Waiting Room at Tarragon Theatre: 'From writer Diane Flacks and director Richard Greenblatt comes a deeply emotional drama.'CYLLA VON TIEDEMANN
Waiting Room
On the night of this hospital drama's premiere, I saw adults weeping like adults. From writer Diane Flacks and director Richard Greenblatt comes a deeply emotional drama about a young couple dealing with their baby's brain tumour and a neurosurgeon whose care becomes seriously intensive when he becomes his own patient. To Feb. 15. $29 to $50. Tarragon Theatre, 30 Bridgman Ave., 416-531-1827 or tarragontheatre.com.
Don Giovanni
You don't screw with Don Corleone, you don't mess with Don Draper and you don't change up Don Giovanni. You just don't, unless you're Dmitri Tcherniakov, the big-time Russian director who defies convention with an inventively dark take on Mozart's opera and its insistent seducer. In the titular role for the Canadian Opera Company, the baritone Russell Braun stars – he's fine the way he is. Jan. 24 to Feb. 21. $69 to $354. Four Seasons Centre, 145 Queen St. W., 416-363-8231 or coc.ca.
Nikki Yanofsky
Me and Mr. Jones? The Montreal jazz-pop ingénue Nikki Yanofsky and the legendary producer Quincy Jones, they've got a thing going on. For the scat-happy singer's coming-of-age album Little Secret, the generations-spanning duo collaborated on a mix of Winehousian neo-soul and bursts of big pop, with jazz-style decorations. Jan. 24, 8 p.m. $39.50 to $89.50. Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St., 416-872-4255 or masseyhall.com.
Interior Design Show
"I bought a cookie cutter in Sofia, a broom in Hanghzou and scissors in New York." When you're the hotshot German designer Sebastian Herkner, inspiration crosses international timelines. But for the non-jet-setter, the Interior Design Show brings the world our way. Exhibitors and guest speakers (including Mr. Herkner) offer ideas, trends and possibilities. To Jan. 25. $19 to $22. Metro Toronto Convention Centre, 255 Front St. W., 416-585-8000 or interiordesignshow.com.
Hold Mommy's Cigarette
Billed as "one woman's story of an unfiltered life," Hold Mommy's Cigarette is a loft-staged one-hander from Shelley Marshall. Her childhood involved a dysfunctional family with issues involving mental illness; she dealt with the trying home life with humour. Frank and compassionate, the writer-comedian's show is all that and a pack of smokes. Jan. 23 and 24 (8 p.m.), Jan. 25 (2 p.m.) and Jan. 30 to 31 (8 p.m.). The Full Bawdy Loft, 290 Carlaw Ave., 416-821-1754 or holdmommyscigarette.com.
Brad Wheeler