It's a bold anti-war musical by Joan Littlewood, Theatre Workshop and Charles Chilton, and directed by Albert Schultz. It's rife with catchy songs that satirize the military's role in what amounted to 10 million lives lost during World War I. The story is chiefly about Britain's role in the war, but there are enough subtle hints of Canada's involvement scattered throughout this show to make it particularly relevant to audiences here.

This production of Oh What a Lovely War opened on Thursday night at Young Centre for the Performing Arts in the Distillery District. It features an outstanding cast of actors and musicians -- almost always both simultaneously -- as in last autumn's awesome e.e. cummings in song from the CanWest Cabaret Festival, which really ought to get a reprise of its own.

Exploring the complex topic of genocide in Rwanda, this show uses the stage to tell the stories of our recent history. Taking place in Kigali, Rwanda in early 1994, the story isn't an easy one, but an important one.

The Overwhelming is a Studio 180 Theatre production of a relatively new play by J. T. Rogers, which just opened Thursday night at the Berkeley Street Theatre.

Your girlfriend will love you for taking her out to a play that features such fabulous period costumes. And a wonderful script too. The play draws on themes of the search for love and happiness, and the risks people take in pursuit of that fulfillment.

You'll be transfixed by the love story of Ester, a 35-year-old African-American seamstress who makes sexy lingerie for the rich -- including socialites and prostitutes, 5th Avenue boudoirs, and bordellos. She's charmed by a long-distance letter-writing romance with a Caribbean islander working on the Panama Canal.

Opened at Toronto's Panasonic Theatre this week, it's a cheeky new production that features an all-star Canadian cast, including Ann-Marie MacDonald, Ben Carlson, Megan Follows (yes, that Megan Follows), Yanna MacIntosh, Evan Buliung, David Jansen and Blair Williams.

For those who shared a meal with their family growing up, the experience can be described as memorable, traumatic or anything in between. Scenes were played out from various families' experiences in Down n' Out Productions' comedy, The Dining Room, in Toronto's Campbell House Museum.

Upon entering 160 Queen St. West (at the northwest corner of Queen at University) we're led up a spiral staircase and into a room. There's about 15 seats on opposite sides, and a large, wooden table in the centre becomes the focal point of the hilarity that ensues....

Artists in Toronto don't always want to take risks and create shows about our own country, or our own cities. It's easier to retell old American or European stories, again and again, that have already been successful somewhere else.

But Mike Ross is presenting an exciting new musical for Soulpepper this December. About Toronto.

The eco-monster musical comedy, based on the 1984 Lloyd Kaufman classic cult film, plays at The Danforth Music Hall with a homegrown cast. I had a chance to attend one of the preview shows this week.

The Toxic Avenger storyline is pretty simple to follow: Geek Boy (Melvin Ferd the Third) gets taunted by high school thugs, who dump him into a vat of radioactive toxic waste, after which he emerges as an uber-strong mutant freak (Toxie), bent on winning the heart of the high school hottie and ridding the town of the eco-unfriendly New Jersey mayor.

Abandoned by husband and shunned by her people, Madama Butterfly is 'stuck by a pin, and mounted on a board.' Unable to overcome her dishonour, she is forced to commit jigai. This compelling story is one of the best I've seen on the COC stage, and we've got a pair of tickets to pass on to one lucky reader.

Two of Daniel Karasik's plays are being produced this autumn. One of them is coming up at the Tarragon Theatre in early October while the other production is in November...in Potsdam, Germany.

Daniel was born and raised in Vaughan, which, according to its official civic tagline, is 'The City Above Toronto'.

Red One Theatre's free, traveling production of the play is wrapping up this weekend with performances at De Grassi Street Park tonight and at the south end of Glen Stewart Park on Friday and Saturday at 7pm.

For Torontonians who slept through Fringe, napped through Summerworks, and dreamed through 'Dream in High Park', this may be our last shot of theatrical redemption before September breaks.

Without further ado, here are my 8 reasons to go and check it out...

I've found that Toronto audiences much too easily give a standing ovation, but at last night's opening show of the Mirvish production at Canon Theatre, it was rightly deserved.

This Theatre Royal Stratford East and UK Arts production of the Perry Henzell hit (based on the 1972 film starring Jimmy Cliff) comes off a successful run in London's West End. If you embrace the culture of reggae music, you'll likely enjoy this show immensely.