A Foo Fighters concert, Shakespeare in High Park and seven other things to do this week

A Foo Fighters concert, Shakespeare in High Park and seven other things to do this week

(Images, clockwise from top left: Foo Fighters, by Hayley Madden; 100 SUNS: 057 Baker/21 Kilotons/Bikini Atoll/1946, by Michael Light, courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario; A Tribe Called Red, by Falling Tree; Night Tropics by Caroline Larsen)

Hang out with a troupe of dancing newsboys
Based on a real-life 19th-century newsboy strike, Disney’s blockbuster musical Newsies follows a group of vagrant kids who sell copies of the New York World to survive in the city. When the rag’s greedy publisher slashes the newsies’ measly wages, they go on strike and eventually publish a paper of their own. The show features a triumphantly brassy score co-written by Alan Menken (of Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid fame). Wednesday, July 8 to Aug. 30. $35–$130. Ed Mirvish Theatre, 244 Victoria St., 416-872-1212, mirvish.com.

See Dave Grohl perform from his own personal iron throne
It’s been two decades and eight albums since Dave Grohl formed the Foos from the ashes of grunge gods Nirvana. In that time, the Seattle five-piece have cranked out hit after hit—from late-’90s touchstones “Monkey Wrench” and “Everlong” to last year’s “Something From Nothing”—and, thanks to Grohl’s signature scream and charm, secured their reputation as modern rock’s most eager and widely adored ambassadors. Grohl, who broke his leg onstage a few weeks ago, will be performing this show from a giant, LED-lit throne. Wednesday, July 8 and Thursday, July 9. $55.25–$91. Molson Amphitheatre, 909 Lakeshore Blvd. W., 416-260-5600, ticketmaster.ca.

Hear Bono and co. take over the ACC
In the wake of 2014’s Songs of Innocence—the surprise, iTunes-invading album that nobody asked for—U2 is more Internet punching bag than iconic music superpower. But even the most ardent cynics can’t resist the Irish rock band’s biggest hits played in an arena full of believers. (They’ll likely just have to sit through the new stuff first.) Monday, July 6 and Tuesday, July 7. $46.50–298.50. Air Canada Centre, 40 Bay St., 416-815-5500, ticketmaster.ca.

Check out the history of atomic photography
Our relationship with nuclear weaponry is almost entirely funnelled through photography; few of us have seen a mushroom cloud with our own eyes, but we’ve all encountered it in a dramatic, billowing landscape shot. In this chronological exhibition, art historian John O’Brian compiles photographs, journalistic and scientific materials, advertisements and propaganda that document the changing politics and public perceptions of atomic energy in the post-war era. Wednesday, July 8 to Nov. 15. Included with general admission, $19.50. Art Gallery of Ontario, 317 Dundas St. W., 416-979-6648, ago.net.

Spend an evening with Shakespeare in the park
The bard returns to the bush for a 33rd season, hitting the High Park theatre with a 12-person cast and an alternating lineup that offers both tragedy and farce. Director Estelle Shook helms Julius Caesar, Shakespeare’s classic rumination on power, politics and betrayal, with Stratford vet Sean Baek as Brutus. Choreographer Matjash Mrozewski, meanwhile, directs The Comedy of Errors, about two pairs of identical twins separated at birth. To Sept. 6. $20 suggested donation. High Park Amphitheatre, 1873 Bloor St W., canadianstage.com.

Hear a raucous indigenous DJ show
A Tribe Called Red hits CIBC Pan Am Park for a free Panamania show, armed with fresh tracks from their recently released Suplex EP. The forceful four-track effort showcases the group’s penchant for body-moving, dubstep-infused electro, replete with tribal chanting and poignant poetry from Cree rapper Hellnback. Get ready to round dance. Sunday, July 12. CIBC Pan Am Park, 100 Princes Blvd., 416-957-2015, toronto2015.org.

Check out some trippy trompe l’oeil paintings
Caroline Larsen takes impressionism to the next level: her oil paintings are designed to resemble tapestries, comprising thousands of dimpled dots woven together in swirling, furling lines of trompe l’oeil stitchery. Her latest show focuses on tropical plants, rendered in rich carnival colours: hanging baskets of ferns and vines, bright green Panama palms, sprawling anthuriums and regal orchids. To Saturday, July 25. FREE. General Hardware Contemporary, 1520 Queen St. W., 416-821-3060, generalhardware.ca.

Hear a group of Toronto actresses take on Entourage
The puerile, dude-bro fantasies of HBO’s Hollywood farce are about to get skewered at the Bad Dog Comedy Theatre. A group of local actresses and comedians will perform a feminist live reading of an Entourage episode, with Degrassi alum Lauren Collins as Turtle, Reign star Katie Boland as Vinnie Chase, stage actress Cara Gee as Johnny Drama and a mystery guest as Ari Gold. All proceeds go to Sistering, a charity that serves marginalized, homeless and low-income women in Toronto. Thursday, July 9. $10. Bad Dog Comedy Theatre, 875 Bloor St. W., facebook.com.

See Virginia Mak’s sumptuous, surreal photography
The images from this Hong Kong photographer are portals to a dream world. Bright and blurred, they blend the aesthetics of art photography and impressionist painting, capturing elegantly dressed solitary subjects in contemplation as they look to the horizon, stand suspended in a doorway or navigate through overgrowth and ruins. FREE. Saturday, July 11 to Saturday, July 25. Bau-Xi Photo, 324 Dundas St. W., 416-977-0400, bau-xiphoto.com.