Opera singer Measha Brueggergosman.Moe Doiron/The Globe and Mail
The War of 1812
"Invading Canada," Thomas Jefferson predicted, "will be a mere matter of marching." Of course it wasn't that simple, as history tells us. Or as Michael Hollingsworth tells us. The mischievous playwright offers his madcap take on an unfulfilling military conflict, one of the chapters in his 21-part play-cycle The History of the Village of the Small Huts . The staging, involving beams of light on the actors' painted faces, is unique, and the satire is hysterical as well as historical. Limited run, Tuesdays to Saturdays. $20 to $50. Young Centre, 50 Tank House Lane, 416-866-8666 or youngcentre.ca.
Toronto Jewish Film Festival
One of the many music movies shown at this year's annual salute to Jewish cinema is Neil Diamond: Solitary Man, which screens Saturday, 7 p.m. at Innis Town Hall. It's a breezy 2010 bio-doc by Samantha Peters on the baritone advocate of blue jeans and songs sung blue. For fans, then, a hot April night. Sunday's highlights include Altina (a documentary on the inventor, artist and filmmaker Altina Schinasi; 1 p.m., Innis Town Hall) and the poignant drama Aya (3 p.m., Sheppard Cinemas). To April 21. $8 to $13. Various venues, tjff.com.
Measha Brueggergosman
Here comes Measha Brueggergosman, the dazzling and electrified soprano. With the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, she'll lend voice to Samuel Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915 , an orchestral ode to southern porches, small towns and simpler times, as well as four songs by the fragile French composer Henri Duparc, who wrote only 13 in his lifetime (1848 to 1933). Also on the program are suites from Ravel's Mother Goose and Stravinsky's The Firebird . April 13. $29 to $145. Roy Thomson Hall, 416-872-4244 or tso.ca.
Lost in the Memory Palace
Their artistic vision is often sound. An exhibition collects seven works from Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, a couple who produce mixed-media installations together. Included in this survey is 1995's Dark Pool (which is a room full of furniture, books and mechanical paraphernalia where snippets of stories and strains of music are heard) 2005's Opera For a Small Room (which is equipped with antique loudspeakers out of which come arias and the occasional pop tune) and Experiment in F# Minor , a noteworthy new work. To Aug. 18. Closed Mondays. $11 to $19.50. Art Gallery of Ontario, 317 Dundas St. W., 416-979-6648.
Toronto Vintage Clothing Show
You want obscure clothing? This one-day sale collects an assortment of duds, jewellery and accessories, as well as old linens, fabrics and quilts. This isn't a flea market; the dealers from Ontario and Quebec are experienced and knowledgeable. April 14, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. $8 (under 12 free). Artscape Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie St., antiqueshowscanada.com.
Brad Wheeler