March break is almost upon us, which means that, whether you have kids or not, the next week of your life will be dictated by the needs and wants of this city’s tinier citizens. Allow us, therefore, to offer a few suggestions for where to take the kids, and where to take refuge from the kids.
Meat Loaf back with new album
How planning a March break road trip could be vacation suicide
Starting this Friday, HBO Canada teams up with TIFF Bell Lightbox to bring a free 10-day exhibit based on the hugely popular show, Game of Thrones. Wannabe residents of the fictional kingdom of Westeros can peruse costumes, props, weaponry and photography from the Emmy-award winning series. Haven’t watched the show yet but want to storm the gates anyway? We break down the significance of the most important props on display. Try to keep up.
International Women’s Day is on March 8, and there are a number of events around the city to celebrate girl power. Here’s a roundup of our favourites, including an upscale meal, a naughty play and a reason to go without makeup.
Punk rock can be problematic: it’s often difficult for a band to remain true to the spirit and history of the genre while still sounding relevant. Luckily, Toronto’s The Class Assassins somehow avoid sounding like a caricature. Sure, all the elements are there: the rocking riffs, the driving rhythms and the protest songs. But those riffs lock themselves in your head.
Is there such a thing as being too happy? That’s the question raised in Rose Cullis’ new play that explores what’s lurking behind a seemingly perfect family’s veneer.
Berkeley Street Theatre, 26 Berkeley Street, Downstairs, Theatre 416-368-3110. March 7-24.
Long Day’s Journey Into Night centres on the Tyrone family, and is a thinly disguised study of American playwright Eugene O’Neill’s own parents and sibling in the early decades of the 20th century. The Tyrones are a family of Irish heritage that is filled with hurt, rage, anger and deep love. Sadly, they’re also filled with endless liquor and, in the case of the mother Mary, with morphine.
A flamingo dressed as Yasser Arafat, a tiny naked lady sitting on a shelf and an anteater that’s sucked up some ballet shoes are among the works you’ll encounter if you venture to The Artist Project this weekend. But at the preview party last night, some of the biggest crowds could be found milling around the booths of artists who’d brought their creative process to bear on Toronto’s cityscape.
Part of Soulpepper’s mandate is to produce works from the classical canon of theatre, so, as a regular patron, I’m used to seeing its company members dressed in restrictive Victorian garb and elegantly performing in fake British accents. Imagine my surprise then, when attending performance of its latest offering, High Life, the pre-curtain anti-mobile device announcement tells us to “shut off your f*cking cell phones.”
Justin Bieber turned 18 today, sparking a full on national debate. And it wasn’t just the teenage girls who were working themselves into a frenzy. Even CBC news anchor Peter Mansbridge got in on the act, mulling whether the Biebs and his 40 million Facebook fans could now become a force in Canadian politics. But in the Twittersphere, the talk wasn’t quite so lofty.
Hailing from Montrea (via the U.S.), The Barr Brothers released their long-awaited debut album late last year and have been touring and gaining notoriety as of late, including an appearance on Late Show With David Letterman in January. Best known for their energetic and improvisational live shows, the band — Brad and Andrew Barr along with Sarah Page and Andres Vial — checks into Queen West’s The Great Hall tonight in support of their self-titled debut album out now on Secret City Records.
