Sun., Nov. 18, 2018 MONDAY The Little Drummer Girl Watch this if: You’re optimistic that AMC and John le Carré will go two for two. Advance episodes of this spy drama didn’t make it to the Star’s newsroom, but we’re recommending it in the hope it will share some of the quality of The Night Manager, the previous AMC-BBC co-production of a le Carré thriller. Certainly, the cast of this one is reputable — based on le Carré’s 1983 novel of the same name — with Alexander Skarsgard (Big Little Lies) as spy handler Becker, Michael Shannon (The Shape of Water) as spy master Kurtz and Florence Pugh (Lady Macbeth) as young British actress-turned-spy Charlie. Korean auteur Chan-wook Park (Oldboy, The Handmaiden) directs. (AMC at 9 p.m.) —Debra Yeo Article Continued Below TUESDAY Kaia Kater Watch this because: She’s got far more than an Appalachia-schooled banjo in her arsenal. With just a … [Read more...] about This week in Toronto: Dreaming at the ballet and bleeding at the movies
A midsummer nights dream
A Midsummer Night’s Dream in High Park is too light to linger after waking
By Carly Maga Theatre Critic Thu., July 19, 2018 A Midsummer Night’s Dream Written by William Shakespeare. Directed by Tanja Jacobs. Until September 2 at the High Park Amphitheatre, 1873 Bloor Street West. CanadianStage.com or 416-368-3110. The great Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini said, “Nothing is more honest than a dream.” He even transformed his films into dreams, blurring time and plot and logic into a greater truth. What a dream, then, to match his enigmatic style with the dreamworld that is Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as one half of Canadian Stage’s Shakespeare in High Park series (running in rep with Romeo and Juliet) — which is what director Tanja Jacobs intends to do, according to her note displayed on the large panels that line the audience’s pathway to the High Park Amphitheatre. Article Continued Below However, in Fellini style, the fantastical events that occur over one … [Read more...] about A Midsummer Night’s Dream in High Park is too light to linger after waking
This week in Toronto: Shakespeare, Scorsese and a streetball legend
Sun., June 24, 2018 MONDAY Jay Cocks on The Age of Innocence Watch this if: You want to know what it takes to please Martin Scorsese. For the first night of a doubleheader for TIFF’s Books on Film, host Eleanor Wachtel sits down with veteran screenwriter Jay Cocks to get the skinny on one of Scorsese’s greatest movies (it’s also his most genteel). Nominated for five Oscars in 1993 (it won for costume design), The Age of Innocence is Scorsese and Cocks’ skilful adaptation of Edith Wharton’s 1920 novel about the troubles faced by an upper-crust New York family. You can also catch Cocks for a look at Silence, his latest collaboration with his pal Marty. (TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St. W., 7 p.m.) —Jason Anderson Article Continued Below Dora Mavor Moore Awards Watch this if: You want to celebrate the best of Toronto theatre, opera and dance. The Monday night the Toronto performing arts community waits all year for has … [Read more...] about This week in Toronto: Shakespeare, Scorsese and a streetball legend
In Mexico, a former factory makes for an artful hotel
By SARA LIEBERMAN The New York Times Fri., April 6, 2018 L’Otel at Dôce-18 Concept House Calle Relox 22, Centro, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; doce-18.com Rates From $375 (U.S.) Basics Article Continued Below L’Otel at Doce-18 Concept House is far from a traditional hotel — guests enter rooms from the second level of an open-air building that overlooks a contemporary restaurant and a sort of modern-day mini mall, featuring boutiques and food stalls from local independent businesses. Opened in November 2016 in what was once a metals factory called Casa Cohen, the hotel has a fresh vibe — from zigzag floor tiles to floral wall murals — with shared spaces that include an outdoor patio and pool; a sitting room with a grand piano; and a library stocked with books such as Imperfect Utopia, by the artist Carlos Betancourt. In February, the hotel began offering in-room spa treatments and plans to open a dedicated spa space and … [Read more...] about In Mexico, a former factory makes for an artful hotel
A shadowy and controversial secret club meets in the California woods every year — and at least 5 US presidents were members
caption Presidents Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon were both members. source Wikimedia Commons • Bohemian Grove is the Sonoma County, California campground where the Bohemian Club meets annually. • The Bohemian Club, a San Francisco-based private club that has counted a number of US presidents among its members, is a controversial group. • The club’s reported rituals and secretive status have spawned sinister internet rumors. • But experts and insiders conclude Bohemian Grove goings-on are no more or less troubling than a group of extremely wealthy men letting loose in the forest. Bohemian Grove is a place where strange things happen. In June and July, some of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the country flock to the redwood grove in Sonoma County, California. They’re all members of the Bohemian Club, a private, all-male club that’s counted US … [Read more...] about A shadowy and controversial secret club meets in the California woods every year — and at least 5 US presidents were members