aisling murphy
@aislingmurph.bsky.social
"ash-ling" | theatre reporter + critic @ the globe and mail | aislingmurphy@globeandmail.com
Had the chance to chat with one of my heroes, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, about his take on CINDERELLA (surprise!) at the Shaw Festival. Q&A @theglobeandmail.com: www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...
Wait, why is the Shaw Festival staging two versions of Cinderella this year?
The company will present playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s A New Work in Progress, which is inspired by familiar source material
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A few months ago, I spent the day in Toronto's PATH system, hanging out with the shoe shines who keep Bay Street looking its best – and who spend their evenings acting on some of Toronto's most prestigious stages. Feature @theglobeandmail.com: www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...
A side hustle with extra polish: Inside Bay Street’s actor-owned shoe shine
Working actors in Toronto have embraced a surprising side hustle in the underground shoe shining business
theglobeandmail.com
This summer, three so-called Taydaughters – Maisie Peters, Olivia Rodrigo and Gracie Abrams – released albums that suggest an impasse for the musicians who came of age in the glow of Taylor Swift’s career. Enjoyed writing this for @theglobeandmail.com: www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/musi...
Swifties dubbed them the Taydaughters. Now they’re wrestling with Taylor Swift’s double-edged influence
This summer, three singers released studio albums that suggest an impasse for the musicians, who came of age in the glow of Swift’s career
theglobeandmail.com
Historically, I've been grumpy about Dream in High Park – Toronto's mercurial weather can make it tricky to plan ahead. With that in mind, I'm pleased to share that TWELFTH NIGHT is a well-executed delight that leans into the quirks of outdoor theatre. www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...
In Canadian Stage’s terrific Twelfth Night, the park’s the thing
Director Gregory Prest offers a robust staging that easily accommodates the unpredictability of outdoor theatre
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best part of being a Wife Guy is the specific joy you get when they print something nice about your wife in the big newspaper
aisling murphy@aislingmurph.bsky.social · 2w agoWhat started as a joke became an 800-word screed about why Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau ought to see & JULIET before it closes. We like to have fun here on the theatre beat. Column @theglobeandmail.com: www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...
Hey, folks – get thee to the Shaw Festival for ONE FOR THE POT, another Chris Abraham/Peter Fernandes collab that had me in stitches the whole time. It's a fab farce that ought to top your Shaw itinerary. Critic's Pick review @theglobeandmail.com: www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/arti...
One for the Pot is fun for the lot in Shaw’s silly staging
Peter Fernandes stars as a bumbling set of twins (and later triplets) in Chris Abraham’s kinetic take on the 1961 British farce
theglobeandmail.com
What started as a joke became an 800-word screed about why Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau ought to see & JULIET before it closes. We like to have fun here on the theatre beat. Column @theglobeandmail.com: www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...
An open letter – and date night recommendation – to Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry
Even if you’re not the former prime minister or his girlfriend, the all-Canadian production of & Juliet is worth another watch before it closes Aug. 2
theglobeandmail.com
Is Sara Farb Canada's greatest star? Based on her performance in Shaw's FUNNY GIRL – not to mention her writing of one of the best new plays this year (plus a musical!) – the answer is a resounding yes. Profile @theglobeandmail.com: www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...
Is Sara Farb Canada’s greatest star?
The singer, actor and writer has been preparing for her Funny Girl role for a decade
theglobeandmail.com
I liked THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS, mostly. Fiona Sauder could've adapted the script with a heavier hand – at present, the story feels untouched – but her staging makes gorgeous use of the Shaw Festival's studio theatre. Review @theglobeandmail.com: www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...
The Wind in the Willows at Shaw is timeless, lively and sweet
While Fiona Sauder’s script is uneven in spots, the writer-director conjures a wonderfully whimsical world on the Studio Theatre stage
theglobeandmail.com
Oops — the embargo for this news was supposed to lift tomorrow morning, but an eagle-eyed Redditor found it early. Coming to Harbourfront Centre this winter: the Shaw Festival’s productions of SLEUTH and A CHRISTMAS CAROL. harbourfrontcentre.com/series/shaw/
Shaw Festival at Harbourfront Centre - Harbourfront Centre
Toronto’s New Stage for World Class Theatre.
harbourfrontcentre.com
HEARTBREAK HOUSE at the Shaw Festival has its moments – most of them are supplied by Tom Rooney – but splitting the play into a very short first act and an endless second one just doesn't work. Review @theglobeandmail.com: www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...
Heartbreak House at Shaw is a meandering case of bourgeois blues
Tim Carroll’s lopsided production feels endless in places, but Bernard Shaw’s class commentary remains powerful as ever
theglobeandmail.com
Update: Tonight’s performance has been cancelled.
aisling murphy@aislingmurph.bsky.social · 3w agoThe air quality in Toronto is awful. Enough so, in fact, that Canadian Stage cancelled Dream in High Park's final preview last night. So it's a little puzzling that the company has chosen to move forward with opening tonight, when the air quality is several times worse today than yesterday.
The air quality in Toronto is awful. Enough so, in fact, that Canadian Stage cancelled Dream in High Park's final preview last night. So it's a little puzzling that the company has chosen to move forward with opening tonight, when the air quality is several times worse today than yesterday.
THE SECRET CHORD: A LEONARD COHEN EXPERIENCE was lovely – these docu-concerts always are. But I really found myself missing the personal edge that made Inside American Pie feel like such a revelation. Review @theglobeandmail.com: www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...
