It’s been 10 years since James Thomas Smith, better known as Jamie xx, released an album of his own. His debut, In Colour, rocked the world of dance when it was released in 2015, and he went on to produce hit tracks for Drake; Tyler, the Creator; and Alicia Keys. Now, with the arrival of his long-awaited sophomore album, In Waves, Smith is making music under his own name again. The English musician and DJ is kicking things off with a world tour, which stops in Toronto for two nights at History. Jan. 14 and 15, History
In this new staging of the 20th-century classic, real-life theatre couples Paul Gross and Martha Burns and Mac Fyfe and Hailey Gillis play two pairs at an exceptionally weird dinner party. Locked in a bitter, toxic relationship, the older couple (Gross and Burns) treat their younger guests (Fyfe and Gillis) to an evening of mockery, betrayal, seduction and deception as they mercilessly unravel the pitfalls of married life. Led by multi-award-winning Canadian Stage artistic director Brendan Healy, the production is a showcase of Canadian talent. Jan. 18 to Feb. 2, Bluma Appel Theatre
Remote-controlled spacecraft may be useful for exploring our solar system, but they’re not the best photographers: the images they snap tend to be better suited for scientific study than gallery walls. But, by colourizing, enhancing and combining these photographs, aerospace artist Michael Benson renders his planetary subjects in glorious detail, creating true-colour scenes of moons passing by Saturn’s rings, ice-water geysers erupting in space and eerie Martian sunsets. Jan. 22 to April 5, The Image Centre
South Korean author Han Kang won the 2024 Nobel Prize in literature for her poetic, experimental novels. Her books, which include The Vegetarian and The White Book, grapple with history’s lingering effects on the present. We Do Not Part, her latest, follows a woman named Kyungha who travels to the island of Jeju to care for the pet bird of a hospitalized friend. From this simple premise, Kang weaves a dark journey through the island’s tortured history, confronting the real-life events that sparked the beginning of the Korean War. Out Jan. 21
Before she was a Grammy-nominated musician (and occasional member of Canadian pop supergroup the New Pornographers), Neko Case was a lonely kid in rural Washington state. After a childhood spent in the woods, she left home at 15 to become a punk drummer. The musician’s rollicking memoir traces her journey from her humble origins to attending Vancouver’s Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, finding success with the band and rising to indie stardom in the late ’90s. Case’s witty, honest voice shines in this tragicomic coming-of-age story. Out Jan. 28
Deadpan, dour and a master of the unimpressed stare, BAFTA award winner Romesh Ranganathan is one of Britain’s most beloved comedians right now. He’s back for the second coming of his previously sold-out Hustle tour, in which he asks whether the concepts of charity, goodness and the value of hard work still hold water—or if they exist only to make us more productive. True to form, he promises to offer zero useful answers. Jan. 22, Danforth Music Hall
With his long and varied career, it’s easy to forget that Danny DeVito directed the 1996 children’s classic Matilda. The film, based on the Roald Dahl story, follows a young girl who is misunderstood by the villainous adults in her life but blessed with the power of telekinesis. The glorious chaos that ensues is set to a timeless score by prolific film composer David Newman (Anastasia, Ice Age). In this touring show, Newman conducts live while DeVito reprises his role as the film’s narrator. It’s a rare chance to see two Hollywood greats relive one of the most charming family comedies of the ’90s. Jan. 25, Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Toronto artist Louise Noguchi has been exploring the theme of identity through sculpture, film and photography for more than five decades. She’s also a professor of studio art at U of T and Sheridan College. Noguchi’s legacy is being celebrated in a new exhibition that spotlights three pieces from her career: Crack, a video depicting a bouquet of flowers being cut down by a whip; Fruits of Belief: The Grand Landscape, an installation that combines sculpture and photography; and Eden, a sculpture made from a mirror. Opens Jan. 18, AGO
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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.
