The best things to see, do, read and hear in Toronto this April

A heavy metal jukebox musical

Late rock god Meat Loaf, a.k.a. Michael Lee Aday, adapted his 1977 album, Bat Out of Hell, from a twisted musical version of Peter Pan written by Aday’s composer friend Jim Steinman. Forty years later, playwright Jay Scheib turned it back into a musical and staged it in Manchester—where it was an undeniable hit. Now, the production is making its second Mirvish appearance, where Torontonians can relive the post-apocalyptic tale of a rebellious gang leader who falls in love as performed by a live eight-piece rock band. April 1 to 4, Ed Mirvish Theatre

A Hollywood soundtrack symphony

Before he was the world’s best-known film composer, a 20-year-old John Williams was stationed at a US Air Force base in St. John’s, where he recorded folksy tracks for Newfoundland’s tourism office. Two decades later, his score for a John Wayne western, The Cowboys, impressed an up-and-coming Steven Spielberg, who invited Williams to collaborate on his debut flick, The Sugarland Express. A year after that, they joined forces for Jaws, and the rest is history. In honour of this match made in Hollywood, a Spielberg-Williams concert celebration, Symphonically Spielberg: The Music of John Williams, is coming to Roy Thomson Hall this month. We ranked the biggest and best scores to emerge from their 50-year union. April 8 to 11, Roy Thomson Hall 

1. Jaws The grippingly tense score Williams composed for Jaws made the movie-going public shark-phobic for years, and the theme has become a universal soundtrack for terror. Its classic dun-dun even made an appearance at the Winter Olympics this year, when Italy’s Lara Naki Gutmann figure-skated to the suspense-filled track, earning a bronze medal.

2. Schindler’s List Spielberg contemplated for years whether he was ready to make a film about the Holocaust—but choosing the composer to score that film was a no-brainer. Williams’s theme for Schindler’s List is remarkably simple, filled with mournful klezmer-inflected violins that telegraph the triumph of the human spirit even in the most debased conditions.

3. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Before Stranger Things reheated Spielberg’s nachos, E.T. was the most inventive supernatural flick about kids on bikes versus the government. The film, which follows a boy who discovers an alien and hides him in his suburban California home, features twinkly harp and dreamy piano, setting the tone for a story that explores alien encounters from a child’s perspective.

4. Jurassic Park A billionaire resurrecting prehistoric beasts as a tourist attraction may not sound so far-fetched today, but in 1993 it was mind-boggling. Williams aimed to compose a soundtrack as massive as the film’s concept. Almost religious in tone, the three main melodies speak to both the grandeur of the dinosaurs and the fear they inspire in awestruck park-goers.

5. Raiders of the Lost Ark Harrison Ford running from a giant boulder barrelling toward him in an ancient temple is one hell of a way to start a movie, and it’s made all the more exciting by Williams’s equally over-the-top score. The brassy, swaggering “Raiders March” is borderline jaunty, matching the energy of Ford’s adrenalin-chasing archaeology professor. Williams returned to score every single sequel.

An album to rock out to

Emily Haines and James Shaw first met at the Horseshoe Tavern in the mid-’90s. Since then, their slick poet rock has served as the soundtrack to many a debauched downtown night out. Their 10th album, Romanticize the Dive, features the single “Victim of Luck,” a nostalgic callback to the band’s indie sleaze beginnings. They’ll also be teaming up with Broken Social Scene and Stars in August for a nostalgia-soaked tour, which plays its last stop at the RBC Amphitheatre (RIP, Budweiser Stage). Bring a tissue. Out April 24

A silky-smooth folk show

“Gravel on silk” is how Ahi describes his voice. The Brampton-born, Toronto-based folk artist has one of the most distinctive, arresting sounds in the business, imbuing each note with raw, unvarnished emotion. His catchy stylings—heavily influenced by Bob Marley—have earned the artist two Juno nominations for contemporary roots album of the year as well as an appearance on NPR’s legendary Tiny Desk Concert series. Catch him this month at TD Music Hall. TD Music Hall, April 25

