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A Carly Rae Jepsen gig, a Noma-inspired dinner and nine other things to do this week

By Anna Fitzpatrick and Rebecca Fleming
A Carly Rae Jepsen gig, a Noma-inspired dinner and nine other things to do this week
Photograph by George Pimentel

Hedley and Carly Rae Jepsen’s Canadian Idol reunion Since winning over audiences with his frenetic energy and gritty voice on Canadian Idol, Jacob Hoggard has released five multi-platinum records of precise pop-punk with his exuberant B.C. band. They share the stage with fellow Idol finalist Carly Rae Jepsen, whose ’80s-inspired album Emotion—and its earworm of a single, “I Really Like You”—proves she’s more than a one-hit wonder. Friday, April 29. $39.50–$79.50. Air Canada Centre, 40 Bay St., ticketmaster.ca.

The Rape of Lucretia, a stellar indie opera Benjamin Britten invented the chamber opera when he debuted Lucretia in 1946—the minimalist score adds a creepy claustrophobia to the tale of a housewife who is sexually assaulted by a Roman prince. MyOpera, an incubator for young artists, updates the ancient plot to 20th-century Rome, as Italy prepares for its first election after World War II. Friday, April 29 to Sunday, May 1. $35. Daniels Spectrum, 585 Dundas St. E., myopera.ca.

Dinner and a doc Eatable Films teams up with Hot Docs and one of the city’s best restaurants for a special dinner-and-a-movie event. After the Canadian premiere of Ants on a Shrimp—a behind-the-scenes look into chef Rene Redzepi’s Toyko pop-up—guests will enjoy a five-course meal of locally grown and foraged ingredients from Actinolite chef Justin Cournoyer at historic Burwash Hall. Bonus: director Maurice Dekkers will also be in attendance. (See the rest of our Hot Docs picks here.) $190. Sunday, May 1. Isabel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles St. W., hotdocs.ca.

Rupi Kaur’s rebellious photo-poetry The young Toronto poet and photographer went from obscure artist to international activist when Instagram deleted shots from her photo series, Period, which aimed to normalize menstruation by showing images of blood-stained sweatpants and tissue. In this library lecture, she recalls how her battle against Instagram became a feminist flashpoint. She’ll also read from her poignant book, Milk and Honey, which pairs short poems about love and survival with minimalist line sketches. Thursday, April 28. Free. Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge St., torontopubliclibrary.com.

(Image courtesy of Canadian Stage)
(Image courtesy of Canadian Stage)

A biblical double bill from Jordan Tannahill The Videofag co-founder continues his ascent through Toronto’s theatre scene with this world-premiere double bill. In the first production, Botticelli in the Fire, sexual and political plots threaten the completion of Sandro Botticelli’s masterpiece The Birth of Venus. The second show, Sunday in Sodom, re-imagines the untold story of Lot’s wife, Aida (of salt-pillar fame), whose husband sparks outrage in their hedonistic hometown when he invites two American soldiers into their home. Thursday, April 28 to Sunday, May 15. $30–$53. Berkeley Street Theatre Downstairs, 26 Berkeley St., canadianstage.com.

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Re-Quickening, an Indigenous dance epic Violent, visceral movements dominate this dance production by Kaha:wi, the contemporary company founded by Mohawk ­choreographer Tekaronhiáhkhwa Santee Smith. The all-female, all-Indigenous troupe quake in synch to an original score that features pre-recorded vocals from throat singer Tanya Tagaq, telling the story of three generations of Indigenous women and their community. Thursday, April 28 to Sunday, May 1. $38. Fleck Dance Theatre, 207 Queens Quay W., harbourfrontcentre.com.

(Image: Cylla von Tiedemann)
(Image: Cylla von Tiedemann)

The Summoned, Fab Filippo’s dark new play This world premiere by TV actor and screenwriter Fab Filippo takes place in the aftermath of a billionaire tech visionary’s death. When the late genius’s closest friends gather in an airport hotel for the reading of his will, their lives are irreversibly changed. Tarragon artistic director Richard Rose directs the cerebral look at death in the digital age. Wednesday, April 27 to Sunday, May 29. $28–$60. Tarragon Theatre, 30 Bridgman Ave., tarragontheatre.com.

A Diner screening with Lucky Peach editor Chris Ying Barry Levinson’s decadent coming-of-age comedy is set in 1959 and documents the reunion of five 20-somethings coping with adulthood in Baltimore. After this screening, part of TIFF’s Food on Film series, Chris Ying, editor-in-chief of the food quarterly Lucky Peach, will discuss culinary collaboration and restaurants’ environmental responsibilities. Wednesday, April 27. $35. TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St. W., tiff.net.

Ferraro’s rocking album release show The Ferraro brothers were destined for life on the stage: their family owns and operates the Cameron House on Queen West, and, as the boys grew up, they became something of an unofficial house band. This Thursday, they release their debut album, Losing Sleep, a 10-track throwback effort that blends 1950s rock, love-struck lyrics and youthful energy. Thursday, April 28. $10. Rivoli, 334 Queen St. W., ticketfly.com.

The Canadian premiere of the tragicomedy Los Gavilanes The fabulously named zarzuela is a slapsticky, sung-spoken form of Spanish operetta that originated in the court of King Philip IV. The 1920s composer Jacinto Guerrero updated the form into a traditional three-act tragicomedy—it gets its Canadian premiere this spring. Wednesday, April 27 to Sunday, May 1. $75–$92. St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E., torontooperetta.com.

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(Image: Steven A. Gunther)
(Image: Steven A. Gunther)

Looking for Paul, an absurb blend of fact and fiction This bizarre production from Dutch collective Wunderbaum is a fictional story about a real bookstore owner, Inez van Dam, whose shop in Rotterdam looks out on a sculpture of Santa holding a suggestively shaped tree (its nickname: Buttplug Gnome). In the play, van Dam hunts down the sculptor, Paul McCarthy, in L.A. The quasi-autobiographical experiment starts innocently enough but ends with a stage covered in mountains of ketchup, chocolate sauce and pickles. Wednesday, April 27 to Saturday, April 30. $34. Harbourfront Centre Theatre, 235 Queens Quay W., harbourfrontcentre.com.

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