A replica exhibit of Ferris Bueller’s bedroom, a Beatles tribute and nine other things to do this week
Come Up to My Room, Ferris Bueller edition
The Gladstone’s annual alt-design takeover expands the hotel’s artsy ethos by outfitting every room with immersive, site-specific installations from local artists, like “Granny Square Wreck Room” (shown above), a knitted oasis from the event’s second year. The hands-down highlight of 2016’s lineup: “Life Moves Fast,” a replica of Ferris Bueller’s bedroom, complete with coughing keyboard, bedridden mannequin and snoring recorder. Thursday, January 21 to Sunday, January 24. $10. Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W., comeuptomyroom.com.
An ultra-Canadian Lonely Hearts Club Band
Concert pianist Andrew Burashko leads this tribute with a little help from his friends: the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and an ensemble of CanRock singers, including ex–Barenaked Lady Steven Page, Skydiggers’ Andy Maize, Toad the Wet Sprocket’s Glen Phillips and Odds’ Craig Northey. Thursday, January 21. $45–$85. Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, 1 Front St. E., sonycentre.ca.
Twelve Angry Men, Soulpepper’s courtroom drama
Soulpepper’s 2014 staging of Reginald Rose’s classic jury-room drama brilliantly accentuated the slow build of a lone juror’s attempts to convince his peers to deliver a not-guilty verdict. After a year and a half of further finessing, director Alan Dilworth and most of the original cast return for a remount. Friday, January 19 to February 13. $32–$89. Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 50 Tank House Ln., soulpepper.ca.
A design summit featuring Matty Matheson
Whether you’re a design devotee or consider IKEA the height of avant-garde, the Toronto Design Offsite Festival is for you. The week-long, citywide event includes 80 exhibitions and installations across more than 60 venues, including Come Up to My Room (see above) and a portion of Endless City, a 20-day gallery takeover at 1161 Dundas St. W. The latter features copper art and lighting by Castor Design, live music by progressive noise rockers Fresh Snow and a metallic (but edible) in-gallery dinner from Parts and Labour chef and Instagram king Matty Matheson. Monday, January 18 to Sunday, January 24. Prices vary. Various locations, todesignoffsite.com.
Germinal, a meta theatre experiment
Theatre artists often think of the stage as a blank canvas on which to build their worlds. French artists Halory Goerger and Antoine Defoort interpret that metaphor literally in this show. The actors enter a bare stage intent on building the entire universe, and as they add objects, words and other elements to their world (and set), they begin to question science, technology, language and just about every other facet of contemporary society. Wednesday, January 20 to Saturday, January 23. $54. Fleck Dance Theatre, 207 Queens Quay W., harbourfrontcentre.com.
A mid-winter feast for charity
Shake off the seasonal blues with a great meal for a good cause. This, the first of five Chefs for Change dinners, is a four-course dinner prepared by eight Canadian chefs, including Victor Barry (Splendido), Justin Cournoyer (Actinolite) and the city’s most popular cheesemonger, Afrim Pristine (Cheese Boutique). Proceeds will support Community Food Centres Canada, which helps low-income communities access healthy food. Thursday, January 21. $125. Propellor Coffee Roastery, 50 Wade Ave., chefsforchange.ca.
A show by people who now know they can dance
The most recent season of So You Think You Can Dance toyed with the conventional competition format, dividing finalists into two separate camps: the traditionally trained stage dancers and the self-taught street team. Here, as part of their 70-city tour, the top 10 serve up a buffet of genre-hopping performances, including winner Gaby Diaz’s tap dancing and runner-up Jaja Vankova’s wind-up-toy techniques—she brings the robot to the next level. Friday, January 22. $55–$80. Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, 1 Front St. E., sonycentre.ca.
A time-warp set from a diehard Genesis tribute band
The Musical Box, a Montreal-based Genesis tribute band, perform the English rockers’ mid-’70s repertoire with few exceptions and recreate the group’s immersive stage and light shows. Here, the diehard imitators—who have received the blessing (and occasional assistance) of actual band members—perform a tribute to the Black Show, an iconic 1974 concert from the Selling England by the Pound tour that was captured in an amateur Super 8 recording. Saturday, January 23. $45–$70. Living Arts Centre, 4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga, livingartscentre.ca.
A party courtesy of electro upstarts The Knocks
The budding New York City DJs take their name from the annoyed neighbours who used to bang on their walls to protest the duo’s noisy jam sessions. But their funk- and disco-inflected electro is best when it’s banging in a crowded club. Despite the fact that they’ve yet to release a full-length album—their discography so far is a mix of EPs, singles and pop remixes—their shows are always sold out and feel more like parties than concerts. Friday, January 22. $19. Mod Club, 722 College St., ticketmaster.ca.
An avant-garde look at the refugee experience
The Refuge of Freidel tells the story of Liliana, a theatre artist working in Toronto’s after-hours service industry after being forced to leave her native Colombia. The one-woman show challenges accepted immigrant and refugee narratives by combining the personal experiences of actor Liliana Suárez Henao with the texts of controversial Colombian playwright and director Jose Manuel Freidel, who was assassinated at 39. Wednesday, January 20 to Saturday, January 23. The Theatre Centre, 1115 Queen St. W., thisisprogress.ca.
Canada’s first circus sideshow
In recent recent years, circus sideshows have transformed into affirming celebrations of oddball talents and physical feats. This, the first Canadian edition, includes tiny contortionist Dolly Pocket, Faeya Tal and her silky aerial acrobatics, burlesque dancers, sword swallowers and vaudeville performers. Saturday, January 23. $22–$50. Mod Club, 722 College St., eventbrite.ca.