A hometown mystery

As a magazine and newspaper journalist for many years, Don Gillmor is no stranger to the art of reportage. His work (including features for this magazine) led him into worlds of crime and corruption. Now, he’s writing smart, snappy fiction on the very same subjects. His latest offering, Cherry Beach, follows an ill pairing of detectives investigating a double homicide in a dilapidated high-rise while running up against conspiracy, corruption and racial injustice. Out April 14

A massive market for tiny crafts

“Buy local” has been the rallying cry since US-Canada tariff tensions flared up last year, so why not take advantage of the opportunity to shop 400-plus artisan vendors all in one place at the One of a Kind Show? A beloved annual event for the past 50 years, the OOAK got its start as a hippie-heavy jewellery market before Sunday shopping was legal in Ontario. It’s a great place to find homemade hot sauces, handblown glass and other goodies you’ll never see on Amazon. April 9 to 12, Enercare Centre

A tradfluencer’s waking nightmare

If you’ve been on TikTok recently, you probably already know about “tradwives”—those stay-at-home, organic-shopping, homeschooling, suspiciously perfect-looking women. Caro Claire Burke’s debut novel, Yesteryear, topples these influencers’ façade by depicting an uber-popular Instagrammer who wakes up one morning in the 19th century and has to contend with the brutal, decidedly less idyllic aspects of farm life. A movie adaptation of the much-hyped book, starring Anne Hathaway, is already in the offing. Out April 7

A CanCon homecoming

Mae Martin was already known as one of Toronto’s wittiest comedic exports when their TV series Feel Good pushed them in front of an even wider audience. Now the comic turned actor turned ­producer—who just signed a first-look deal with Netflix—can effortlessly pack stages like Massey Hall. Their new North American tour is sure to deliver that classic Martin candour with a good dose of the traumedy that made them famous in the first place. April 4, Massey Hall

A touchy-feely exhibition of Japanese art

Museum signage is forever admonishing patrons to “look, don’t touch.” But Shokkan: Material Encounters in Japanese Art, an exhibition coming to the ROM this month, encourages the opposite. Showcasing the Japanese concept of shokkan, or the psychological impression of touch, the show features more than 80 pieces including ceramics, textiles and carvings. (The most fragile ones are behind glass, but there are replicas you can handle.) Curator Akiko Takesue has been at the helm of the museum’s 10,000-piece-and-growing Japanese collection since 2021 and is the mastermind behind the exhibition. Here, she tells us about four of her favourite objects. Opens April 4, ROM

1. Cannon production, 1851, handscroll painting “This is a handscroll painted by Yamazaki Tomoo, depicting how to make cannons. Viewing handscrolls involves many movements and touches—you hold it with both hands, open it to your shoulder width and close it again. You have to move your hands and arms to view it, so it’s really an embodied experience. This scroll has three volumes, each almost six metres long. It’s very soft but at the same time quite sturdy.”

2. A long sword: blade, 15th to mid-16th century; fittings, late 17th to early 18th century; lacquered wood and various metals “The handle has so many textures. The core is wood that has been wrapped in stingray skin. After that, a silk cord was wrapped around the handle so that, when a samurai holds it, his grip is very secure. It’s utilitarian but, at the same time, beautiful. The sword guard is decorated with many different metals. It’s an expression of taste, status and power.”

3. Netsuke of two puppies, late 18th century, carved wood “Netsuke are small, intricate carvings of everyday objects or scenes, popularized in the West after the mid-19th century. Often they would be commissioned by wealthy people. When Japan opened the country in 1853, Western collectors started buying them. Netsuke are meant to be touched all the time. Since these are held in the hand and you can look at them very closely and feel the texture, the sculptor had to be super detailed.”

4. Red raku-type tea bowl with crane, mid-19th century, stoneware with raku glaze  “After guests drink tea in Japan, they appreciate the cups by holding them. The pottery is thicker, which helps protect your hands from the hot tea inside. On this one, you can see the thumbprints of the potter who made it, Takahashi Dōhachi I, whose work is also in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The crane on the side is a symbol of longevity.”