“Primary Trust”, Crow's Theatre, Toronto

Gord and I saw Primary Trust at Crow's Theatre this afternoon. 

It was very good! The simple set was used well. The four actors were excellent, with 2 playing different characters convincingly. 

For years, Kenneth has found solace in the mundane routine of his daily life—days spent working at a local bookshop, evenings spent nursing a single mai tai at his favorite bar. 

But when the shop closes and he suddenly finds himself without a job, his carefully ordered world is upended. With nothing left to anchor him, Kenneth must step beyond the quiet life he’s built and confront the fears, dreams, and unspoken grief that have kept him at a standstill.

“Summer and Smoke”, Crow's Theatre, Toronto

Gord and I saw Tennessee William's Summer and Smoke at Crow's Theatre this afternoon.

In a small town in the heat of summer—under the wings of an angel—Alma Winemiller, minister’s daughter, meets John Buchanan, the reckless and intoxicating doctor next door. 

As summer deepens—and their longing for one another intensifies—desire, duty, and convention collide, dangerously blurring the line between passion and ruin. 

Blistering, poetic, and rapturous, this rarely-staged 20th-century masterpiece is Tennessee Williams at his most heart-rending.

“The Bidding War”, Crow’s Theatre, Toronto, ON

Gord and I saw The Bidding War tonight at Crow’s Theatre (Carlaw/Dundas E). 

The city’s last affordable house is for sale. Heads roll and shrimp tails fly when a frantic, 12-hour bidding war erupts during what was supposed to be a routine open house. Agents turn on buyers, buyers turn on agents, and everything spirals into an uproarious dark comedy of desperation and anxiety. 

This season’s largest cast brings everyday homebuyers to life as they grapple with extraordinary circumstances, skyrocketing housing costs, gentrification and sabotage.

"The Flick", Crow’s Theatre, Toronto, ON

Gord and I saw The Flick this afternoon at Crow's Theatre (on Carlaw Avenue, north of Queen Street E) ... it's the first time we've been to this theatre.

In this Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece by Annie Baker, three ushers navigate life making $8.25/hour, as they attend to the last 35mm film projector in town. Hailed by The Guardian as “a love letter to the theatre”, "The Flick" is a hilarious and heart-rending cry for authenticity in a fast-changing world.

The set-up was interesting.  We were seated (general admittance) in seats facing theatre seats.

The Flick is set in a rundown movie theatre in and follows three underpaid movie ushers, Avery, Sam and Rose (who also runs the film projector), who sell the movie tickets, sell from the concession stand and clean the theatre.  The play is the conversations as they are cleaning.  The oldest employee is 35-year-old Sam, who still lives at home with his parent.  Rose is promiscuous.  Sam is in love with Rose, who he thinks is gay, though.  Avery is a 20-year-old shy and depressed film aficionado (and the newest employee) who just wants to be friends with Sam.

It's a long play ... it started at 2pm and ended about 5:15pm, with a 15 minute intermission.  There are times when Avery and Sam are just sweeping and cleaning.  The actors did an excellent job in their roles ... it's basically just the three of them interacting.  Though it is long, I was still drawn in.  The seats, though, aren't comfortable ... it's like sitting in your kitchen chair for three hours.