Neil Young lived in Toronto for a short time. He came out of the northwest then departed soon after for the south. If Toronto was the cheese in his sandwich, California was his meat, and Manitoba his bread. Still, the city left deep impressions: endless subway rides, the clubs and rabble of Yorkville, old Yonge Street movie theatres, endless nights in crummy apartments dreaming of home, smoking hash in long dark alleyways and music, music, music.
Louise Pitre is red hot these days. The Canadian actress has played some of the most sought-after roles in musical theatre history (the lead in Mamma Mia! is just one in a series of impressive performances) and tonight she performs a solo concert entitled La Vie En Rouge, which will be recorded live for an upcoming CD. We tracked down the bilingual diva for a quick tête-à-tête before the show.
Back in February, we gave you the heads up about Kim Cattrall coming to Hogtown in the fall to star in Noel Coward’s stage play, Private Lives. Now, it’s just been announced that Paul Gross (who some may recognize as the mountie from the now-defunct television series Due South), will be joining the Private Lives cast as Cattrall’s love interest.
The honour of being a regular theatre critic can often be overwhelming and even embarrassing: how on earth did I miss Adam Pettle’s highly-praised tragi-comedy Zadie’s Shoes a decade ago at the important Factory Theatre, and shortly after at the Winter Garden Theatre? And how can I catch it (in its new and improved version) before it closes at this coming Sunday’s matinee?
Oh, Oprah. Daytime television won’t be the same without you. Thank you for your book club, for helping us become better people and for letting us bear witness to a maniacal, couch-jumping Tom Cruise. You’ve been called the most loving woman on the planet by many, inspiring others to return your goodwill many times. To those who are now preparing for many Oprah-less afternoons, here are five Toronto ways to express appreciation for her.
The multi-talented Hugh Jackman is coming to Toronto this July to perform “Hugh Jackman in Concert,” his latest song-and-dance gig. The show, backed by an 18-piece orchestra, begins July 5, following an impressive sold-out premiere in San Francisco.
Saturday was National Day of Action for Electoral Reform, which saw protesters gather at Queen’s Park and across the country to push for an alternative to the current first-past-the-post voting system. Their argument? Something about the Conservatives having won a majority with only 39 per cent of the vote. But really, who cares what 60 per cent of 14,720,580 voters chose? Here are seven reasons why we don’t need electoral reform.
Regular readers of my monthly theatre reviews in Post City Magazines must get exhausted from my frequent praise of Soulpepper as the most consistently exciting theatre company in Canada. But how can I stop raving? When one wants to experience deeply moving (and often very funny) Chekhov plays, or even Shakespeare (such as the delightful, music-filled version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream), the Distillery District is the place to go.
Toronto-based rockers Sloan celebrate 20 years with new album and tour
Our city-scoping columnist heads to Ward’s Island to get the dirt on the (proposed) red-light district
He may have hit the proverbial comedic gold mine with his role as Frank Rossitano on 30 Rock, but stand-up comedian Judah Friedlander still likes to keep it real, often performing at several clubs a week even when he’s shooting the Emmy-award winning sitcom. Toronto will soon get a chance to catch his act when the “world champion” comes to Second City on May 19. World champion of what exactly? Basically everything. Except long-division.
If you’ve ever experienced a 14 year-old neighbour tapping your phone line using nothing but a Commodore 64 (and who hasn’t? Or are we just too old?), you might be a little paranoid about how easy it is for just about anyone to know everything about you. And, for those who are a bit more laissez-faire about information and privacy, U of T’s free talk tonight just might be the place to get yourself up to date with the perils of today’s Internet.
