wristbands.
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Today in Toronto: The Game of Love and Chance
The Game of Love and Chance Canadian Stage’s artistic director, Matthew Jocelyn, reaches back to the days of Marivaux and commedia dell’arte for the company’s one classi cal production of the season. Stock characters (Arlequin, Lisette) are in the mix, as are characteristic plot points involving marriage and mistaken identity, but expect Jocelyn to give the French favourite a modern twist. Find out more »
Listen to Kathleen Turner’s husky voice on five separate occasions
Kathleen Turner (Image: Viva Vivanista)
In anticipation of Kathleen Turner’s upcoming role in the Mirvish production High (from May 8 to 13), Carlton Cinema has announced it will be hosting a free film fest on April 28 that will be screening Turner classics Peggy Sue Got Married, Romancing the Stone, The War of the Roses and Body Heat. We’re excited to see her endure a Florida heat wave and convince her lover to kill her husband on the big screen (it’s one of her sweatiest roles to date).
Cormarama packed The Garrison with musicians, journalists and friends to help save Derek McCormack’s life
Spirits were high at Cormarama at The Garrison on Tuesday night, with the New York Times arts editor Adam Sternbergh, Toronto Life’s editor-in-chief Sarah Fulford, Globe arts editor Gabe Gonda, musicians Joe Pernice, Matthew Barber, Doug Paisley and Jason Collett and writers Nathalie Atkinson, Jason McBride, Claudia Dey and Stephen Marche helping raise funds for author Derek McCormack. Over 300 people attended the event, and unlike most functions, which take some time to get into full swing, the bar was packed by 7:30 p.m. Despite the circumstances behind the event (McCormack is suffering from a rare form of cancer), friends and strangers sipped spirits merrily as they listened to readings from Sheila Heti, who crafted a great monologue mixing McCormack interview snippets with Lana Del Ray lyrics (McCormack is a fan of the collagen-lipped songstress), and Joey Comeau, who performed a rather macabre (but hilarious) oration that fictionalized the murders of Margaret Atwood and Anne Marie Macdonald. Those unable to attend the event can still buy art or make a donation at Art for Derek. If you missed Cormarama, check out the party »
Today in Toronto: Prisoner of Tehran, ReelWorld Film Festival and more
Prisoner of Tehran Marina Nemat wrote about her journey from being a prisoner in Iran’s infamous Evin Prison to being a mother and writer in Aurora in her harrowing—and bestselling—2007 memoir. Fresh from getting notoriously bashed on this year’s edition of Canada Reads by high-profile Quebec lawyer Anne-France Goldwater, the book is now a play, adapted for the stage and directed by Maja Ardal. Bahareh Yaraghi stars. Previews on April 10. Find out more »
ReelWorld Film Festival With nearly half of the city’s population identifying themselves as a visible minority, ReelWorld is a festival with the kind of mandate perhaps even its organizers hope will soon become redundant. It’s dedicated to featuring the films of Aboriginal, Asian, black, Latino, Middle Eastern and South Asian communities in Canada and from around the world. Find out more »
Sondra Radvanovsky Anyone who saw her as Aida at the COC last year is undoubtedly slavering for more Verdi from this richly hued, lustrous voice. Here’s your chance. The TSO has programmed a full evening of Verdi and Tchaikovsky, with Radvanovsky fully up to the stringent demands of two pieces from La forza del destino. Orchestral works by the two composers complete the program. Find out more »
Today in Toronto: Goya and Gillray
Goya and Gillray: Humour that Bites Francisco de Goya and James Gillray were contemporaries with an eye for the foibles of the ruling class. Enlightenment England welcomed Gillray’s satirical work, but in Spain, Goya had to be very careful to avoid the Inquisition. This show comprises the best of their artistic rabble-rousing and elite-baiting. Find out more »
Today in Toronto: The Self-Portrait Show
The Self-Portrait Show Portraiture never goes out of style. Mira Godard celebrates her 50th anniversary with a show consisting primarily of new work by a dream team of artists who were invited to submit self-portraits. Gallery-goers can spend a little face time with Christopher Pratt, Mary Pratt, Joe Fafard, Alex Colville, Lucian Freud and others. Artwork prices available upon request. Find out more »
Today in Toronto: Michael Schade and Thomas Quasthoff, The Magnetic Fields and more
Michael Schade and Thomas Quasthoff Tenor Schade makes frequent appearances in Toronto, both on the operatic stage and in concert, but celebrated bass-baritone Quasthoff rarely performs in North America. Quasthoff’s recordings win critical raves, and this concert, which balances his robust baritone with Schade’s lyrical sweetness, is the month’s don’t-miss vocal performance. Find out more »
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The Weekender: Earth Hour Sing-A-Long, Prom at the ROM and five other items on our to-do list
The Weekender: Prom at the ROM, Earth Hour and One Of A Kind Show
1. EARTH HOUR SING-A-LONG CONCERT (FREE!)
This Earth Hour, instead of staying home, join the crowd at this environmentally friendly sing-a-long concert. Bring your candles, flashlight, lantern or other light-maker of choice and get down to the “official rally cry,” written by local new media composer/YouTube sensation Andrew Huang, and performed with the help of grown-up glee club Choir! Choir! Choir! Also on the lineup is Aussie artist Jerrem Lynch, who will be projecting art onto a wall at a nearby building. Bonus: you won’t be sitting in the dark solo. March 31. Trinity Square, The Distillery Historic District, 55 Mill St., earthhour.wwf.ca.
