Theatre: must-see shows | my/maSCENA (2024)

JUNE

In the musical Something’s Rotten!, at Ontario’s Stratford Festival, the Bottom brothers are rehearsing their new play, entitled Richard II, in the difficult times of the London Renaissance. The two struggling playwrights are certain their script will finally rocket them to fame. But unfortunately for them, rockstar playwright William Shakespeare is inking his own version of the ill-fated king’s reign over England. This song-and-dance extravaganza was nominated for 10 Tony Awards during its smash Broadway run. Festival Theatre, May 28-Oct. 27. www.stratfordfestival.ca

Wendy and Peter Pan makes its North American première at the Stratford Festival. Ella Hickson’s family-pleasing adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan: or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up present a Wendy Darling audiences have never seen before. Meet a daring heroine as you hitch a ride to Neverland, where Wendy and her brothers, along with Peter Pan, battle the evil Captain Hook. Stratford’s Avon Theatre, May 28-Oct. 27. www.stratfordfestival.ca

Directly from London England, The Singing Psychic Game Show will make its Canadian debut at the St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival. This Edinburgh and Adelaide Fringe sellout show promises an evening bursting with glittering ’70 tunes, amusing games, and prizes. Ages 16 and up. Théâtre MainLine, June 7-16. www.montrealfringe.ca

Featuring original material alongside new translations of ancient Greek sources, The Death of Homer is a journey that questions the nature of truth and greatness. Petit Campus, June 8-15. www.montrealfringe.ca

After touring 20 years as “The World’s Fattest Contortionist,” Kamal Alaeddine is now dealing with the biggest challenge of his life: diabetes, weight loss—and losing his self-identity. The World’s Fattest Contortionist Has Diabetes is a heartfelt, hilarious and inspiring stand-up comedy experience you can only see at the Fringe. Mission Santa Cruz, June 10- 16. www.montrealfringe.ca

The outrageous and funny musical Hedwig & The Angry Inch tells the story of Hedwig Schmidt, an East German rock ’n’roll diva who is the victim of a botched sex-change operation that leaves her with “an angry inch.” For 16 and older. Balustrade du Monument-National, June 11-16. www.montrealfringe.ca

Edgar in the Red Room is a “macabre cabaret” inspired by one of the great unsolved mysteries of literature, the death and final days of Edgar Allan Poe, and the best short stories of the famous author. Salle Jean-Claude-Germain, June 8-16. www.montrealfringe.ca

Named in the Top 10 Productions of the Decade by NOW Magazine, A Streetcar Named Desire is back by popular demand. This classic by Tennessee Williams, directed by Soulpepper’s Artistic Director Weyni Mengesha, features Amy Rutherford returning to her Dora-nominated role as Blanche as well as Canadian music legend Divine Brown and Ordena Stephens-Thompson. Baillie Theatre, June 12-July 7. www.soulpepper.ca

Presented in partnership withBuddies in Bad Times Theatre, as part of theirQueer Pride Festival, the2-SpiritCabaretis back for its eighth edition. The cabaret is acelebration of the strength, beauty, and talent of queer and 2-Spirit Indigenous people. It featuresmusic, dance, drag, performance art, and comedy. Come early to mingle and enjoy free food. Native Earth Performing Arts, June 13.www.nativeearth.ca

Martin Gray has it all. A beautiful home, a wife and he just won the highest honour in architecture, the Pritzker Prize. But in an interview, he confesses that he’s fallen in love with a goat named Sylvia. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Play, Edward Albee’s The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? challenges with humour our contemporary notions of tolerance. Studio Theatre, June 26-Sept. 29.www.stratfordfestival.ca

July

Between climate change and the challenges facing cultural organizations, Shakespeare-in-the-Park can’t help but wonder “To be or not to be?” Since existential crises are what the company does best, Shakespeare-in-the-Park takes inspiration from travelling troupes of Shakespeare’s day, as well as circus troupes of Montreal’s to imagine what the future of Repercussion might look in Infinite Variety. Various parks in Montreal, July 11-Aug. 4. www.repercussiontheatre.com

In a crowded apartment in Toronto’s Little Jamaica, Richard Whyte is planning the ultimate Jamaican Independence Day party. If only his beloved family would get with the program. Get That Hope is a bittersweet drama of personal and cultural diasporas that edges with laughter and tears. Studio Theatre, July 21-Sept. 28. www.stratfordfestival.ca

August

In 1983, playwrightArthur Millermade history by travelling to China to direct his classic play Death of a Salesman. Working with the Beijing People’s Art Theatre, Miller and his collaborators struggled to bridge the gap between languages, cultures and national identities for their audience. Salesman in Chinaretells this daring cultural experience. Stratford’s Avon Theatre, Aug.3-Oct. 26. www.stratfordfestival.ca

Published in 1974, The Diviners is recognized today as Margaret Laurence’s achievement and one of Canadian literature’s greatest novels. It is also Laurence’s most autobiographical work. In this bold new adaptation for the stage, premièring at the Stratford Festival, novelist Morag Gunn is struggling to finish her novel-in-progress while excavating the histories of the peoples of Manitoba: Indigenous, Métis and European. Tom Patterson Theatre, Aug. 7-Oct. 2. www.stratfordfestival.ca