The Lineup: Oct. 13 - 19

ART & MUSEUMS

Queen Elizabeth II by

Cecil Beaton

Having your portrait taken can be a royal pain, but the photographer Cecil Beaton (1904 – 1980) undoubtedly had an agreeable waywas with a flashbulb, having been the official shooter for the world's most famous blue bloods for five decades. An exhibition examines his work (in both colour and black and white) with Queen Elizabeth, apparently quite a subject. To Jan. 1513, 2013. $12 to $15. McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 10365 Islington Ave., Kleinburg, Ont., 1-888-213-1121.

Fall Beach Studio Tour

Squeeze between pooches and dodge the baby strollers when you take a self-guided tour of 13 studio sites in the leafy east-end neighbourhood, where paintings, hand-woven fashion, ceramics, photography, sculpture, jewellery and home decor are fashioned. Oct. 19 to 21. Free. 416-691-5195 .

CLUBS

Eleni Mandell, with Lilly Frost

The title of her latest album is I Can See the Future, a comment on the recent birth of her twins. The record finds the chanteuse in sunnier disposition than she formerly demonstrated, but the songwriting is strong as ever. The local free spirit and elegant songbird Lilly Frost opens a charismatic double bill. Oct. 19, 8:30 p.m. $13.50 to $15 (available at Soundscapes and Rotate This). Drake Hotel, 1150 Queen St. W., 416-531-5042.

The Be Good Tanyas

Soft roots-music specialists Samantha Parton, Frazey Ford and Trish Klein have reunited after a hiatus, in time to celebrate a greatest-hits collection released this summer. Expect three-part harmonies, warm instrumentation and, from Ms. Ford in particular, intriguing enunciation. Oct. 18, 8 p.m. $25. Great Hall, 1087 Queen St. W., ticket.web.

CONCERTS

Flying Lotus

The experimental California hip hop artist and producer comes by his adventurism naturally, he being blood-related to the late jazz pianist Alice Coltrane. The rising star's new album is the idea-packed Until the Quiet Comes, a breakthrough effort making much noise among the taste-makers. Oct. 13, 9 p.m. $23.50 (available at Soundscapes, Rotate This and ticket.web). Music Hall, 147 Danforth Ave.

The Tuning of the World

Composer R. Murray Schafer is feted tomorrow evening, with an Esprit Orchestra program that launches his autobiography (My Life on Earth and Elsewhere) and premieres his Wolf Returns, a work commissioned for the occasion that includes ritual chanting. Oct. 14, 8 p.m. (7 p.m., book launch and pre-concert talk). $20 to $55. Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W., 416-408-0208 or performance.rcmusic.ca.

Rush

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees do two at the Air Canada Centre, an audacious double-dip for a still potent and interested prog-rock trio. Oct. 14 and 16, 8 p.m. $73.50 to $157.50. 40 Bay St., 1-855-985-5000.

Centennial: Newly Discovered Works of Gil Evans

The "lost" big-band masterpieces of the legendary Toronto-born composer and Miles Davis-collaborator Gil Evans, which were collected this summer on Ryan Truesdell's significant CD, are performed here by Mr. Truesdell and the star-studded Humber Faculty Jazz Orchestra. Oct. 19, 8 p.m. $10 to $20. Humber Lakeshore Campus, 3199 Lake Shore Blvd. W., 416-675-5005.

THEATRE

Tear the Curtain!

Vancouver collaborators Jonathon Young and Kevin Kerr rip the fabric with a thriller (about a mob-based clash between theatre and film interests in the 1930s) that splits the difference between cinema and live performance. To Oct. 20. $24 to $99. Bluma Appel Theatre, 27 Front St. E., 416-368-3110 or canadianstage.com.

Bloodless: The Trial of Burke and Hare

They check in, and then they check out. A black comedy by Adam Brazier concerns a a 19th-century Scottish boarding house where serial killing turns guests into medical school cadavers. To Oct. 28. $49 to $69. Panasonic Theatre, 651 Yonge St., 416 872-1212 or mirvish.com.

The Normal Heart

Larry Kramer's fiery and eloquent drama looks back at the anger and frustration of the early days of the HIV-AIDS pandemic. Oct. 21 to Nov. 18 (previews begin Oct. 19). Buddies in Bad Times, 12 Alexander St., 416-975-8555.

