Glenn Sumi

"You have too many opinions," a high school bully told me. Guilty! I've been writing abt the arts for more than 25 years. Now that my regular outlet is dying a painful death, I'm doing it here.

Theatre

Letters From Max delivers powerful emotions

Necessary Angel's production of Sarah Ruhl's Letters From Max illustrates the persuasive power of live theatre

Theatre

A Roy Orbison musical, a Pulitzer-winning two-hander and a sizzling Almodóvar short

Reviews of In Dreams, Topdog/Underdog, Spaciousness, Six The Musical, Appropriate, Heroes of the Fourth Turning and more

Theatre

Soulpepper's 2024 season includes world premieres, reimagined classics, revivals

Nick Green's Casey and Diana, Haley McGee's Age is a Feeling and revivals of A Streetcar Named Desire and First Métis Man of Odesa are part of company's 2024 season

Comedy

Bonus post: Patti Harrison at Just for Laughs Toronto

Strap yourself in – the hour-long set by the biracial, trans comic goes to some unexpected places

Theatre

Toronto's new theatre season begins with a bang

Reivews of Michael Healey's The Master Plan, daniel jelani ellis's speaking of sneaking and Simon Stephens's Sea Wall

TIFF 2023

TIFF 2023 reviews: two approaches to biopics, one unclassifiable musical

A few final notes about some of the movies I saw at the 48th annual film festival

TIFF 2023

TIFF 2023 reviews: Sing Sing and The Critic

Experienced stage actors Ian McKellen and Colman Domingo deliver two of the most nuanced performances at the festival

TIFF 2023

TIFF 2023 reviews: Days of Happiness and Seven Veils

Two Canadian dramas explore women in the performing arts at career crossroads – but only one succeeds

TIFF 2023

TIFF 2023 review: Swan Song is a thrilling arts doc – with some odd editing choices

Chelsea McMullan's absorbing documentary about the lead-up to the National Ballet of Canada's Swan Lake has some weird omissions

Out-of-town Theatre

Two rarely performed plays take centre stage at the Shaw Festival

Works by James Baldwin and Edith Wharton add novelty – if not great drama – to Niagara-on-the-Lake

TIFF 2023

10 stage-related offerings at TIFF

From Ian McKellan as a bitchy gay drama critic to an Atom Egoyan film about an opera director, there are lots of stage-related films at this year's festival

Paid-members only

Theatre

Taking a chance on theatre and improv

Improv ace Rebecca Northan and Shaw Festival veteran Deborah Hay discuss making things up in The Game of Love and Chance and beyond

Theatre

Review: Let's Dance stumbles at the Winter Garden

New jukebox musical set in the early 1960s reminds you of other, better shows

Theatre

SummerWorks reviews: Lady M and i am your spaniel

Two Shakespeare-adjacent works at the eclectic performance festival will make you think of the Bard in a whole new way

Members only

Theatre

Review: King Gilgamesh & The Man of the Wild is thrilling theatre

This hybrid tale inspired by the 11th century BCE epic is a raucous, glorious celebration of what it means to be alive

Film

Review: Theater Camp is the most fun you'll have this summer

Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman's mockumentary about a beleaguered camp in upstate New York has real affection for its underdog characters

Fringe Festival

Fringe reviews: Choir!, Our Little Secret, Caezus, Patron's Picks and more

On the 35th Toronto Fringe's penultimate day, I weigh in on a few more shows, and list the fest's winners, including Patron's Picks

Theatre

Review: Hadestown is hellishly good

Anaïs Mitchell's musical often seems to be searching for a central metaphor to unify the show, but that doesn't matter in this rousing, foot-stomping spectacle

Fringe Festival

Fringe reviews: Killing Time, A Woman Is..., All of Our Parents Are Asian

A crowd-pleasing musical gets lots of bonus points, triple threat performer Kiki Moritsugu spills the tea about her life and career and an Asian comedy duo deliver improv with a unique POV

Fringe Festival

Fringe reviews: Good Old Days, James and Jamesy and more

Day 4's highlights included Michael Ross Albert's timely new play and a surprisingly moving clown show by two Fringe faves

Fringe Festival

Fringe reviews: Blake & Clay's Gay Agenda, Sadec 1965, Mail Ordered and more

Day 3 of the Toronto Fringe was my best yet, with hilarious sketch, scathing satire, moving storytelling and a one-of-a-kind opportunity to unleash my inner artist

Fringe Festival

Fringe reviews: Do You Think You're Better Than Me?, Hymns and Hearse and more

In which comedy newcomers Zoe Marin and Rebecca Ablack impress me greatly with their smart, witty and clear POV

Fringe Festival

Fringe reviews: The Will of a Woman, The Man with the Golden Heart, and more

In the first of my Fringe reports, I weigh in on three of the most-anticipated shows of the festival, including one that's completely sold out

Fringe Festival

Fringe, following careers and being grateful for Canadian comedy

In which I reflect on Fringes past and present, discuss following artists' careers over decades and express my gratitude for Colin Mochrie's professionalism

Out-of-town Theatre

Seasons of Love

Reviews of Stratford's Rent, Spamalot and Richard II; No Save Points gets extended; and R.U.R. A Torrent of Light impresses North American critics