MUSIC
MUSIC THEATRENovember’s feast,December’s folliesOLD FRIENDS ANDNEW FAVOURITESJENNIFER PARRDaniel Williston, Julia Pulo, and Damien Atkins in Robin HoodLORNE BRIDGEMNANAs I write this column we are about to bid farewell totwo extraordinary musicals that started their runsin September and were extended until November 2– the Crow’s Theatre/Musical Stage Company/Soulpepperproduction of Dave Malloy’s Octet at Crow’s, and GarnerTheatre Productions’ Bright Star presented by MirvishProductions at the CAA Theatre. Wildly different shows,they have one thing in common: they are showcases forsome of the top musical theatre talent in the country.Octet (I interviewed music director Ryan deSouza in the Sept/OctWholeNote), is sung completely a cappella and demands an extremelyhigh skill level from the eight performers. Bright Star, on the otherhand, an award-winning 2016 bluegrass musical created by SteveMartin (yes, that Steve Martin) and Edie Brickell has been reimaginedby Garner Theatre Productions as a vehicle for actor/musicianstorytelling. The 14-member company play at least one, and up to fivedifferent instruments each, as well as acting, singing and dancing.As these two shows finish their runs, the richness only increaseswith early seasonal offerings joining old favourites and new worksfrom early November through the end of December.& Juliet: For older kids and those who enjoy a clever jukeboxmusical, & Juliet began its North American life here in Toronto, rightafter COVID when we were all longing for a life affirming experience.Following that sold-out run in Toronto and great success onBroadway, it is coming back to the Princess of Wales Theatre in anew all-Canadian production featuring some well known Canadianperformers. Vanessa Sears (Juliet) who has been juggling leads inVanessa Sears (Juliet) and George Krissa (Shakespeare) in & JulietShakespeare at the Stratford Festival with leads in musicals acrossthe country – most recently Sonya in Natasha, Pierre & the GreatComet of 1812 for Crow’s and Mirvish this summer. George Krissa(Shakespeare) is also fresh off an appearance in Great Comet as thesuave scoundrel Anatole, and is currently wooing audiences in BrightStar as young southerner Jimmy Ray Dobbs.The hook to & Juliet is the question what would happen if Julietdidn’t die? The fun for Shakespeare fans in the audience includesShakespeare onstage, with his wife Anne Hathaway asking that veryquestion, and demanding this change to the story. The songs – all fromthe catalogue of prolific songwriter/producer Max Martin and foldedinto the story by Canadian David West Read – keep things light andlively as the story twists and turns. (Dec 3 - March 22, 2026).www.mirvish.com/shows/and-julietNarnia: For children (now adults) who grew up on the magical talesof C.S. Lewis, Bad Hats Theatre (with Crow’s and Soulpepper) presentsthe Toronto premiere of their actor/musician version of Narnia thatdebuted in Winnipeg two years ago. The third in a trilogy of magicalmusicals, Narnia follows Bad Hats’ Dora Award-winning previouscreations, Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland, in promising a new butrecognizable embodiment of a beloved story: in this case of four childrenwho travel through a wardrobe into a magical land trapped in theworld of winter, with music as the vehicle of magic, for the charactersand for the story as a whole. Nov 18 - Dec 28. www.soulpepper.ca/performances/narniaShort November runsMusical Stage Company’s Uncovered series at Koerner Hall focuseson popular songs reinvented from a theatrical and storytellingperspective. The 2025 edition explores Madonna and Cher, with KevinWong as music director, arranger and conductor, Kaylee Harwooddirecting, and with Divine Brown, Sara Farb, Jackie Richardson,Steven Page, Suzy Wilde among the talented interpreters onstage.Also using a biographical lens, Jonathan Larsen’s early musical tick…tick…BOOM! will be presented November 7-15 by young companyBowtie Productions at the Alumnae Theatre featuring a number ofrecent Dora Award winning performers.And if you prefer music of the Hollywood golden age, acclaimedvocalist Adi Braun brings to life songs of her three favourite blondes –Doris Day, Rosemary Clooney and Peggy Lee — at the Old Mill’s jazzlounge on November 14.December’s seasonal offeringsCanadian Stage, now in its second year of presenting what used tobe known as the “Ross Petty Panto” in association with the Elgin andWinter Garden Theatres, will this year be providing fun twists on thewell-known legend of Robin Hood, including current tunes, lots of14 | November & December 2025 thewholenote.com
