Carly Rae Jepsen and the TSO, a podcast party and six other things to see, do, hear and read this week

Carly Rae Jepsen and the TSO, a podcast party and six other things to see, do, hear and read this week

Photograph by George Pimentel

A symphonic Carly Rae Jepsen set
1If you’ve ever wondered what “Call Me Maybe” might sound like with an orchestra, Carly Rae Jepsen is teaming up with the TSO for a one-night-only concert. The pop megastar will play her most famous tunes with the full 88-piece orchestra and a few acoustic numbers with a string quartet as part of the TSO’s Canada 150 programming. Saturday, June 17. $27–$89. Roy Thomson Hall.

Ali Hassan’s irreverent Islamic humour
2When stand-up comic Ali Hassan’s four children started asking him about religion, it led him to consider the meaning of his Islamic heritage. In his one-man show Muslim, Interrupted, Hassan tackles a range of questions about the Muslim faith, both big (what does it mean to be culturally Muslim?) and small (what happens if one ingests forbidden fruit?). Ticket sales support the Toronto Environmental Alliance. Wednesday, June 14. $25. Lula Lounge.

Photograph courtesy of Sleepover

A CBC podcast party
3On the CBC’s Podcast Playlist, hosts Matt Galloway and Lindsay Michael curate a lineup of today’s most interesting podcasts. This week, they’re turning their show into a live event, bring together hosts and guests from popular podcasts like Sleepover (with Sook-Yin Lee, shown above), Our Fake History, The Spoke and Illusionoid for an evening of live storytelling. Thursday, June 15. $16. Ted Rogers Hot Docs Cinema.

The best of modern Italian cinema
4Toronto’s Italian Contemporary Film Festival brings together popular films from Italy and the Italian diaspora. This year’s line-up includes the conjoined-twins film Indivisible (June 12) and a free screening of Vincenzo Natali’s Cube (June 13). But we’re most curious about The Neighbourhood (June 15), the latest epic from Frank D’Angelo, the Canadian beverage mogul who moonlights as a filmmaker. To June 16. $16.20. TIFF Bell Lightbox and Cineplex Vaughan.

John Legend’s piano power ballads
5It’s a fact that nobody today straddles a piano quite as stylishly as John Legend. The R&B superstar hits Toronto with songs from his newest album, Darkness and Light, plus a range of familiar tunes (including “Ordinary People,” “All of Me,” and “Love Me Now”). Saturday, June 17. $43.25–$133.25. Budweiser Stage.

An Abel Ferrara double bill
6The grimiest of the great New York auteurs gets his due with this double-feature of two of his best films: the Christopher Walken crime-world classic King of New York, and a rare 35-mm screening of the feminist exploitation film Ms. 45. Thursday, June 15. $11. Fox Theatre.

A Trudeau-approved Father’s Day activity
7Nothing bonds father and son like getting out in nature and trying desperately to work a boat. Just ask Justin Trudeau. Last year, the PM and his family took part in Paddle the Rouge, an annual Father’s Day tradition on the Rouge River. The all-ages event includes paddling sessions for youth aged five to 18, a public paddle in the afternoon and camping workshops. Sunday, June 18. $50–$90. Rouge Beach Park.

The film world’s rising female stars
8The Breakthroughs Film Festival is dedicated to showcasing films from emerging women directors from around the globes. The sixth edition’s short films come from 12 countries and five continents, including an LGBT flick from Uruguay and a documentary about refugees on the Greek-Macedonian border. For the first time, the festival will include a special program of work from “new generation” filmmakers (ages 18 to 30). Friday, June 16 and Saturday, June 17. $12–$20. The Royal Cinema.

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