Music
Peter Murphy's dark redemption at Lee's Palace
Peter Murphy and his booming goth voice filled Lee's Palace Tuesday night.After seeing him perform at The Opera House just over a year ago, I was somewhat reluctant to witness another show featuring a camera-shy, aging goth belt out his old hits and favourite new covers.
Theatre
Love, Loss and What I Wore
Love, Loss and What I Wore opened last Tuesday night at the Panasonic Theatre in Toronto. It's a five-woman show about clothes, growing up and how clothes shape their experience.The play is more of a dramatic reading then a full stage production. The cast is comprised of Paula Brancati (Jane on Degrassi and Jenny on Being Erica), Andrea Martin (SCTV/Second City veteran), Louise Pitre (who starred in Mamma Mia! and Toxic Avenger), Sharron Matthews (cabaret performer) and Mary Walsh (This Hour Has 22 Minutes).
Sports & Play
The Toronto Indy 2010
The Toronto Indy - now officially called the Honda (not Molson) Indy - initially wasn't my idea of a fun time to spend a Sunday afternoon, and judging by the scores of empty seats all weekend it seemed like others had similar thoughts. But...there's something strangely appealing about watching a couple dozen or so built-for-speed vehicles whizzing around Lakeshore Blvd. West in a frenzy of testosterone. Arts
Stephen Harper! The Musical
Stephen Harper! The Musical, just like most productions with "The Musical" attached to it, is a cynical cash grab that preys on the unwashed masses. They practically say as much in the show.So you'd think that the final product, which opened Tuesday night at The Second City, would become less of a self-parody than it is. But what I ended up having to sit through was an hour of no LOLs.
There are some attempts at clever writing and catchy songs here and there, thanks to the Second City's resident musical prodigy Jay McCarrol. But something went amiss along the way. I felt as if I was at a sub-par Fringe play. I expected much better from Canadian Comedy Award winners The Shehori Brothers.
Music
Cyndi Lauper sings the blues, fails to see the irony at heavily secured Queen's Park show
Why, Cyndi, why?Cyndi Lauper entertained/bored thousands of fans last night at Queen's Park, singing the blues. It was a bit of a snooze-fest for a free Saturday night concert that's supposed to kick off Pride festivities for so many this weekend.
While I love listening to the blues in a small club setting, this performance (largely a collection of blues cover songs) wasn't exactly what many were expecting. And it's possibly the last thing Toronto needs to hear at the very location just one week ago where G20 riot police on horseback charged crowds of innocent protesters and bystanders.
Arts
Cirque du Soleil's Alegria wows at the ACC
Alegria, Cirque du Soleil's touring stadium show, touched down at the Air Canada Centre Wednesday night for the first of nine shows in five days.After all the G20 shenanigans over the weekend, this was just the antidote I needed. After seeing Cirque's Ovo show last summer in the Port Lands, I kind of knew what to expect. But this show, in front of a 6,500-strong crowd, was more of a spectacle that filled the hearts and minds of a bigger audience.
