This week in theatre rounds up the most noteworthy live theatre playing right now in Toronto. It includes just-opened shows as well as productions that are about to close.
Alligator Pie / Soulpepper - Young Centre / 7:00pm / 2:00pm / $23
An original production from some of Soulpepper's most talented young voices (Ins Choi, Raquel Duffy, Ken MacKenzie, Gregory Prest and Mike Ross), Alligator Pie celebrates the genius of children's poet Dennis Lee. Using music and imagination, the troupe brings some of Lee's most vivid poems to life. It's great to see Soulpepper develop its own work, much like their previous double bill of (Re)Birth: E.E. Cummings in Song and Window on Toronto.
Rare Mix / Fleck Dance Theatre / 8:00pm / $19-$40
Toronto Dance Theatre presents Rare Mix at the Harbourfront Centre, a collection of pieces from the company's repertoire featuring some of the country's best choreographers. Numbers included in the programme include Patricia Beatty's Against Sleep (not seen since 1998), Jean-Sébastien Lourdais's Étrange, and Christopher House's Vena Cava. It's a great opportunity to see some of the best from TDT.
The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine / Unit 102 Theatre / 8:00pm / 2:00pm / $10-$20
Robert Morgan, Martha Ross, and Leah Cherniak created a Canadian gem when The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine premiered 25 years ago. On the anniversary of the play, pivotal(arts) teams up with Morgan to mount a production of the highly entertaining clown piece. Inside the confines of their small home, anger and resentment boil over in strange and often unexpected displays of emotion between Ernest and his wife Ernestine.
Romeo and Juliet / Hart House Theatre / 8:00pm / 2:00pm / $10-$25
The timeless tale of Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, fills the classical slot in Hart House's 2012-2013 season. It's a play that celebrates the idealism of youth and love that overtakes clear judgment. This treatment of forbidden coupling and warring families is directed by Jeremy Hutton, and is sure to feature a cast of eager young actors.
Concord Floral / Theatre Passe Muraille / 7:30pm / $10-$20
Jordan Tannahill has been busy this fall with a number of projects throughout the city. His newest, Concord Floral, is part of the Bring the Buzz! series at Theatre Passe Muraille. The play fuses different pieces of art together — the paintings of Kris Knight, Giovanni Boccacio's The Decameron, and a garage band DIY — in a multimedia exploration of life in the 'burbs.
Photo of Rare Mix by Guntar Kravis