Stuffed Theo Rhys Love,
Stuffed Theo Rhys Love, death, and taxidermy collide in this gloriously twisted musical, one of the year’s funniest, most original, and unexpectedly heartfelt romances. Love and desire can make us do the strangest things. Stuffed gleefully asks just how far we’re willing to go. Co-writer and composer Joss Holden-Rea’s wonderfully idiosyncratic songs weave seamlessly into the narrative, creating a musical language as bold and adventurous as the film itself. Bursting with gothic invention, Stuffed seems destined for cult status. Viva Carmen / Carmen, l’oiseau rebelle Sébastien Laudenbach A vibrant reframing of Bizet’s famous opera through the lens of a pack of Sevillian street children who are determined to subvert Carmen’s tragic fate. With an intimate approach to music and bold brushstrokes that dance, this animated feature sings brightly. With a notable absence of the opera’s full musical numbers, the score - composed by Amine Bouhafa and the director’s sister Isabelle Laudenbach — interpolates Bizet’s patterns to craft a minimalist composition. And finally, a cautionary note: the genre filter works remarkably well but it’s by no means perfect. Here are two others that certainly fit the “music and musicals” bill. Below Jesse McKeown WORLD PREMIERE A six-episode thriller series created by Canadian screenwriter Jesse McKeown that is the opening program for TIFF’s Primetime programming category. Something monstrous lurks off the coast in this suspenseful, Newfoundland-set limited series. Below strikes a rich balance between the warmth of a close-knit family, steeped in tradition and the genuine love of a place, with the chilly depths of marine monstrousness. As the times change around them, the locals know one thing always remains true: the sea holds many mysteries, and is very, very deep. Below features an original score by Canadian composer Mark Korven, who is known for raw, eerie, and organic horror soundscapes based on the sounds of acoustic instruments. Everything Else is Noise / Lo demás es ruido Nicolás Pereda A chamber piece (pun intended?), grounded in a trio of women classical composers and musicians. For her interview with a local Mexico City television channel, Rosa (Rosa Estela Juárez Vargas) has asked to use the cozy, plant-filled apartment of her friend Teresa (Teresita Sánchez) as backdrop. Everything Else is Noise incisively skewers gender biases in the creative fields while exploring the blurred line between reality and performance, as well as the refusal to conform to expectations - be it as a mother, a daughter, or an artist. MJ Buell is a long-time member of the WholeNote core team, and an occasional writer. MUSIC THEATRE NURTURING THE NEW JENNIFER PARR Graysen LaPointe as Nino, and Colette Richardson as Amélie, in Amélie. The new theatre season is about to get started in September and October with some wonderful premieres, and new stages of evolving Canadian productions. First up is the Toronto premiere of Amélie presented by Shifting Ground Collective (SGC) at the Aki Studio Theatre (Native Earth Performing Arts) at Daniels Spectrum, with Catie Thorne directing. Founded in 2022 by young emerging artists to give other emerging artists a platform, SGC keeps going from strength to strength with excellent productions and multiple Dora Awards including Catie Thorne winning the Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award two years in a row for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and The Drowsy Chaperone. Amélie the musical has had as interesting a journey as that of its main character. It was lovingly adapted by Daniel Messé (music), Messé & Nathan Tysan (lyrics), and Craig Lucas (book) from the iconic Oscar-nominated film that captivated audiences at TIFF 25 years ago. It is the story of an imaginative young woman who discovers a mysterious box under the floorboards of her apartment, setting off a chain of events that will quietly transform the lives of everyone around her while she discovers the courage to change her own. This would seem a very good fit for the youthful talent of SGC and is on my “not to be missed” list. Performances start on September 21. https://shiftinggroundcollective.com/26-27/ Paolo Santaluccia Like Pygmalion after My Fair Lady? September will also see the first production to be directed at Soulpepper by its young new Artistic Director Paolo Santaluccia: Spring Awakening. A favourite work of Santaluccia, this is a new adaptation of the then-scandalous 1891 play by German dramatist Frank ALEX YOANNOU 18 | September 2026 thewholenote.com
Spring Awakening in rehearsal: (l-r) Jake Cohen, EJ Candelaria, Mackenzie Wojcik, Jake Bunyan, Eric Miracle. DAHLIA KATZ Wedekind about the awakening of sexuality in three adolescents, each fighting to find their way. The play is better known now as the inspiration for the hit 2006 Broadway rock musical of the same name, so the chance to see it with the music reverse-engineered out of it will be intriguing. The little show that could Like me, you might have not been able to get a ticket to Dancer (A Musical in Ten Furlongs), the smash hit of the 2023 Toronto Fringe Festival that appeared out of the blue, sold out in a matter of days and was the hot topic of conversation among theatre goers for months. Created by well known Canadian talents Marek Norman (music) and Jim Betts (book & lyrics) Dancer tells the story of legendary Canadian racehorse Northern Dancer the “horse nobody wanted” — the too-small, too-ungainly, toowillful thoroughbred who overcame doubt, injury and history to become the first Clockwise from top left: Jim Betts (book and lyrics); Marek Norman (music); Stacey Tooke (director and choreographer); Tom Diamond (mentor/director) DAVID-COOPER Kathleen Allan, Artistic Director PHANTOM: LIVE Sunday, October 25 The Eglinton Grand 2627 AN INDIGO CHRISTMAS Saturday, December 19 Grace Church on-the-Hill Keanu Uchida, left, in rehearsal for Dancer (A Musical In Ten Furlongs). In this video Uchida talks about playing Northern Dancer. SEEING DOUBLE Saturday, May 8 Metropolitan United Church Subscribe today at amadeuschoir.com CELTIC KITCHEN PARTY Saturday, April 3 Don’t miss our rollicking annual fundraiser! thewholenote.com September 2026 | 19
