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.
Bloodless / Mirvish - Panasonic Theatre / 8:00pm / 2:00pm / $49-$69
It's not often that a musical is based on a series of murders, but that's exactly the premise of the new Canadian work Bloodless. With echoes of Sweeney Todd, the musical follows the trial of Burke and Hare, two Irish serial killers who sell their victims to schools of anatomy in Edinburgh. Instead of using shovels to rob graves, these two criminals do the dirty work themselves.
Miss Caledonia / Tarragon Theatre Extra Space / 8:00pm / 2:30pm / $21-$53
Actor and writer Melody A. Johnson, who previously starred in In the Next Room and Little Mercy's First Murder, brings her original work Miss Caledonia to Tarragon Theatre. Peggy Ann Douglas has aspirations of stardom that she knows will never be realized within the confines of her farm on Rural Route 2. A pageant provides her with an opportunity to showcase her talents and take her beyond routine chores. The play is directed by Rick Roberts and Aaron Willis.
My Name Is Rachel Corrie / Hart House Theatre / 8:00pm / $10-$25
Rachel Corrie's shocking death at the hands of an Israeli Army bulldozer during her attempts to protest the demolition of a Palestinian home in Gaza made headlines around the world. So too did the verbatim play My Name Is Rachel Corrie, pieced together from Corrie's writings by Alan Rickman and Katharine Viner. Rather than provide answers, the play presents a number of important questions that take up Corrie's protest.
Antigone Dead People / Tranzac / 2:00pm / 8:00pm / $15
Evan Webber and Small Wooden Shoe present a different take on a classic story in Antigone Dead People. Billed as "an Antigone for our time," the play asks difficult questions about terrorism, migration, and difference. Small Wooden Shoe does not approach theatre lightly — they use the stage to work through social, historical, and political subjects. Expect this Antigone to challenge you.
Honesty / Honest Ed's / Various times / Free
If you've ever shopped at Honest Ed's, you may have encountered a number of characters searching the aisles for the best in discount housewares. In Honesty, a performance intervention by Jordan Tannahil, ten employees of the department store are brought to life by performer Virgilia Griffith. Audience members are encouraged to interact with Griffith, who will go about the various tasks during the first act and then present a monologue from each character.
Lead photo from Bloodless