5 can't-miss plays to catch across Canada this summer

If you're looking for ways to beat the heat this summer, the inside of a theatre will always have you covered. But with so many exciting shows to choose from, which should you try to catch this season?

Today on Commotion, theatre critic Aisling Murphy joins guest host Amil Niazi to give a preview of what to look forward to from the Stratford Festival's season this summer in Ontario, and other performances to catch across the country.

We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player.

Ontario

Amil:  There's 12 plays running this year at Stratford. For someone who's listening to this and goes, "OK, I'm going to make my way to all the bakeries," what should they go and see? 

Aisling: It's important to note that I've only seen six of the openings so far because every year Stratford staggers their openings, so there are things slated for later in the summer that I'm super excited about and also haven't seen. One of those is Get That Hope. This is a modern adaptation of Long Day's Journey Into Night, set in Toronto's Little Jamaica neighborhood. It's by the playwright Andrea Scott, who has proven herself over and over again. All signs point to this show being amazing, so I'm so excited for that opening later in the summer.

Both of the musicals this year are incredibly strong, so if you want a really big musical, Something Rotten! is the way to go. If you want something in a bit of a smaller space, but still dazzling in terms of its costumes and sets, La Cage aux Folles. You can't go wrong with that.

Eastern Canada

Aisling: I would first actually head to Gander, Newfoundland.

Amil: Surprising.

Aisling: Yeah, maybe not what folks would expect. But if you know anything about Canadian musical theatre, you'll know that Gander has kind of an important place in the canon as the birthplace of Come From Away. This has now happened for a few years now, where they'll do a production of Come From Away in Gander, which is just so incredibly special — to be able to witness that story unfurl in this tiny small town on the East coast. 

I've now been to Newfoundland to see Come From Away twice, and every time it's been a transformative experience. You're really getting to interact not only with the show at that point, but with the community that built it as well. It's an incredibly special experience that anyone who can, I think should do.

Quebec

Aisling: There's a show opening in Montreal in the next couple of weeks called The Great Divide, and this will be at the Segal Centre in Montreal. We actually had this in Toronto in 2022 at the Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company. It's a really haunting and touching play about the Triangle Shirtwaist fire in the early 20th century in New York. I found it to be written very, very well. It's uncovering maybe a hidden part of history in a way I found super effective, so I highly recommend for anyone in the Montreal area.

Western Canada

Aisling: Edmonton Fringe is the largest and longest running fringe in North America, which I find so cool. Edmonton seems like kind of a random spot for that to happen, but it's also a huge deal. The fringe circuit in Canada generally is a great way for folks to experiment with some theatre that they wouldn't have thought to see on their own before, but Edmonton in particular is a great spot for that. 

Northern Canada

Aisling: Nakai Theatre company in the Yukon, they do these puppet parades every summer for continuing care homes and other community outreach markets and things. I find that they've really integrated puppetry into a lot of their community outreach, which is really cool. The photos look amazing, and I've wanted to check it out for years, so I hope that people have the chance to.

You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.

Interview with Aisling Murphy produced by Jess Low.