What to see, do, hear and read in Toronto this September

A pop heart-throb’s new ’80s-inspired album

1 Conan Gray, the epitome of a modern pop star, got his start by uploading songs to YouTube, then became best buds with Olivia Rodrigo and earned a shout­out from his songwriting idol Taylor Swift. He released his third album, Found Heaven, this past April, following Kid Krow—the biggest US artist debut of 2020—and 2022’s Superache. His world tour brings him to Toronto for one night only. The aesthetic: Gen Z meets ’80s revival. Budweiser Stage, September 23

A cross-cultural theatre performance

2 Fairy tales from two worlds collide in Mukashi, Mukashi: the wolf from Little Red Riding Hood is paired up with Crane from the Japanese fairy tale The Gratitude of Crane. The cross­-cultural play, whose title means “Once upon a time” in Japanese, is an original work co­-produced by Toronto’s Corpus theatre company and Japan’s Kio Company. It combines Japanese art forms like origami and manga with Western traditions like pantomime and talk show comedy for a unique theatre experience that’s suited for adults and kids alike. If your Japanese is a little rusty, don’t worry: there are English subtitles. The Theatre Centre, September 25 to 29

A decorated artist’s Canadian debut

3 Two years ago, British artist Sonia Boyce took home the Venice Biennale’s Golden Lion prize for her audio­visual installation Feeling Her Way. Now, she’s making her Canadian debut. The piece, shown in partnership with the Toronto Biennial of Art, features five screens playing improvised performances by racialized women musicians Poppy Ajudha, Jacqui Dankworth, Sofia Jernberg, Tanita Tikaram and Errollyn Wallen. AGO, opens September 19

A literature lover’s happy place

4 Canada’s oldest and largest literary festival turns 45 this year. The milestone event will feature readings, interviews and book signings with inter­national and Toronto­-based authors including Michael Ondaatje, Anne Michaels, Toshikazu Kawaguchi and Marie Wilson. There will also be workshops and master classes for aspiring writers, plus a new culi­nary experience called “Bite the Book” that features food writers and chefs. Attendees won’t want to miss the festival’s curated bookshop, where they can browse the stacks for their next great read. Harbourfront Centre, September 19 to 29

A buzzy release from a bestselling author

5 Intermezzo, the fourth novel by Normal People author Sally Rooney, is coming out to high expectations: the Irish novelist has been called one of the most important writers alive, and two of her previous books have been adapted into TV series. Her latest fol­lows brothers Peter and Ivan, who are mourning the recent death of their father while navigating their very differ­ent lives: one is a successful lawyer juggling two relations­hips; the other is an aloof chess whiz who gets mixed up with an older woman. Their stories explore the period of fresh grief in all of its despair and possibility. Out September 24

A study of technology and the body

6 Multimedia artist Tishan Hsu trained as an architect at MIT and worked as a human word processor at law firms in the ’80s. While there, he started thinking about the intersection of human bodies and the mechanical world. So began Hsu’s long career in sculpture, where he became known for taking technological grids and distort­ing them into eerily organic shapes. He continues this theme with Interface Remix. MOCA, opens September 8

An ageless rock goddess’s new sound

7 English singer­-songwriter and multi-­instrumentalist PJ Harvey is in her fourth decade of a robust solo career. This fall, she’s heading out on the North American leg of her tour for her 10th studio album, 2023’s I Inside the Old Year Dying, which was nominated for best alternative album at this year’s Grammy Awards. Her first release since 2016’s The Hope Six Demolition Project, the record features an ethereal, low-­fi sound, with Harvey’s lilting vocals driving the tracks over bare-­bones production. The ever­-evolving artist is hitting Toronto for two nights this month. History, September 25 to 26

A multi-day showcase of Indigenous culture

8 This weekend-long celebration of Indigenous art and music takes place at neighbouring Front Street institutions: the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts and Meridian Hall. The venues will host Indigenous music, comedy, puppetry and workshops, with performances by Peguis First Nation singer­-songwriter William Prince, Plains Cree rapper Drezus, Cree cellist Cris Derksen, Juno­-nominated Mohawk singer-­songwriter Shawnee Kish and Mohawk electro­-R&B artist Semiah. St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts and Meridian Hall, September 13 to 15

A beloved musical’s long-awaited return

9 Twenty-three years ago, the population of Gander, Newfoundland, shot up by two­-thirds overnight when 38 planes were grounded there following 9/11. The legendary hospitality shown by locals to the stranded passengers was immortalized by Come From Away, the hit musical developed by Toronto husband­-and-­wife team Irene Sankoff and David Hein. It rapidly became a fan favourite, capturing hearts on and off Broadway and playing for seven years in theatres across Canada. As the show makes its post­-Covid return, we talked to Sankoff and Hein about the most staggering moments along the way.

