An evening with Alan Cumming, a creepy crawly ROM show and five other things to see, hear, read and do this week
Alan Cumming’s border-crossing comedy cabaret
1He’s an actor (The Good Wife), author (Tommy’s Tales), singer (the cabaret Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs), activist (LGBT rights) and, now, a raconteur. In his Legal Immigrant world tour, Scottish bon vivant Alan Cumming brings audiences back to 2008, the year he became an American citizen. Through songs and stories, the modern Renaissance man weaves a portrait of life in his new home, mixing wit and wistfulness in a light-hearted comedy cocktail. Saturday, June 16. $39.50–$149.50. Massey Hall.
A rose-tinted nocturnal festival
2The fifth annual Nuit Rose promises a night of boundary-pushing queer art, dance, theatre and performance from LGBT creatives spread across West Queen West and the Church-Wellesley Village. Highlights include a light parade, a Celine Dion–inspired French-Canadian dance party and a group exhibition at Artscape Youngplace. Saturday, June 16. Free. Various venues.
A creepy, crawly museum exhibit
3The eight-legged creatures you never want to see in your apartment are the museum pieces you won’t want to miss. The Royal Ontario Museum’s new show, Spiders: Fear and Fascination, puts arachnophiles within biting distance of more than 200 live and preserved arachnids: tarantulas, centipedes, scorpions, the famous black widow, and more. The immersive exhibition also explores 300 million years of spider history, using VR technology to show how these resilient bugs have evolved and endured. Saturday, June 16 to Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019. $32. Royal Ontario Museum.
A dizzying Banksy show
4Banksy, the anonymous British street artist who uses private property as his ephemeral canvas, has reached an unlikely career pinnacle: a blockbuster gallery exhibition valued at $35 million. Over 80 of Banksy’s sometimes-funny, sometimes-acidic artworks are assembled—the largest-ever exhibition for one of the world’s most famous (and easily most mysterious) artists. Wednesday, June 13 to Wednesday, July 11. $35. 213 Sterling Rd.
A local twist on Pride and Prejudice
5Toronto Star columnist and high school teacher Uzma Jalaluddin reimagines Pride and Prejudice within Toronto’s Muslim community in her debut novel, Ayesha at Last. Standing in for Elizabeth Bennet is the titular heroine, whose dreams of becoming a poet are sidelined by a debt she owes to her wealthy uncle and an unwelcome arranged marriage. When she instead falls for the conservative boy who’s set to marry her sister, Ayesha gets tangled somewhere between her traditional culture and her own progressive values. It’s an uproarious romp, filled with farcical cases of mistaken identity, disastrous proposals and a big Bollywood wedding. June 12. Harper Avenue.
A carb-loaded street party
6College Street closes to traffic and opens for fun at the annual Taste of Little Italy festival. Visitors can sample the neighbourhood’s restaurants and street vendors and take their kids to the new learn-to-skate park. Friday, June 15 to Sunday, June 17. Free. College Street between Bathurst and Shaw.
A Harry Styles stadium show
7For his first solo tour since leaving One Direction, Harry Styles aims to prove what we’ve always known: that he’s easily the most charismatic of that bunch of pretty-boys. With a new set-list that’s more indebted to classic rock than boy-band bubble gum, he may even win a few converts to the cult of Styles. Saturday, June 16. $91–$172. Air Canada Centre.
, author (Tommy’s Tales), singer (the cabaret Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs), activist (LGBT rights) and, now, a raconteur. In his Legal Immigrant world tour, Scottish bon vivant Alan Cumming brings audiences back to 2008, the year he became an American citizen. Through songs and stories, the modern Renaissance man weaves a portrait of life in his new home, mixing wit and wistfulness in a light-hearted comedy cocktail. Saturday, June 16. $39.50–$149.50. Massey Hall.
A rose-tinted nocturnal festival
2The fifth annual Nuit Rose promises a night of boundary-pushing queer art, dance, theatre and performance from LGBT creatives spread across West Queen West and the Church-Wellesley Village. Highlights include a light parade, a Celine Dion–inspired French-Canadian dance party and a group exhibition at Artscape Youngplace. Saturday, June 16. Free. Various venues.
A creepy, crawly museum exhibit
3The eight-legged creatures you never want to see in your apartment are the museum pieces you won’t want to miss. The Royal Ontario Museum’s new show, Spiders: Fear and Fascination, puts arachnophiles within biting distance of more than 200 live and preserved arachnids: tarantulas, centipedes, scorpions, the famous black widow, and more. The immersive exhibition also explores 300 million years of spider history, using VR technology to show how these resilient bugs have evolved and endured. Saturday, June 16 to Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019. $32. Royal Ontario Museum.
A dizzying Banksy show
4Banksy, the anonymous British street artist who uses private property as his ephemeral canvas, has reached an unlikely career pinnacle: a blockbuster gallery exhibition valued at $35 million. Over 80 of Banksy’s sometimes-funny, sometimes-acidic artworks are assembled—the largest-ever exhibition for one of the world’s most famous (and easily most mysterious) artists. Wednesday, June 13 to Wednesday, July 11. $35. 213 Sterling Rd.
A local twist on Pride and Prejudice
5Toronto Star columnist and high school teacher Uzma Jalaluddin reimagines Pride and Prejudice within Toronto’s Muslim community in her debut novel, Ayesha at Last. Standing in for Elizabeth Bennet is the titular heroine, whose dreams of becoming a poet are sidelined by a debt she owes to her wealthy uncle and an unwelcome arranged marriage. When she instead falls for the conservative boy who’s set to marry her sister, Ayesha gets tangled somewhere between her traditional culture and her own progressive values. It’s an uproarious romp, filled with farcical cases of mistaken identity, disastrous proposals and a big Bollywood wedding. June 12. Harper Avenue.
A carb-loaded street party
6College Street closes to traffic and opens for fun at the annual Taste of Little Italy festival. Visitors can sample the neighbourhood’s restaurants and street vendors and take their kids to the new learn-to-skate park. Friday, June 15 to Sunday, June 17. Free. College Street between Bathurst and Shaw.
A Harry Styles stadium show
7For his first solo tour since leaving One Direction, Harry Styles aims to prove what we’ve always known: that he’s easily the most charismatic of that bunch of pretty-boys. With a new set-list that’s more indebted to classic rock than boy-band bubble gum, he may even win a few converts to the cult of Styles. Saturday, June 16. $91–$172. Air Canada Centre.
){kind=link}