What to see, do, hear and read in Toronto this March
A groundbreaking electronic group’s retrospective, a musical tour behind the lyrics of “American Pie,” lessons in political rage from a talking crow, and more
1 Fifty years ago, German electronic musicians Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider released Autobahn, an industrial rock album dominated by its 22-minute title track. Despite getting panned on release, the record became an experimental classic—beloved by the likes of David Bowie and Daft Punk—and cemented the duo as visionaries. A retrospective of Kraftwerk’s catalogue opened at MoMA in 2012, and now the show is touring the US, Toronto and Montreal to celebrate the landmark album’s semicentennial. March 8, Massey Hall
2 A long, long time ago, Don McLean penned a lengthy, cryptic ode to the dawn of rock and roll. Despite cropping up at every summer campfire in the decades since, the lyrics of “American Pie” famously contain innumerable enigmas. To get to the bottom of them, performer and Soulpepper musical director Mike Ross composed Inside American Pie, an auditory tour of the iconic song’s many references. The show has been going strong for four years across the East Coast, and this month it hits Toronto’s CAA Theatre for the first time. For fans dying to know the story behind the day the music died, this’ll be the day that they’ll try. March 12 to 30, CAA Theatre
3 Mo Gilligan was plucked from the rough by Drake when the rapper quoted one of the comedian’s bits on Instagram. Since then, Gilligan has gone from working retail to co-hosting a BAFTA-winning comedy show, selling out two UK tours, releasing three stand-up specials and launching a celebrity-interview podcast. Now, he’s embarking on his first world tour, all part of his quest for Mo, Mo and Mo. March 8, Elgin Theatre
4 A story of four women and their interlocking loves and desires, Dream Count is renowned Nigerian-American writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s first novel in a dozen years. The book finds its nexus in Chiamaka, a Nigerian travel writer living in the US and grappling with loneliness. Meanwhile, her Nigerian housekeeper is proudly raising her daughter in America despite facing unbearable hardship; Chiamaka’s best friend, a lawyer, finds herself betrayed and broken-hearted; and across the Atlantic, her cousin, a financial mogul, questions her own self-knowledge. Out March 4
5 Joanna Noëlle Levesque—better known as JoJo—burst onto the scene 21 years ago, at age 13, when her self-titled debut album went platinum. The singer has since released six studio albums and branched out into film and theatre. She made her Broadway debut as Satine in Moulin Rouge! The Musical in 2023, published a memoir last fall and closed out the year with two new singles before releasing an EP, NGL, in January. March 19, Danforth Music Hall
6 A multi-hyphenate artist and nine-time Grammy winner who’s been crowned the queen of hip hop, soul and R&B, Mary J. Blige hardly needs more accolades. But they keep on coming: after more than 30 years in the biz, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last fall. Now, following the release of her 2024 album, Gratitude, Blige has embarked on a tour of the US and Toronto, where she’ll play Scotiabank Arena this month. It won’t be her first time in the city: she spent months here, off and on, while filming the first season of The Umbrella Academy, in which she played working-stiff hitwoman Cha-Cha. March 24, Scotiabank Arena
7 From the west coast comes a double-feature of two new contemporary ballets. Passing, the brainchild of Swedish choreographer Johan Inger, explores the tension between our identities as unique individuals and as part of a group. Pieces of Tomorrow comes from Ballet BC’s artistic director, French choreographer Medhi Walerski. Created in collaboration with the company’s dancers, the performance deals with ideas of destruction, creation and reconstruction and is set to recomposed sonatas by Bach. March 28 and 29, Bluma Appel Theatre
8The Born-Again Crow follows a grocery store clerk, Beth, who burns down a magazine rack in either a brave act of resistance or a mental breakdown, depending on your point of view. Jobless and stuck with her mom in the suburbs, she seeks a lesson in political rage from a magical talking crow. So begins the Governor General’s Award–winning play by Caleigh Crow, a queer Métis playwright from Mohkinstsis (the Blackfoot name for Calgary). Directed by Jessica Carmichael, the show is produced by Buddies in Bad Times and Native Earth, Canada’s oldest Indigenous theatre company. March 9 to 29, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre
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Anthony Milton is a freelance journalist based in Toronto. He is the regular writer of Toronto Life’s culture section and also contributes Q&As, as-told-tos and other stories for both print and web. He lives in Little Portugal.
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