Toronto theatre listings
A list of shows currently playing or opening soon in Toronto theatres, with links to reviews and features where available
Currently playing
✅& JULIET by David West Read, Max Martin and others (Mirvish). Vanessa Sears plays the title role in this new Canadian production of the hit musical that imagines what Shakespeare’s Juliet would do if she didn’t die, featuring music from the Max Martin catalogue. See my review here. Runs to July 5 at the Royal Alexandra Theatre (260 King West). mirvish.com ✭✭✭✭✭
A BEAUTIFUL NOISE: THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL with music by Diamond and book by Anthony McCarten (Mirvish). This jukebox musical memoir, created in collaboration with Diamond himself, tells the story of the singer of such hits as “America” and “Sweet Caroline.” See my feature here. See my review here. Runs to June 7 at the Princess of Wales Theatre (300 King West). mirvish.com ✭✭
cicadas by Chris Thornborrow and David Yee (Tarragon Theatre/NAC). Nina Lee Aquino directs the world premiere of this ecological thriller, set in 2035, ten years after the Trinity Bellwoods Collapse. See my related story here. See my review here. Runs to May 24 at the Tarragon Mainspace (30 Bridgman). tarragontheatre.com ✭✭✭
✅THE DIVISION by Andrew Kushnir (Project: Humanity and Pyretic Productions, in Association with Crow’s Theatre). Kushnir (The Middle Place, Towards Youth: A Play on Radical Hope) directs his new play about identity, legacy and memory, blending documentary theatre with personal storytelling. See my review here. Runs to May 24 (extended) at Crow’s Theatre’s Studio Theatre (345 Carlaw). crowstheatre.com ✭✭✭✭
✅DOG MAN: THE MUSICAL by Kevin Del Aguila and Brad Alexander (Mirvish). This acclaimed all-ages musical is based on the beloved book series by Dav Pilkey about a creature that has the head of a dog and the body of a policeman. See my review here. Runs to June 14 at the CAA Theatre (651 Yonge). mirvish.com ✭✭✭✭
KINKY BOOTS by Cyndi Lauper and Harvey Fierstein (Mirvish). The Tony Award-winning musical about a struggling shoe factory owner who teams up with a drag queen to save his business returns in the Broadway tour. Runs to May 31 at the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre (244 Victoria). mirvish.com
TAKE RIMBAUD by Susanna Fournier (The Howland Company, in partnership with Buddies in Bad Times). ted witzel directs Fournier’s performance piece about creation, revolution and violence at the end of the world. See my review here. Runs to May 23 at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre (12 Alexander). buddiesinbadtimes.com ✭✭
WERTHER by Jules Massenet (Canadian Opera Company). Massenet’s opera about love and obsession gets its first COC staging in 30 years in a new production by director Alain Gauthier and starring Russell Thomas in the title role. Runs to May 23 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts (145 Queen West). coc.ca
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Opening this week (May 18 to 24)
BOL, BROWN BOY, BOL by Nawaaz Makhani (CQC Arts in association with Blemme Fatale Productions). Tiffany Wu directs Makhani’s solo show about reclaiming his voice and cultural inheritance through learning the northern Indian instrument tabla, revised and expanded since its hit production at the 2024 Toronto Fringe. Previews May 20, opens May 21 and runs to May 24 at the Aki Studio Theatre (585 Dundas East). bolbrownboybol.ca
CHICKEN by Eva O’Connor and Hildegard Ryan (Sunday’s Child Theatre/Bealtaine Theatre Festival). Ryan directs this hit solo show of the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe, in which a chicken shares his life story from celebrity stardom to confronting realities about chickenkind and humankind. May 21 to 24 at the Corleck Building (3 Eireann Quay). canadairelandfoundation.com
Opening soon
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF by Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick and Joseph Stein (Harold Green Jewish Theatre/National Yiddish Theatre). Joel Grey directs the acclaimed Yiddish-language version (with English surtitles) of the beloved musical, starring Steven Skybell in his award-winning performance of Tevye and featuring many familiar local actors (Tracy Michailidis, Gabi Epstein, Teresa Tova, Joshua Kilimnik and more). Previews from May 25, opens May 28 and runs to June 7 at the Elgin Theatre (189 Yonge). hgjewishtheatre.com
WORLD ON FIRE by George F. Walker (World on Fire Theatre Collective). Renowned playwright Walker directs his new urban play about people on the fringes of society intersecting in the inner city. Opens May 27 and runs to June 7 at the Assembly Theatre (1479 Queen West). Tickets here
BELLOW by Feidlim Cannon, Gary Keegan, and Danny O’Mahony (Brokentalkers/Bealtaine Theatre Festival). This acclaimed play focuses on Irish accordion player O’Mahony as he looks back on his life in traditional music and what it’s meant to him over the years. May 27 to 30 at the Corleck Building (3 Eireann Quay). canadairelandfoundation.com
PRIMARY TRUST by Eboni Booth (Crow’s/Grand Theatre). Cherissa Richards directs Booth’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a bookshop worker whose life and world are upended. Previews from May 26, opens May 29 and runs to June 21 at Crow’s Theatre’s Guloien Theatre (345 Carlaw). crowstheatre.com
NEXT TO NORMAL by Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt (Bowtie Productions). Anthony Goncharov directs a revival of the acclaimed, Pulitzer Prize-winning musical about a family dealing with mental illness. May 30 to June 6 at the Aki Studio (585 Dundas East). bowtieproductions.ca
(Listings continue through July for paid-tier members only)