Despite the Assembly Theatre’s proscenium setup and the show’s relatively conservative (though definitely present, fair warning) use of audience participation, 13 Plays About ADHD All At the Same Time is an immersive experience. The first work in a long time from one of the city’s most interesting creative minds, 13 Plays is writer/director Alec Toller’s most personal, explicitly self-referential production to date. Inspired by his work as a cognitive behavioural therapist and his own life with ADHD (and the experiences of his collaborators, many of whom share the diagnosis), 13 Plays welcomes the audience to a seminar hosted by Second City’s Sharjil Rasool and Danny Pagett, indie theatre’s beloved everyman making a very welcome return to the stage after years in the real world. With the help(?) of a trio of talented compatriots playing versions of themselves, Rasool and Pagett attempt to finish their seminar about ADHD while having ADHD and the result is a wild, thoughtful, deeply silly exploration of the human mind without ever leaving behind the human heart. Get your tickets HERE.
Ronnie Burkett’s solo puppet show about an elderly man who sets out on an adventure with his beloved dog after learning he’s being evicted from his fast-gentrifying neighbourhood is technically ambitious and at times poignant. Presented by TO Live at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, Wonderful Joe features truly beautiful character design in multiple scales but suffers from dramaturgical issues, the disparate pieces of sweet concepts never quite coming together into a coherent story.
Set in 1800s Romania and staged on the wooded North Property of Black Creek Pioneer Village, Riot King/Spindle Collective’s SAMCA, a site-specific drama about motherhood and sexuality features a few moments of eerie impact but ultimately relies more on twists than substance. The impact of the setting is only used to maximum effect in the final fifteen minutes or so with most of the play taking place on a fairly traditional outdoor stage setup, which undermines the key immersive element that is the production’s greatest appeal. The young cast is still quite green and slightly stiff though co-writer Kathleen Welch stands out with a grounded and complex performance as a protective older sister battling her own inner demons.
From the reliably creative minds at Spontaneous Theatre, the much buzzed-about Goblin:Macbeth finally gets a Toronto run, currently onstage at Tarragon until October 27. A goofy idea punctuated by laser sharp improv work and built on a foundation of solid chemistry, Goblin:Macbeth ultimately succeeds because, while it is a funny show made by funny people, it’s also a seriously excellent production of Macbeth backed up by unimpeachable technique (Wug, the Goblin who plays the title role, is particularly captivating). Coming from their own world of monsters and magic, the goblins approach The Scottish Play with clear eyes focused on the humanity of the text without getting bogged down by its supernatural distractions. Composite Effects’ masks are brilliantly lifelike and the three-person cast navigates the challenge of them well, only rarely having their voices hindered by the heavy silicone. Macbeth is wildly over-produced and often under-thought so it’s thrilling to see a take as thoughtful, impactful, and enjoyable as this one.