[CAT] Shakespeare, disturbed from rest

[MoT] My Mooney on Theatre reviews for the 2018 Toronto Fringe Festival (#fringeto)

This year again, I've been fortunate enough to be able to contribute reviews of shows playing at the Toronto Fringe Festival this year for venerable theatre website Mooney on Theatre.

One way I was particularly lucky this year was in being able to review such a broad diversity of shows, each telling different sorts of stories in different ways. That all of them succeeded is a joy. For people on the fence about attending any one of these shows, know that I definitely recommend each of them.

• My first Mooney on Theatre review this season was of the Moniquea Marion one-person show #GloriousLoser. The sheer density of her many unforgettable comedic character sketches is impressive, as his her confidence as a performer


• My second Mooney on Theatre review was of Cluster Fucked, a theory-dense look at the power of Big Data lacking many elements of traditional theatre. That it is such a success, not only instructing but delighting, is a tribute to the project and all involved.


• My third Mooney on Theatre review was of RAGE AGAINST The Complacent, a compelling drama that takes a look at the compromises we make in life and what we're willing to do to make a difference.


• My fourth Mooney on Theatre review this season was of Hooked, a beautiful dance project that shows the power of this medium to tell stories without words.


• My fifth Mooney on Theatre review this season was of Living Will, a play that looks at the serious issues of aging and end-of-life care with evenhandedness and strong performances.


• My sixth Mooney on Theatre review was of Upstream Downtown, a fun and theatrically inventive romp through life, of salmon and others.


• My seventh Mooney on Theatre review was of RAGE AGAINST The Inferno (Jerusalem), a challenging surrealist play (second in the RAGE AGAINST trilogy) powered by the strength and versatility of its performers.

[URBAN NOTE] Five Toronto links: Scarborough subway, Jimmy's Coffee, Fairland Funhouse, and more

• The final cost of the Scarborough subway remains unknown, on account of the many design changes. The Toronto Star reports.


• Steve Benjamins reports on Toronto's Jimmy's Coffee.


• The old Fairland Grocery in Kensington Market on Augusta Avenue is being made over into a funhouse. (Tickets still available at print time.) NOW Toronto reports.


• The Malta Bake Shop in the Junction is trying to resist gentrification as best as it can. The National Post reports.


• The New York Times reports on a remarkably multilingual kindergarten in Thorncliffe Park.

[URBAN NOTE] Five cities links: Lac-Mégantic, Ruse, Lviv, Istanbul, Melilla

• Five years after the rail disaster, Lac-Mégantic continues to rebuild and to recover. CBC reports.


• Language Hat reports on the city of Ruse in the eastern Balkans, once a famously multilingual community.


• Marginal Revolution takes a quick look at the tumultuous ethnic history of what is now the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.


• Roads and Kingdoms reported on Syrian refugees who set up new homes in Istanbul in an old Ottoman-era neighbourhood.


• The Spanish enclave of Melilla, located on the African coast surrounded by Morocco, faces terrible unemployment. The Irish Times reports.