David Hein: In 2001, Irene and I were living in New York. She was getting a master’s at the Actors Stu­dio, and I was working at a recording studio. We lived in a residence for international students when 9/11 hap­pened. Neighbours were knocking on our door to see if we were okay. Years later, in 2009, producer Michael Rubinoff came to see our show My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding. He’d approached five or six writing teams with the idea for Come From Away, and they’d all turned him down. But the story of Gander reminded us of our experience in New York. So we went for it.

Irene Sankoff: In 2011, on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, we went to Gander. The “come from aways” and their hosts were hav­ing a reunion, and we talked to as many people as we could. The bond between the people who’d been stranded and the locals was so strong. It was a magical three weeks.

DH: Initially, Irene didn’t think it should be a musical. But I grew up with East Coast musicians. One night, Shanneyganock played a benefit concert at the Gander ice rink. Everyone was dancing—even exec­utives in three-piece suits. Irene turned to me and said, “Okay, it’s a musical.”

Through the Canadian Music Theatre Project at Sheridan College, we secured a rehearsal hall, a director, a band, a musi­cal director and some talented students. They helped us develop the show over five weeks. Around that time, we also went to New York and cold­-called about 300 the­atres, looking for a place to workshop the show. We ended up finishing the script at Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut. At that point, we had no idea the show would be a hit. We thought Canadian high school students might be forced to perform it, if we were lucky.

Then we were one of a handful of shows out of hundreds that got accepted into the National Alliance for Music Theatre’s festival in New York. It was an amazing opportunity: Broadway producers, theatres from around the world, and film and TV reps saw the piece. We just did a staged reading with music stands, a piano and a fiddle, but more than one producer was interested. We ended up going with Junk­yard Dog Productions, a Tony Award–winning company in New York.

IS: We insisted on having Cana­dians in the cast. We were thrilled to have Newfoundland actor Petrina Bromley.

DH: Leading up to our world pre­miere, in May of 2015 at La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, we were super nervous. There were con­stant rewrites, and we were stay­ing up all night to get them done. On opening day, people lined up for hours to get tickets. We sold out. After a May­ to­ July run, we went to Seattle Repertory Theater. Both runs broke box-­office records.

IS: La Jolla hadn’t seen a line outside the ticket booth that long since Jersey Boys. In Seattle, we broke the phone lines.

DH: We started hearing rumblings about Broadway when we played in DC, at Ford’s Theater, in fall of 2016. We toured the Pen­tagon and spent time with first responders and their families. Their approval mattered a lot: the piece commemorated their expe­riences. It celebrated the idea that there are still good people in the world. Their bless­ing helped our producers believe we could go to Broadway.

But, first, we brought the show to Gan­der for two benefit concerts. We were nervous to stage it for the people who had hosted us and shared their stories. When the audience started singing along in the middle of the opening number and gave the show a standing ovation before it had even finished, we burst into tears.

IS: It felt incredible—like having your baby, wedding and graduation all at the same time in front of 5,000 people.

DH: We then brought the show to Toronto, which was important to us. It’s where we created it. Irene grew up on Mirvish musicals. It was also a way for us to give back to Canadian theatre and recognize that Toronto can be an important part of pre-Broadway development.

We opened on Broadway on March 12, 2017. It was an extraordinary night. We brought the Gander locals and come from aways onstage at the end of the show. Seeing this New York audience give them a massive standing ovation meant the world to us. Afterward, our producer, Sue, brought me out on stage to point out some people. When she turned me around, I saw that she’d snuck Shanneyganock on stage. At that point, it became a Newfoundland kitchen party. We were all swinging each other around.

IS: Then we won a Tony. It was like the ultimate senior year of high school, where you’re doing all these amazing things, getting dressed up and having a ton of fun.

DH: But Covid was a nightmare for the industry. The Canadian company was on hold until we reopened in December of 2021—then promptly got shut down again seven days later.

IS: Coming back after three years is wonder­ful. We have almost all the same cast and crew, and it’s so nice to be together again.

DH: It feels like a family. That never went away. Everyone’s just been waiting to come back and tell the story again.