Chris Hadfield’s Generator, the return of Cinderella and 10 other things to do this week

Chris Hadfield’s Generator, the return of Cinderella and 10 other things to do this week

Photograph courtesy of Generator

Generator, Chris Hadfield’s stellar variety show
The man who became famous for singing in space is back with Generator, a playful, multi­disciplinary scientific event. For the event’s second year, Hadfield welcomes Spanish cyborg artists Neil Harbisson and Moon Ribas, comedians Michael McCreary and Mark Little, MythBusters host Adam Savage, and a range of scientists, celebrities and artists. Saturday, November 12. $15–$105. Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St., generatorevent.com.

Cinderella, a lavish National Ballet classic
First performed in 2004, the National Ballet of Canada’s production of Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet is both a faithful rendition and a gentle subversion of the classic fairy tale. This lavish, art deco–influenced Cinderella does justice to the story’s comedy and romantic sweep, and each performance is preceded by a short talk in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre by veteran dancer Lindsay Fischer, artistic director of the National Ballet’s kids’ dance program, 45 minutes before the curtain rises. Saturday, November 12 to Sunday, November 20. From $39. Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W., national.ballet.ca.

. Photograph by Lacey Creighton

A provocative theatrical experiment about love
Developed in residency at the Theatre Centre, This Is the Point offers a series of theatrical re-enactments and staged conversations about love, sex and disability. Created and performed by two real-life couples of mixed abilities, the work uses live video feeds and high-tech communication aids to explore and debate the nature of love, the body and how people connect. Tuesday, November 8 to Sunday, November 20. $30. The Theatre Centre, 1115 Queen St. W., theatrecentre.org.

A heat-seeker’s dinner
This Thursday, Artscape Wychwood Barns is going to be hot, hot, hot. That’s because Tabasco is teaming up with seven of the city’s top chefs for a night of incendiary snacks. Scott Vivian (Beast), Nick Liu (DaiLo), Steve Gonzalez (Baro), Bertrand Alepée (The Tempered Room), Chris Brown (Provision Catering) and Dustin Gallagher (Peoples Eatery) will all be serving spicy small plates, and Henderson Brewing Co. will be there to put out the fires. $40. Thursday, November 10. Artscape Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie St., universe.com.

. Photograph by André Lanthier

Constellations, a play about life’s many what-ifs
In this play from British writer Nick Payne, a chance encounter between a man and a woman opens up a variety of possible futures. Do they live happily ever after? Do they even meet again? By showing us several variations on the course of the same relationship, Payne explores the tantalizing and fraught reality that our lives are determined by a long, long chain of split-second decisions. Friday, November 11 to Sunday, November 27. $39–$99. Bluma Appel Theatre, 27 Front St. E., canadianstage.com.

Forty years of Raffi fan faves
Before Raffi Cavoukian picked up the guitar, “opples and bononos” were just plain old apples and bananas. The beloved children’s entertainer celebrates 40 years in the business with this Singable Songs concert, and you can bet that multiple generations of Canadians will join along. All ages. Sunday, November 13. $28–$38. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St., roythomson.com.

. Photograph by John Gundy, collage by Christo Graham

The return of the 2015 hit Chasse-Galerie
The famous French-Canadian folk tale “The Bewitched Canoe” is the basis for this rousing musical adventure. Lost in the forests of Quebec, four female voyageurs strike a deal with the devil that he’ll guide their canoe back to Montreal—on one condition. If they commit any form of blasphemy along the way, they’ll pay with their souls. The rollicking comedy is a collaboration between Soulpepper and the Storefront Theatre (where it premiered last December). Friday, November 11 to Saturday, November 26. $25–$50. Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 50 Tank House Ln., soulpepper.ca.

Loreena McKennitt, queen of modern Celtic music
In the world of Celtic new-age music, one name reigns supreme. McKennitt has studied Celtic history over the course of her 30-year career, and infuses both traditional ballads and original compositions with a primal spirit. She performs on this tour with guitarist Brian Hughes and cellist Caroline Lavelle for an evening of music inspired by her journeys through Asia in search of Celtic diasporic history. Thursday, November 10. $60–$100. Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St., roythomson.com.

. Photograph by Heidi Gutman, courtesy of Columbia Artists Management

The powerful, high-flying voice of soprano Deborah Voigt
The soprano is much more down-to-earth than your average operatic diva, with a witty, self-deprecating sense of humour. And the voice? Powerful, high-flying and sensitive to the text, it’s been heard in all the great opera houses and concert halls. Voigt will be accompanied by pianist Brian Zeger for this program of pieces ranging from Strauss lieder to songs from Cabaret. Friday, November 11. $40–$110. Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W., rcmusic.ca.

The inventive, genre-hopping Ayre
The song cycle by Argentine-born composer Osvaldo Golijov somehow manages to combine pop, folk and classical influences in a fabric incorporating Arabic, Ladino, ­Sardinian and Spanish texts. This latest production, by the city’s most reliably inventive musical theatre group, Against the Grain, features the expressively dark-hued voice of soprano Miriam Khalil and an 11-member chamber orchestra. Thursday, November 10 to Saturday, November 12. $40–$70. Ismaili Centre, 49 Wynford Dr., againstthegraintheatre.com.

. Photograph by Christopher Stanton

Pomona, an urban horror story set in an old factory
Already missing Halloween? This strange, spooky theatrical thriller by rising U.K. playwright Alistair McDowell should scratch the itch. It follows a young girl who stumbles upon an abandoned, Lovecraftian island as she searches for her missing sister. The sci-fi story tiptoes in and out of realism, and the setting—an old factory space—lends the production an urban-horror aesthetic. Until Saturday, November 19. $19–$34. 360 Geary Ln., brownpapertickets.com.

A mix of modern and historical African textile art
The Kenyan heritage of Canadian artist Brendan Fernandes comes into focus in the innovative, multidisciplinary exhibition Lost Bodies. Fernandes’ hybrid performance installations are set next to African art from the Textile Museum of Canada, drawing a connection between his work and traditional African costumes, textiles and masks. Wednesday, November 9 to Sunday, March 19. Textile Museum of Canada, 55 Centre Ave., textilemuseum.ca.

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