Stage/Theatre

Royal Alexandra Theatre, from $49

After the back and forth of pandemic lockdowns forced Mirvish’s last Toronto run to close, Irene Sankoff and David Hein’s Newfoundland-set hit musical is back. Good thing, too: We’ve missed those wooden chairs. Click here for more information.

CAA Theatre, from $50

A hit on Broadway in 2023 and the opener of the 2024-25 off-Mirvish season, this satire by Indigenous playwright Larissa FastHorse mocks performative political correctness. Vinetta Strombergs will direct a rock-solid cast of local talent (Rachel Cairns, Colin Doyle, Craig Lauzon and Jada Rifkin) in Pop-Up Theatre Canada’s

Tarragon Theatre, $72

A trio of monsters  are taking over the Tarragon Mainspace. In this touring Spontaneous Theatre creation by Rebecca Northan and Bruce Horak, goblins find a copy of Shakespeare’s complete works and give Macbeth a shot, resulting in comedy, tragedy and a splatter of improvisation. Goblin:Macbeth has so resonated with audiences that the company has already premiered Goblin:Oedipus. We’re excited to see why. Click here for more information.

The Assembly Theatre, $30

“Can I create a play so dumb that they take my Dora [Award] away?” asks writer-director Alec Toller in the press release for this Circlesnake Productions comedy, which is apparently like if The Muppets were trying to put on a seminar about ADHD but a bunch of Canadian actors (Sharjil Rasool, Jillian Welsh, Danny Pagett, Chloe Sullivan and Jon Blair) tried to interject with their own ideas about what should be on stage. Click here for more information.

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, from $35

The Canadian Opera Company is presenting this Verdi opera about a Babylonian king for the first time ever, and the production, courtesy of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, sounds mammoth — the cast features over 120 performers, including baritone Roland Wood in the titular role and soprano Mary Elizabeth Williams as the female lead. Click here for more information.

630 Queen St. East, PWYC from $0

The 14th edition of English Canada’s oldest performance art festival will feature nightly evening performances at 630 Queen St. E., along with additional performances, talks and exhibitions at Hart House and 401 Richmond. Featured artists hail from Germany, Sweden, Brazil, Japan and more. All programming is free. Click here for more information.

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, $30

This curated fall festival from the folks at Toronto Fringe returns for its 17th iteration with six full productions: Keir Cutler’s solo show Civilized, which satirizes a 19th-century civil servant in favour of residential schools; Louise Casemore’s two-hander Gemini, a dive into the dynamic between a bartender and one of her regular customers; Lyndsey Bourne and Sam Kaseta’s Vancouver-set musical I Was Unbecoming Then, which explores the peaks and valleys of high school choir practice; Frankétienne’s 1978 play The Noose, about two Haitian immigrants in a New York basement apartment; Lou Campbell’s solo show Prude, an enigmatic blend of standup and drag; and Bonnie Duff’s drama This Feels Like the End, which asks what would happen if the sun suddenly stopped rising. Click here for more information.

Bluma Appel Theatre, from $48

If anyone can make a solo show in the 867-seat Bluma Appel Theatre work, it’s Maev Beaty, one of Canada’s most consistently exciting stage actors. Produced by Canadian Stage, this adaptation of Elizabeth Strout’s popular novel, about a woman reuniting with her mother after several years, should give her the chance to flex her whole arsenal of acting skills. Click here for more information.

Theatre Passe Muraille, from $15

A Flin Flon Cowboy Collective and TPM co-production in association with Why Not Theatre, this new autobiographical country musical chronicles the life of Ken Harrower, a gay and disabled singer. The story begins in Ken’s birthplace of Flin Flon, MB, before diving into his harrowing experience of Winnipeg’s foster care system. Click here for more information.

Soulpepper Theatre, from $40

Timed to overlap with the upcoming U.S. election, this quasi-solo play by American playwright Heidi Schreck invites audiences to consider their relationship to their country’s foundational principles. And, lest you worry it won’t be relevant to Toronto audiences, Shreck has reimagined the parts of the script for this Canadian run co-produced by Soulpepper and Nightwood in association with Necessary Angel and Talk is Free. Directed by Soulpepper artistic director Weyni Mengesha; performed by Amy Rutherford. Click here for more information.