, a knitted oasis from the event’s second year. The hands-down highlight of 2016’s lineup: “Life Moves Fast,” a replica of Ferris Bueller’s bedroom, complete with coughing keyboard, bedridden mannequin and snoring recorder. Thursday, January 21 to Sunday, January 24. $10. Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W., comeuptomyroom.com.
An ultra-Canadian Lonely Hearts Club Band
Concert pianist Andrew Burashko leads this tribute with a little help from his friends: the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and an ensemble of CanRock singers, including ex–Barenaked Lady Steven Page, Skydiggers’ Andy Maize, Toad the Wet Sprocket’s Glen Phillips and Odds’ Craig Northey. Thursday, January 21. $45–$85. Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, 1 Front St. E., sonycentre.ca.
[caption id="attachment_367111" align="alignnone" width="2000"] (Image: Cylla Von Tiedemann)[/caption]
Twelve Angry Men, Soulpepper’s courtroom drama
Soulpepper’s 2014 staging of Reginald Rose’s classic jury-room drama brilliantly accentuated the slow build of a lone juror’s attempts to convince his peers to deliver a not-guilty verdict. After a year and a half of further finessing, director Alan Dilworth and most of the original cast return for a remount. Friday, January 19 to February 13. $32–$89. Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 50 Tank House Ln., soulpepper.ca.
A design summit featuring Matty Matheson
Whether you’re a design devotee or consider IKEA the height of avant-garde, the Toronto Design Offsite Festival is for you. The week-long, citywide event includes 80 exhibitions and installations across more than 60 venues, including Come Up to My Room (see above) and a portion of Endless City, a 20-day gallery takeover at 1161 Dundas St. W. The latter features copper art and lighting by Castor Design, live music by progressive noise rockers Fresh Snow and a metallic (but edible) in-gallery dinner from Parts and Labour chef and Instagram king Matty Matheson. Monday, January 18 to Sunday, January 24. Prices vary. Various locations, todesignoffsite.com.
[caption id="attachment_367109" align="alignnone" width="2000"] (Image: Alain Rico)[/caption]
Germinal, a meta theatre experiment
Theatre artists often think of the stage as a blank canvas on which to build their worlds. French artists Halory Goerger and Antoine Defoort interpret that metaphor literally in this show. The actors enter a bare stage intent on building the entire universe, and as they add objects, words and other elements to their world (and set), they begin to question science, technology, language and just about every other facet of contemporary society. Wednesday, January 20 to Saturday, January 23. $54. Fleck Dance Theatre, 207 Queens Quay W., harbourfrontcentre.com.
A mid-winter feast for charity
Shake off the seasonal blues with a great meal for a good cause. This, the first of five Chefs for Change dinners, is a four-course dinner prepared by eight Canadian chefs, including Victor Barry (Splendido), Justin Cournoyer (Actinolite) and the city’s most popular cheesemonger, Afrim Pristine (Cheese Boutique). Proceeds will support Community Food Centres Canada, which helps low-income communities access healthy food. Thursday, January 21. $125. Propellor Coffee Roastery, 50 Wade Ave., chefsforchange.ca.
A show by people who now know they can dance
The most recent season of So You Think You Can Dance toyed with the conventional competition format, dividing finalists into two separate camps: the traditionally trained stage dancers and the self-taught street team. Here, as part of their 70-city tour, the top 10 serve up a buffet of genre-hopping performances, including winner Gaby Diaz’s tap dancing and runner-up Jaja Vankova’s wind-up-toy techniques—she brings the robot to the next level. Friday, January 22. $55–$80. Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, 1 Front St. E., sonycentre.ca.
A time-warp set from a diehard Genesis tribute band
The Musical Box, a Montreal-based Genesis tribute band, perform the English rockers’ mid-’70s repertoire with few exceptions and recreate the group’s immersive stage and light shows. Here, the diehard imitators—who have received the blessing (and occasional assistance) of actual band members—perform a tribute to the Black Show, an iconic 1974 concert from the Selling England by the Pound tour that was captured in an amateur Super 8 recording. Saturday, January 23. $45–$70. Living Arts Centre, 4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga, livingartscentre.ca.
[caption id="attachment_367110" align="alignnone" width="2000"] (Image: Rachel Couch)[/caption]
A party courtesy of electro upstarts The Knocks
The budding New York City DJs take their name from the annoyed neighbours who used to bang on their walls to protest the duo’s noisy jam sessions. But their funk- and disco-inflected electro is best when it’s banging in a crowded club. Despite the fact that they’ve yet to release a full-length album—their discography so far is a mix of EPs, singles and pop remixes—their shows are always sold out and feel more like parties than concerts. Friday, January 22. $19. Mod Club, 722 College St., ticketmaster.ca.
An avant-garde look at the refugee experience
The Refuge of Freidel tells the story of Liliana, a theatre artist working in Toronto's after-hours service industry after being forced to leave her native Colombia. The one-woman show challenges accepted immigrant and refugee narratives by combining the personal experiences of actor Liliana Suárez Henao with the texts of controversial Colombian playwright and director Jose Manuel Freidel, who was assassinated at 39. Wednesday, January 20 to Saturday, January 23. The Theatre Centre, 1115 Queen St. W., thisisprogress.ca.
Canada’s first circus sideshow
In recent recent years, circus sideshows have transformed into affirming celebrations of oddball talents and physical feats. This, the first Canadian edition, includes tiny contortionist Dolly Pocket, Faeya Tal and her silky aerial acrobatics, burlesque dancers, sword swallowers and vaudeville performers. Saturday, January 23. $22–$50. Mod Club, 722 College St., eventbrite.ca.){kind=link}