The Dancemakers troupe is performing a highly avant-garde dance piece with a little edginess on Nov. 23, 2013.DAVID HOU
Needles and Opium
It has been said that Robert Lepage's work is a visual stitching-together of his own memories, but that his skill is so great he can make us believe we're witnessing the destruction of the meaning of things. More than 20 years after the first production of the Rober Lepage's breakout Needles and Opium, a new version of his mediation on love, alienation and addiction (echoing Jean Cocteau's dependence on opium and Miles Davis's on heroin) is a two-hander now instead of a solo show. It receives its English-language premiere herewith Canadian Stage. To Dec. 1. $24 to $79. Bluma Appel Theatre, 27 Front St. E., 416-368-3110 or canadianstage.com.
Hi-Fi
Here we have a highly avant-garde dance piece from the Dancemakers troupe that questions authority, boldly engages its audiences and challenges notions of what dance is and what it can be. The performance space is set up like a gallery, with no seats. Audience members are asked to remove their shoes, and are welcome to walk about the room during the show. Expect a unique experience, and for dance fans who like a little edginess, high fives for Hi-Fi just might be warranted. Nov. 23 (2 and 8 p.m.) and Nov. 24 (2 p.m.). $20 to $25. Dancemakers Centre for Creation, 9 Trinity St., 416-367-1800 or eventbrite.com.
European Union Film Festival
The annual event is dedicated to films from European countries only, and yet the box office refuses euros. Outrageous? Not at all, because the dozen flicks from 11 nations are all free to watch, on a first-come, first-serve basis. Highlights this weekend include the Oscar-nominated Bullhead, a Belgian thriller involving a young cattle farmer, an unscrupulous veterinarian and the assassination of a policeman (Nov. 23, 9 p.m.). To Nov. 27. Free (reservations available, $10). Royal Cinema, 608 College St., 416-466-4400 or eutorontofilmfest.ca.
Aladdin
The new Disney musical about a street urchin and a magic lamp is headed for Broadway early next year, but before the magic carpet takes off for The Great White Way, it has business in The Great White North. The stage production (based on the 1992 animated film, which featured a Robin Williams-voiced genie), stars Adam Jacobs, who hopes to rub everyone the right way as the titular ragamuffin. To Jan. 5. $35 to $130. Ed Mirvish Theatre, 244 Victoria St., 416-872-1212 or mirvish.com.
Anoushka Shankar
She began training on her instrument as a child, but she never required a baby sitar. Anoushka Shankar, the daughter of the late virtuoso Ravi Shankar, began touring with her famous father as a young teenager, earned her first Grammy nomination at 21and has collaborated with the likes of Sting, Lenny Kravitz and the violin star Joshua Bell. The elegant and innovative sitarist's latest album is Traces of You, a serene work that features a cameo by her half-sister Norah Jones, the jazz-pop celebrated chanteuse. Nov. 23, 8 p.m. $30 to $85. Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W., 416-408-0208 or rcmusic.ca.
Brad Wheeler