A roundup of the best theatre productions of all-time.
1. Girl From the North Country (Mirvish Productions, Royal Alexandra Theatre, 2019)
Conor McPherson’s story of a group of down on their luck individuals living in a Minnesota boarding house during the Great Depression could have stood as a stirring Eugene O’Niell-esque play by itself; it is complex, probing, and remarkably timely, exploring themes such as mental illness, race, and poverty. But juxtaposing the scenes with Bob Dylan’s poetic masterpieces – exquisitely arranged by Simon Hale –elevates this work to a whole different level. McPherson’s searing dialogue becomes one with Dylan’s transcendent lyrics – locked in a perpetual conversation. Katie Brayben led the formidable cast, playing the mentally distant mother, Elizabeth Laine. Her performance leaves you spellbound.
2. Guys and Dolls (Stratford Festival, Festival Theatre, 2017)
Donna Feore cemented herself as one of Canada’s best musical theatre directors with this stunning production of Frank Loesser’s classic. After seeing her kinetic, sexy, and daring interpretation of this story on the Festival Theatre’s thrust stage, it is difficult to imagine how this show could be staged any other way. And it is impossible to dislike Loesser’s memorable hits like ‘Luck Be a Lady’ and ‘Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat’ – sung with dynamic vigour by the all-star cast – along with Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows’ timeless story about finding love in the Big Apple.
3. Long Day’s Journey Into Night (Stratford Festival, Studio Theatre, 2018)
Clocking in at nearly three and a half hours, Eugene O’Neill’s family drama is a long journey, as the title suggests. But under Miles Potter’s direction and with Seana McKenna at the helm, it was a journey worth taking. O’Neill’s examination of a dysfunctional family trying to survive over the course of one day was so accurately and fully rendered that you could almost see people you know in those characters. Potter’s atmospheric production on the Studio Theatre’s intimate thrust stage allowed the audience to be flies on the walls of the Tyrone house. The result was gripping. We could hear every breath, every whisper, every minute movement. I left the theatre trembling.
4. Life After (Musical Stage Company, Berkeley Street Downstairs Theatre, 2017)
Like a warm, mellow breeze, Life After sweeps you away in its stunning meditation of love and loss, as seen through the eyes of a young teenage girl who loses her father, hours after a bitter argument. Britta Johnson began writing this piece when she was just 18-year-old, but her ability to explore emotionally resonant themes with heart and maturity is a talent that would envy writers twice her age. Her music and lyrics – probing and abstract, yet incredibly smart and witty – are reminiscent of Stephen Sondheim’s works, but are singular in their own right. Fresh off a critically acclaimed run at the Toronto Fringe Festival, Robert McQueen’s production at the intimate Berkeley Street Downstairs Theatre was simple and stripped down, allowing Johnson’s potent poetry to soar.
5. Once (Mirvish Productions, Ed Mirvish Theatre, 2015)
Simple, understated, elegant – Once doesn’t try to be more than it is: a simple love story about a guy and a girl. Yet, Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová’s story feels as necessary as oxygen. The Irish-infused music, radiating from the instruments of the actor-musicians, enveloped the simple pub set and wrapped every audience member in the sprawling Ed Mirvish Theatre. So too did the characters of guy and girl, luminously portrayed by Ian Lake and Trish Lindström, respectively. At the end, all you want to do is give them a hug.
6. Hamilton (Mirvish Productions, Ed Mirvish Theatre, 2020)
Who would ever think of telling the story of America’s founding fathers with hip-hop and a diverse cast that reflects America today? It took a certain type of revolutionary dreamer, who goes by the name of Lin-Manuel Miranda. His critical and commercial masterpiece, which tells the story of another revolutionary dreamer, fired on all cylinders. There were flashy dance number, choreographed by Andy Blakenbuehler, on David Korins’s triple turntable and Miranda’s music was a relentless collage of American musical genres. But behind the excellent production values, Hamilton has a moving story at its core. A story of a dreamer – like so many of us are.
7. Dear Evan Hansen (Mirvish Productions, Royal Alexandra Theatre, 2019)
Dear Evan Hansen, I didn’t want to like you. Before seeing you, I thought that you were a bland American show about teenagers that wrongly stole the Tony Award for Best Musical from my darling (and Canada’s critical darling), Come From Away. But you swept me into submission. Your story about human connection in the age of social media is tragic, timely, and illuminating. You have done what the best works of art do: hold a mirror to the society we live in. So for that, please accept my sincere apologies; you deserve that Tony. Sincerely, me.
8. Little Shop of Horrors (Stratford Festival, Avon Theatre, 2019)
It is hard to come by musicals nowadays that are like Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s Little Shop of Horrors – a delicious cult classic about the dangers of the American dream, all wrapped up in toe-tapping songs and sly, dark humour. Today, most musicals are either all cotton candy with no substance, or hard as a rock with no light fluff. So it’s refreshing to see a show that explores some dark themes, but in a way that still manages to poke fun at itself. In Donna Feore’s gorgeous production, the fun a ramped up to the max, thanks to killer production values and a show-stealing turn by Dan Chameroy as the evil Orin the Dentist.
9. Come From Away (Mirvish Productions, Royal Alexandra Theatre, 2018)
Nothing could quite prepare me for seeing Come From Away a second time. I had already seen it on Broadway shortly after opening – with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the audience, no less – but seeing this Canadian story on Canadian soil, with a Canadian audience and an all-Canadian cast was just something else. And dare I say, the Canadian company was better than their Broadway counterparts. Irene Sankoff and David Hein’s musical about the residents of Gander, Newfoundland receiving thousands of stranded passengers following 9/11 was deeply poignant and humorous, often at the same time. Seeing the musical a second time allowed me to truly appreciate the intricacies of Sankoff and Hein’s story, along with Christopher Ashley’s deft direction.
10. War Horse (Mirvish Productions, Princess of Wales Theatre, 2012)
War Horse was the first professional theatre production I ever saw, and it remains one of the best. Michael Morpurgo’s story of a horse’s journey during the first world war received a winning stage adaptation thanks to playwright Nick Stafford and director Marianne Elliott. The use of real-life stage puppets – beautifully realized by the Handspring Puppet Company – is daring and ingenious; who ever thought that the lead character of a play could be a horse puppet? And yet, Elliott’s vision paid off in spectacular fashion, with a thrilling and deeply moving production.
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