THEATRE NEWS:
Plenty on offer at Luminato stage events;
Stratford Fest honours former artistic director Michael Langham
9 JUN/11

JOHN COULBOURN - QMI Agency

TORONTO - Since its inception, Luminato has strived to shine its light on the performing arts — encouraging homegrown artists to strut their stuff, while still offering audiences the chance to catch an international array of dancers, singers, actors and performance artists as well. This year's edition is no different, cramming a wealth of stage treasures into the 10-day fest. Or maybe that should be 10 days and One Thousand and One Nights.

As theatrical marathons go, this year's two-part, six-hour retelling of One Thousand and One Nights promises to be almost as challenging as Robert Lepage's Lipsynch — and people are still kicking themselves for missing it in 2009.

Adapted from the tales of Shahrazad by Hana al-Shaykh, and directed by Britain's Tim Supple, OTAON brings the classic tale of Persian intrigue to life on the stage of the Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre in Luminato's most ambitious commission to date. Boasting an international cast from the Arabic speaking world, Parts I and II, each clocking in at three hours, run from June 7-19.

Toronto theatre artists are also stepping up and stepping out in honour of Luminato. Necessary Angel, for instance, has recruited a cast of 50 to tackle Louise Dupré's Tout Comme Elle (Just Like Her), at the Bluma Appel Theatre, under the direction of Brigitte Haentjens from June 13-18. And they are also staging the world première of Evie Christie's adaptation of Andromache, under the direction of Graham McLaren at the Theatre Centre, June 10-19.

And while Soulpepper gears up to run seven productions, including Billy Bishop and (re)Birth: e.e. cummings in Song and Dance in rep at the Young Centre over Luminato's run, Theatre Smith-Gilmour teams up with Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre for the North American première of Lu Xun Blossoms, at the Isabel Bader Theatre, June 15-18.

From a dance perspective, international focus is certain to be on Taj, running June 10-12 at the Fleck Dance Theatre, with the artists of Sampradaya Dance Creations bringing life to the back story of the Taj Mahal. Hometown crowds have already enthusiastically embraced the National Ballet of Canada's North American première of Christopher Wheeldon's balletic adaptation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, so the success of its Luminato run at the Four Seasons June 10-12 is more or less assured.

Also on the dance front, Akram Khan and Nitin Sawhney present the North American première of Confluence, a conversation in dance and music at the MacMillan Theatre, June 16-18, a Sadler's Wells production.

And finally, local cabaret's reigning diva and divo, Sharron Matthews and Shawn Hitchins, team up to host Broadway's Night Out June 13 in Metro Square, a free (and free-wheeling, we suspect) event featuring casts from the Shaw Festival's My Fair Lady and the Stratford Festival's Jesus Christ Superstar and a host of others.

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TORONTO - The Stratford Shakespeare Festival has announced plans to honour Michael Langham, who served as artistic director of the Festival from 1956 to 1967, at a memorial service to be held in the Festival Theatre, July 10 at 10 a.m. Admission is free.


Langham, who assumed control of the Festival from its founding artistic director, Tyrone Guthrie, died at his home in England in January. He was 91.