The Secret Chord: A Leonard Cohen Experience offers a remix of the legendary musician’s work
Part verbatim play, part tribute act, the piece traces Cohen’s career from top to tail
theglobeandmail.com
Happy to share that I loved HEATED RIVALRY: THE UNAUTHORIZED MUSICAL PARODY. Great music, sharp jokes, killer performances. Wish this had been a full staging, but it's worth catching at @justforlaughs.com if you're in Montreal. www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...
This excellent Heated Rivalry stage spoof might just ease the wait for season two
Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody captures the restless beating heart of the source material without once punching down
theglobeandmail.com
I've been away from work for a few weeks (back on Monday!), but I'd be remiss if I didn't share this feature-review hybrid about MEDUSA, which closes tomorrow at Soulpepper. Not everything worked for me, but Heidi Chan's sound design is really neat. www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...
What’s that sound? In a new stage adaptation of Medusa, headphones amp up the snakessssss
At Soulpepper and Outside the March’s Medusa, headphones offer audiences a chance to hear Medusa’s serpents for themselves
theglobeandmail.com
A great night was had at the Dora Awards! On the heels of a truly baffling slate of nominees – no Tom Rooney, no A Doll's House, no The Veil – I'm quite pleased with how the awards were distributed in the end. Column @theglobeandmail.com: www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...
From Narnia to a teeny storefront theatre, here’s what the Dora Award jurors got right this year
After a baffling slate of nominees, this year’s Dora winners were surprisingly well chosen
theglobeandmail.com
The Dora Mavor Moore Award winners were celebrated tonight - and @aislingmurph.bsky.social approves. www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...
From Narnia to a teeny storefront theatre, here’s what the Dora Award jurors got right this year
After a baffling slate of nominees, this year’s Dora winners were surprisingly well chosen
theglobeandmail.com
OTHELLO (@stratfest.bsky.social) is a gut-punch of violence and psychological torment, acted to perfection by André Sills and Evan Buliung. A must-see. Critic's Pick @theglobeandmail.com: www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...
Othello at the Stratford Festival is an unmissable focal point of the 2026 season
Haysam Kadri’s cast is airtight, with two must-see performances at its centre
theglobeandmail.com
Really nice Q&A with recent Tony Award winner Caissie Levy, written by Hannah Alper, one of The Globe and Mail's summer staffers! www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...
Hamilton-born Caissie Levy wants to use Tony win to start conversations about motherhood
Star of highly praised Ragtime revival is coming off biggest moment of her career to date
theglobeandmail.com
10 DAYS IN A MADHOUSE, the stunning opera by Rene Orth and Hannah Moscovitch, isn't easy. But in its Canadian premiere, the piece suggests a bright future for opera as an art form. Critic's Pick @theglobeandmail.com: www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...
10 Days in a Madhouse sets a new standard for contemporary opera in North America
Extraordinary show follows investigative journalist Nellie Bly as she infiltrates dilapidated psychiatric hospital in 1887
theglobeandmail.com
Got to chat with Jeremy Jordan ahead of his concerts with the TSO this week, and was shocked to discover that the Santa Fe singer has never been to the place he's been crooning about for over a decade! Bucket-list Q&A for @theglobeandmail.com: www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...
Jeremy Jordan has never been to Santa Fe. But gosh, does he love to sing about it
The musical theatre star, best known for Disney’s Newsies, brings his voice to Roy Thomson Hall
theglobeandmail.com
Since Thursday, dozens of people have asked what I thought of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY — not sure I remember the last time a Mirvish show had people so curious about whether to buy a ticket. Spoiler alert: I loved it. Critic's Pick @theglobeandmail.com: www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...
Paranormal Activity at Mirvish is a petrifying screen-to-stage adaptation
Levi Holloway’s script is an appropriately campy vehicle for mind-blowing illusions and terrifying jump scares
theglobeandmail.com
This is what you should be seeing in Toronto this week, btw. (And then you should see Paranormal Activity, but that has a month left in its run.)
aisling murphy@aislingmurph.bsky.social · 2mo agoMan, I loved TIGER BRIDE at Soulpepper. It's weird. It's sexy. It's kind of a mess. But it's my favourite new musical in a long while — and a great vehicle for Hailey Gillis to flex her skills. #theaTO Critic's Pick @theglobeandmail.com: www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...
You know these kinds of plays — they're amusing but not really funny, brisk but not particularly gripping. Wish I'd loved JEEVES & WOOSTER at the Shaw Festival – that cast should've made it so. But it just didn't work for me. Review @theglobeandmail.com: www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...
Jeeves & Wooster at the Shaw Festival is yet another serviceable farce
Top-notch physical hijinks aside, Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense is a forgettable few hours of fun
theglobeandmail.com
Man, I loved TIGER BRIDE at Soulpepper. It's weird. It's sexy. It's kind of a mess. But it's my favourite new musical in a long while — and a great vehicle for Hailey Gillis to flex her skills. #theaTO Critic's Pick @theglobeandmail.com: www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...
Tiger Bride at Soulpepper is a sexy, sinister take on Beauty and the Beast
Extraordinary new musical, written by Frank Cox-O’Connell, Hailey Gillis and Andrew Penner, is an adaptation of The Tiger’s Bride by Angela Carter
theglobeandmail.com
I enjoyed the Shaw Festival's FUNNY GIRL — and especially Sara Farb, whose Fanny is richly considered, gorgeously sung and strikingly reminiscent of Hacks' Deborah Vance. Review @theglobeandmail.com: www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...
Funny Girl at the Shaw Festival delivers the laughs in a post-Hacks world
If you’re missing the HBO Max comedy, seek out glossy musical led by a delightful Sara Farb
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