2. PROM: CIRCUS Read the rest of this entry »
Generally speaking, museum benefits tend to be a little stuffy. This one? Not so much. The annual fundraising event of the ROM’s Young Patrons’ Circle, Prom at the ROM is more of a super-fashionable bash that attracts a who’s who of the city’s young and fabulous. This year’s big-top motif means illusionists, a midway and as much cotton candy as any one person could reasonably eat—plus, with any luck, totally over-the-top outfits. Proceeds from the evening fund programming, acquisitions and research at the ROM. March 31. $125–$300. Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park, 416-586-5772, rom.on.ca/prom.
Today in Toronto: Badass Dance Fun
Badass Dance Fun With a title like that, don’t expect The Nutcracker. This mini-festival of contemporary dance, curated by Eroca Nicols, founder of avant-garde dance company Lady Janitor Productions, offers noisy explorations into movement that promise to live up to her predilection for flip-your-wig humour and giddy excess. Find out more »
Today in Toronto: Marc-André Hamelin
Marc-André Hamelin The Quebec-born pianist is known both for his formidable technique and for his refusal to let those bravura skills cloud his interpretative insights. The bravura part will come in handy for Liszt’s Sonata in B minor, the delicacy of touch for excerpts from Debussy’s Préludes. An early, approachable work by Berg and up-to-the-minute études by Hamelin himself complete the program. Find out more »
Today in Toronto: A Tribute to Jimmy Smith
A Tribute to Jimmy Smith Joey DeFrancesco, selected by Downbeat magazine as the top jazz organist every year since 2002, mines his collaborations with the celebrated Jimmy Smith, who reclaimed the Hammond B-3 electric organ as a serious jazz instrument. This tribute evening will echo back to Legacy, Smith’s final recording before he died in 2005 and one on which DeFrancesco was a collaborator. Find out more »
Today in Toronto: My Granny the Goldfish
My Granny the Goldfish Originally part of Factory’s Crosscurrents Festival, Anosh Irani’s comedy returns to Toronto as a full-length production. The playwright looked to his grandmother for inspiration—in Goldfish, she’s a vivacious, whiskey-drinking meddler who travels from India to Canada to heal her hospitalized grandson. Previews from March 17. Find out more »
The Weekender: Canadian Music Week, Jane Goodall and six other items on our to-do list
The Weekender: Shrek the Musical, The Power Plant Spring Programming and Jane’s Journey
1. CANADIAN MUSIC WEEK
Music lovers can thank this huge, new music-focused fest for the influx of current rock stars and up-and-comers into the city this week, like Slash, I Mother Earth, Dragonette, The Sheepdogs, The Trews and so on. But CMW isn’t just about trying to go to as many shows as we have time for/can afford. In addition to the music festival, there’s a comedy festival, film fest and four conferences—a Digital Media Summit (with a keynote address by Arianna Huffington), Radio Interactive, International Music Summit and Songwriters’ Summit. March 21–25. Wristbands $35–$75. Various locations, cmw.net.
2. THE POWER PLANT SPRING PROGRAMMING (FREE!) Read the rest of this entry »
The Power Plant, Harbourfront’s contemporary art gallery and one-time actual power plant, is turning 25. Unlike most galleries, The Power Plant doesn’t buy or sell art—instead, it features exhibits curated around a theme and is comprised of borrowed art. The spring program features two exhibitions themed around history and memory: Kerry Tribe features an installation/screening of her newest project, There Will Be ________, accompanied by two of her older works; and German architect and writer Markus Miessen will showcase his installation “Dissenting Histories,” a collection that focuses on The Power Plant’s history (everything from VHS recordings to artist talks to slides to past invitations). The Power Plant, Harbourfront Centre, 231 Queens Quay W., 416-973-4949, thepowerplant.org
Today in Toronto: Blackie and the Rodeo Kings and The Seagull
Blackie and the Rodeo Kings Canada’s folk-rock supergroup—consisting of Tom Wilson, Stephen Fearing and Colin Linden—celebrated their 15th year together in 2011 with Kings and Queens, an album of duets that paired the very male trio with some of their favourite female singers. This rare Toronto date recreates some of that magic, with special guest spots from Mary Margaret O’Hara, Holly Cole, Serena Ryder and others. Find out more »
The Seagull A Chekhov play is far from an obvious inspiration for dance, though its loaded silences leave lots of room for a choreographer. John Neumeier takes full advantage, shaping a meditation on the nature of love danced to a mash-up of composers like Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky, Evelyn Glennie and Scriabin. Find out more »
