Best of Fall 2013: five can’t-miss theatre productions that bring sex, romance, dance and the apocalypse to Toronto stages

Best of Fall 2013: five can’t-miss theatre productions that bring sex, romance, dance and the apocalypse to Toronto stages

Best of Fall 2013: On Stage

Best of Fall 2013: 1) Venus in Fur
1 | Venus in Fur
Kinky power plays drive this dark sex comedy about an erotic showdown between an actress and a director. A runaway hit on Broadway, it stars Carly Street alongside MacHomer creator Rick Miller. Sept. 29 to Oct. 27, Bluma Appel Theatre.

Best of Fall 2013: 2 | RadioLab Live
2 | Radiolab Live
The U.S. radio phenomenon finally comes north with an unashamedly geeky live show about the ways the world ends. Hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich unpack the human condition with science and stories. Oct. 5, Sony Centre.

Best of Fall 2013: 3 | Heaven Above Heaven Below
3 | Heaven Above Heaven Below
Twenty-two years after blasting audiences away with her play The Darling Family, Linda Griffiths wraps up loose ends in the sequel about a corrosive and emotional reunion. Nov. 14 to Dec. 7, Theatre Passe Muraille.

Best of Fall 2013: 4 | Innovation
4 | Innovation
The National Ballet of Canada’s artistic director Karen Kain invites her predecessor, James Kudelka—who left the company eight years ago—to choreograph a daring new piece. Nov. 22 to 28, Four Seasons Centre.

Best of Fall 2013: 5 | Once
5 | Once
This musical about a Dublin busker falling in love with a pretty Czech immigrant has gone from quiet Irish indie flick to Tony Award–winning blockbuster. It’s the rom-com for Guinness fans. Nov. 26 to Jan. 5, Royal Alexandra Theatre.

By Andrew D’Cruz, Sue Carter Flinn, Emily Landau, Alison Mah, Jason McBride, Courtney Shea, Stéphanie Verge, Chris Webster and Nathan Whitlock | Photographs: Venus courtesy of Canadian Stage; Radiolab courtesy of marcoantonio.com; Heaven by Michael Cooper, courtesy of Theatre Passe Muraille; Innovation by Bruce Zinger; Once by Joan Marcus, courtesy of Mirvish