Who: Waxahatchee When: Tue., April 23 Where: Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St. Vibe: Everyone hopes to be frontwoman Katie Crutchfield’s new friend as the Alabama-born singer emanates an “everyone’s welcome, why don’t you pull up a chair” feeling in a non-needy way Highlight: Singalong show-stopping with sizzling Fire encore Rating: NNNN (out of 5) WHEN Waxahatchee frontwoman, Americana-crooner Katie Crutchfield, joins her five bandmates on a stage that’s somewhere between a throne room and the set for a ’60s variety show hosted by someone like Bobby Gentry or Dolly Parton, two stars she has more ..read more

What: A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney Where: Soulpepper Theatre, 50 Tank House Lane When: Now, until Sun., May 12 Highlight: Stylish, immersive design Rating: NNN (out of 5) Why you should go: Mitchell Cushman’s intimate production uses the Marilyn and Charles Baillie Theatre in a manner you may never see again. SOULPEPPER Theatre’s website calls A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney, its new co-production with the rabble-rousing Outside the March (OtM), a “fantasia for the age of Succession.” It’s easy to see wh ..read more

It’s time for Toronto cops to stand down, from police chief Myron Demkiw, to Jon Reid and the police union, the Toronto Police Association (TPA), the cops need to back off and stop meddling in city politics — and now, the courts. From bullying efforts, even threats, to get their increased funding in the most recent city budget — while almost all other departments were slashed — to play-by-play negative commentary on how Mayor Olivia Chow is doing her job – very well actually — and, most recently, outrageous court house comments by the police chief, the police union and others on the force chal ..read more

What: Woking Phoenix Where: Theatre Passe Muraille, Mainspace Theatre, 16 Ryerson Ave. When: Now, until Sat., April 27 Highlight: Wholistic aesthetic experience: audio description, movement and snacks galore. Rating: NNNN (out of 5) Why you should go: Trials and tribulations of familial love that will resonate for any immigrant child or parent. HOW do you show love to your family? Well, the family’s answer in Woking Phoenix may be one familiar to many immigrant households: food. A show that’s been in process with Silk Bath Collective since the pandemic, Woking Phoenix chronicles a loving portr ..read more

What: Swan Lakes + Minus 16 When: Thurs., April 18 through Sat., April 20 Where: Flek Dance Theatre, 207 Queens Quay W. Highlight: Opposing staging from the same source inspiration. Why you should go: A glance at the forefront of European contemporary dance. THURSDAY NIGHT on Toronto’s pier, a bustling crowd containing the who’s who of Ontario’s dance world sits down to view the Canadian Premiere of Gauthier Dance’s Swan Lakes. The piece is a brainchild of Canadian Eric Gauthier — celebrated dancer, choreographer and now founder/artistic director of his own company, Gauthier Dance, based out o ..read more

North by Northeast (NXNE) has announced over 100 new acts and a return to free outdoor shows with a Queen West day party on Sat., June 15, of the five-day festival, which runs from June 12 through 16. Rising pop star Alex Porat, fresh from a recent sold-out show at Axis, headlines NXNE’s free lineup Saturday afternoon (June 15) at the Green P-adjacent Denison, between Bathurst and Spadina. Also featured are jazzy post-bop improvisers Lavender Town, hip hop/R&B duo Allydice, Nigerian-born Calgary-raised artist Dozie, electrifying rock band The Boneheads, British R&B act Vincent Darby, P ..read more

As we recoil each day watching the bombings in Gaza, Ukraine, Yemen and more with an apparent endless increase in militarization across the globe, the horrors can seem far away; turns out weapons, military software and more are all being manufactured right here in Toronto. Seven Toronto-based firms are directly involved in creating armed personnel carriers, bomber guidance systems, surveillance software and more, which are all being used daily by military forces around the world including Israel, the US, Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan. Here’s a guide to your neighbourhood military contractors. TT ..read more

What: shaniqua in abstraction Where: Crow’s Theatre, 345 Carlaw Ave. When: Now, until Sun., April 28 Highlight: An ambitious dramatic structure that refuses to tie together in a neat knot Rating: NNNN (out of 5) Why you should go: Directed by Sabryn Rock in the Crow’s studio, the show is refreshing for its commitment to ambiguity — and vitalizing as a showcase of bahia watson, first-rate actor that she is. IF THERE was a Toronto theatre award for best-titled play, it might go to writer-performer bahia watson’s world premiere solo show shaniqua in abstraction, a Crow’s Theatre production in ass ..read more

What: Mad Madge Where: The Theatre Center, Franco Boni Theatre, 1115 Queen St. W. When: Now, until Sun., April 21 Highlight: Artfully chaotic set, costume and props. Rating: NNN (out of 5) Why you should go: Napoli’s bodacious portrayal of an infamous Jill-of-all-Trades. “WHAT WOULD YOU DO?” Margaret (Rose Napoli) asks the audience. The show has just begun, and she stands a mere arm’s length away from you in the front row of this show in the round. Napoli is in a lavish red skirt, posed and poised, arms draped over her head, wearing nothing more on her top half than artful nipple covers. Oh. Y ..read more

Where: In theatres What: Movie, 109 minutes. When: Fri., April 12 Genre: Thriller Rating: NNN (out of 5) Why you should watch: Alex Garland’s dystopian vision of America is a compelling, effective but ultimately shallow look at the end of an empire. YOU WOULD be forgiven if a description of the opening scene of Alex Garland’s Civil War sounded like a punchline: the United States is embroiled in a civil war, society has crumbled, and the president of the United States (played by Nick Offerman from Parks and Recreation) rehearses a speech while the rebel Western Front, an alliance between Califo ..read more