pointed comedy, and a generous helping of silliness. With a script byMatt Murray and directed this year by Mary Francis Moore (ArtisticDirector of Theatre Aquarius), and a cast including winsome JuliaPulo as Robin and wickedly funny Damien Atkins as Prince John,this Robin Hood promises fun for families and fans of all ages. Nov 28- Jan 4.Traditional and not so traditional pantos can be found around theprovince as well, with Drayton Entertainment serving up Cinderella:The Panto at King’s Wharf Theatre and St Jacob’s Country Playhouse,and the award-winning Tweed & Company, in Tweed & Bancroft,presenting a new take on Peter Pan with Hook! featuring that wellknown pirate captain and the crocodile who longs to eat him.Two other big family musicals appear at various locations aroundthe province. Shrek: The Musical, inspired by the monster film hitfrom DreamWorks, takes the stage at both Toronto’s Young People’sTheatre and Drayton’s Hamilton Family Theatre in Cambridge; andDisney’s Frozen takes the stage at both London’s Grand Theatre andHamilton’s Theatre Aquarius.Five more to noteNov 16 at 1:30 and 4pm the Toronto Symphony Orchestra takes onThe Composer Is Dead – a hilarious whodunnit for the whole familywith music by Nathaniel Stookey and text by Lemony Snicket. Whodid the composer in? the shifty string section, or maybe the treacheroustrombones? There’s only one way to find out. Roy ThomsonHall, 60 Simcoe St. www.tso.caNov 30 at 7pm: Stratford-based INNERchamber presents a newtheatrical concert, From the Salons of Paris. Derek Kwan, singer &actor; Anna Ronai, piano; and the INNERchamber String Quartet dothe musical honours. Factory 163, 163 King St., Stratford.www.innerchamber.caNov 23 7:30: Music Toronto presents Tom Allen & Friends in J.S.Bach’s Long Walk in the Snow, which has been doing some travellingitself. It weaves music from Buxtehude to Tom Waits together withspoken word, to animate a fascinating chapter in the young Bach’s life.St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front St. E.www.music-toronto.com/concerts/muse1-bach .Nov 21 7:30: North WindConcerts and the Toronto SilentFilm Festival combine forces atHeliconian Hall for In the Keyof Cocteau. Alison Melville andBen Grossman, well-knownfrom their Toronto Consort Days,are joined by Colin Savage andDebashis Sinha, in providing animprovised live score for JeanCocteau’s 1932 surrealist film TheBlood of a Poet. www.torontosilentfilmfestival.com/specialscreenings.htmlA moment inCocteau's Bloodof a PoetSamanthaSutherland inʔa·kinq̓ukuAnd finally, Nov 21 - 30 is the38th iteration of Native Earth’sannual new works festival,Weesageechak Begins to Dance.Three shows caught my theatricaleye. How Bono saved my life (ThreeTimes) by Sonya Ballantyne(Nov. 26, 27) with Bono (of U2 fame) a character in the story. Second,mi history due no es única by Jessica Esmeralda, a folk/horror tale,features innovative saxophone loops as a storytelling tool (Nov 26, 28).And ʔa·kinq̓ uku by Samantha Sutherland, a dance solo created in thePakitinam Choreographers Circle with Raven Spirit Dance, exploresthe life cycle of a destructive wild fire (Nov 28, 30).Weesageechak Begins to Dance 38Jennifer Parr is a Toronto-based director, dramaturge, fightdirector and acting coach, brought up from a young age on a richmix of musicals, Shakespeare and new Canadian plays.CHRIS RANDLEANDRÉ GRÉTRYRichardCœur-de-LionCOLIN AINSWORTH IS RICHARD INOVEMBER 15, 20253 PMSUZY SMITHMusic Director & PianistBox Office Services provided byRCM Tickets416-408-0208 orrcmusic.com/performance/concerts-presented-by-othersTrinity-St. Paul’s United Church427 Bloor St W(Bloor x Spadina)thewholenote.com November & December 2025 | 15
