A Bahamas show, a supper for Syria and six other things to do this week
A breezy Bahamas show
The Toronto troubadour Afie Jurvanen wrote and recorded just about every instrumental on his new album, Bahamas Is Afie, a gorgeously restrained record of soft, country-coloured folk rock. Here, he delivers his swaying new single “All I’ve Ever Known,” along with three discs’ worth of other breezy beauties. Friday, November 27. $19–$29.50. Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St., liveatmasseyhall.com.
A supper to support Syrian refugees
Supper With Syria, a grassroots initiative headed by local chef Sang Kim, is hosting a dinner at Artscape Wychwood Barns with the goal of raising enough money to bring two Syrian refugee families to Toronto. Four Syrian chefs will be tasked with creating traditional Syrian dishes, to be paired with contemporary Canadian recipes prepared by local cooks. Tickets include dinner, live entertainment by the Arab Canadian Music Ensemble and the chance to bid on silent auction items like Raps and Leafs tickets. (If you can’t make dinner, you can donate online.) $75. Sunday, November 29. Artscape Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie St., supperwithsyria.org.
A trenchant play about the horrors of war
A Canadian soldier in Kandahar, a child suicide bomber in Pakistan, an Afghan immigrant in Toronto—each of the three characters in Buddies’ new play A Road to Paradise emerged from co-writer and director Christopher Morris’s interviews with the families of soldiers around the world. As characters collide, the production explores the ravages of war on multiple home fronts. To Saturday, November 28. $32–$37. Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander St., buddiesinbadtimes.com.
An exhibition of Charles Matton’s unseen art
The Parisian polymath wrote and directed several films and worked as an illustrator and photographer for Esquire. But he’s best known for his impeccably detailed miniature interiors—painted dioramic duplicates of real-life bedrooms, studios and libraries. This retrospective reveals a largely unseen oeuvre of photographs, including abstract self-portraits, blurred snapshots of childhood moments and documentary-style renderings of his works and artistic process. Saturday, November 28 to January 16. Artwork $3,500–$12,500. Stephen Bulger Gallery, 1026 Queen St. W., bulgergallery.com.
Peter and the Wolf, a symphony hosted by Rick Mercer
CBC’s sharpest satirist narrates a TSO rendition of Prokofiev’s orchestral kids’ tale. The evening also includes Benjamin Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra and Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, performed by teen piano prodigy Coco Ma, who has studied under Lang Lang and Chilly Gonzales. Thursday, November 26. $18–$29. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St., tso.ca.
The Toronto Christmas Market, a sparkly holiday tradition
This holiday fest is the Distillery District’s time to shine—literally. During the month-long market, the area glimmers with hundreds of overhead bulbs, scattershot bonfires and a gargantuan Christmas tree outfitted with nearly 20,000 tiny lights. Of course, there’s also everything you’d expect from a holiday market—hot chocolate vendors, seasonal eats and gifts galore—and a few things you might not: Twisted Sister front man Dee Snider performs on Friday, November 27. To Sunday, December 20. Free Tuesdays to Fridays; $5 weekends. Distillery District, Trinity and Mill Sts., torontochristmasmarket.com.
Romeo and Juliet, a National Ballet crowd pleaser
Since its creation in 2011, the National Ballet of Canada’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s most popular love story has remained in high demand worldwide. Sergei Prokofiev’s subtly urgent score gets a jolt of fresh, folksy energy from Alexei Ratmansky’s rapid, Russian-inflected choreography. Wednesday, November 25 to Saturday, December 5. From $37. Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W., national.ballet.ca.
The One of a Kind Show and Sale, a market that backs up its name
The 40-year-old makers’ market is an IRL Etsy, uniting hundreds of artisans and vendors. On top of carefully crafted wares for the home, kitchen and wardrobe, the expo features some unique finds: Toronto skyline cufflinks by Sin Kim Jewellery, artwork created from a disassembled Pentax by Fragmented Frames and a province-by-province photo map of Canada by Albertan nature photographer Amy Wakefield. Thursday, November 26 to Sunday, December 6. Enercare Centre, 100 Princes’ Blvd., oneofakindshow.com.
 $75. Sunday, November 29. Artscape Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie St., supperwithsyria.org.
A trenchant play about the horrors of war
A Canadian soldier in Kandahar, a child suicide bomber in Pakistan, an Afghan immigrant in Toronto—each of the three characters in Buddies’ new play A Road to Paradise emerged from co-writer and director Christopher Morris’s interviews with the families of soldiers around the world. As characters collide, the production explores the ravages of war on multiple home fronts. To Saturday, November 28. $32–$37. Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander St., buddiesinbadtimes.com.
[caption id="attachment_360241" align="alignnone" width="2000"] (Image: The Grand Piano Tail in the Whitened Windows Living Room, 1986 © Photography Charles Matton, Estate Charles Matton)[/caption]
An exhibition of Charles Matton’s unseen art
The Parisian polymath wrote and directed several films and worked as an illustrator and photographer for Esquire. But he’s best known for his impeccably detailed miniature interiors—painted dioramic duplicates of real-life bedrooms, studios and libraries. This retrospective reveals a largely unseen oeuvre of photographs, including abstract self-portraits, blurred snapshots of childhood moments and documentary-style renderings of his works and artistic process. Saturday, November 28 to January 16. Artwork $3,500–$12,500. Stephen Bulger Gallery, 1026 Queen St. W., bulgergallery.com.
Peter and the Wolf, a symphony hosted by Rick Mercer
CBC’s sharpest satirist narrates a TSO rendition of Prokofiev’s orchestral kids’ tale. The evening also includes Benjamin Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra and Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, performed by teen piano prodigy Coco Ma, who has studied under Lang Lang and Chilly Gonzales. Thursday, November 26. $18–$29. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St., tso.ca.
The Toronto Christmas Market, a sparkly holiday tradition
This holiday fest is the Distillery District’s time to shine—literally. During the month-long market, the area glimmers with hundreds of overhead bulbs, scattershot bonfires and a gargantuan Christmas tree outfitted with nearly 20,000 tiny lights. Of course, there’s also everything you’d expect from a holiday market—hot chocolate vendors, seasonal eats and gifts galore—and a few things you might not: Twisted Sister front man Dee Snider performs on Friday, November 27. To Sunday, December 20. Free Tuesdays to Fridays; $5 weekends. Distillery District, Trinity and Mill Sts., torontochristmasmarket.com.
[caption id="attachment_360188" align="alignnone" width="2000"] (Image: Bruce Zinger)[/caption]
Romeo and Juliet, a National Ballet crowd pleaser
Since its creation in 2011, the National Ballet of Canada’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s most popular love story has remained in high demand worldwide. Sergei Prokofiev’s subtly urgent score gets a jolt of fresh, folksy energy from Alexei Ratmansky’s rapid, Russian-inflected choreography. Wednesday, November 25 to Saturday, December 5. From $37. Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W., national.ballet.ca.
The One of a Kind Show and Sale, a market that backs up its name
The 40-year-old makers’ market is an IRL Etsy, uniting hundreds of artisans and vendors. On top of carefully crafted wares for the home, kitchen and wardrobe, the expo features some unique finds: Toronto skyline cufflinks by Sin Kim Jewellery, artwork created from a disassembled Pentax by Fragmented Frames and a province-by-province photo map of Canada by Albertan nature photographer Amy Wakefield. Thursday, November 26 to Sunday, December 6. Enercare Centre, 100 Princes’ Blvd., oneofakindshow.com.){kind=link}