DANCE

Road Trip

Here's a world premiere from Susie Burpee and Linnea Swan, a pair of fearless dancemakers. Employing elements of contemporary dance, theatre and farce, this tragicomic duet explores a journeyof friends. Oct. 18 to 20, 8 p.m. $19.50 to $34. Enwave Theatre, 231 Queens Quay W., 416-973-4000 or danceworks.ca.

The Royal Drummers and Dancers of Burundi

Have your fill of drumsticks last weekend? Have no fear, these energetic East African movers and percussionists won't put anyone to sleep. Oct. 14, 2 and 5 p.m. $49 to $54. Markham Theatre, 171 Centre Blvd., 905-305-7469.

Dichterliebe: The Poet's Love

Sixteen choreographies created by dancers, playwrights, architects and others make up a night of cabaret-style diversions. Performed by Laurence Lemieux (with singer Alexander Dobson and pianist Jeanie Chung), the program celebrates the naming of the Mimi Herrndorf Studio Theatre. Oct.13, 8 p.m. $25 to $35. The Citadel, 304 Parliament St., 416-364-8011 or colemanlemieux.com.

Departure 00:00

An hour-long program of contemporary and traditional African dance features three new works by Lua Shayenne, including War Child, based on the story of child soldiers. Oct. 13 (8 p.m.) and Oct. 14 (5 p.m.). $30. Lower Ossington Theatre, 100 Ossington St., 416-915-6747 or lowerossingtontheatre.com.

COMEDY

Humour Me: Dana Carvey

Not gonna do it. Not. Gonna. Do it. Oh, of course he'll do it. The former SNL mainstay is sure to revive his George Bush Sr. imitation, as well as putting his comedic presidential seal on incumbent Obama and candidate Romney. He headlines a show in benefit of kids at risk. Oct. 17, 7:30 p.m. $72.83 to $168.83. Winter Garden, 189 Yonge St., 1-855-985-5000.

Big City Improv Festival

Some 75 troupes wing it for an event of extemporaneous laugh-making. This weekend finds Jerry Minor and Steve Little (from the HBO baseball-based comedy Eastbound and Down) guesting with different acts. To Oct. 20. Various ticket prices and passes. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor St. W., 416-551-6540 or bigcityimprovfestival.com.

LITERATURE & LECTURE

Kamal Al-Solaylee

It wasn't necessarily hard to be Kamal Al-Solaylee, but it was complicated. The journalism professor and former Globe and Mail drama critic discusses Intolerable, his elegant memoir involving

sexual identity and the extreme ethnic, religious and economic friction involved in his

upbringing in Yemen, Beirut,

Cairo and back to Yemen again. Oct. 17, 7 p.m. Free. North York Central Library, 5120 Yonge, 416-395-5639.

International Festival of Authors

The 11-day literary fandango kicks off with a benefit for Pen Canada, for which CBC Radio One's Eleanor Wachtel interviews Rohinton Mistry, the well-prized Indian-Canadian author of luminous fiction. Oct. 18, 8 p.m. $50. Fleck Dance Theatre, 207 Queens Quay W., 416-973-4000 or readings.org.

FUNDRAISER

Fact? Or Fiction?

Hmmm, a fossil of an iPhone? Doesn't seem very likely. A skeleton of a racoonosaurus? Oh, that has to be real. To raise money for ROM education and research, guests guess the authenticity of curiosities pulled from the vaults. Oct. 16, 6 p.m. $500. Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park, 416-586-8064.

EVENTS

Toronto Garlic Festival

How many cooks does it take to change a garlic bulb? None. Why would you want it changed? It's perfectly tasty, aromatic and fine the way it is. This herb event includes cooking demonstrations and a garlic-breath contest. Oct. 13 (1 p.m. to 10 p.m.) and Oct. 14 (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.). $8. Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview Ave.

Artifacts at Maple Leaf Gardens

As the NHL season heads down the toilet, hockey fans are invited to bid on banners, penalty boxes, photos and, yes, a locker-room loo from the old Maple Leaf

Gardens. The online auction

continues to Nov. 14, but the

public display of souvenirs ends Saturday afternoon. To Oct. 13, 3 p.m. Mattamy Athletic Centre at the Gardens, 50 Carleton St., frozenpond.com.

Trinity College Book Sale

The oldest of the University of Toronto book sales has enjoyed an illustrious 37-year history that has seen a signed T.S. Eliot book sold for $2 and a book-browsing encounter between a man and a woman that resulted in marriage. So, speaking of judging a book by its cover, don't. Oct. 18 to 22. Seeley Hall, 6 Hoskin Ave., 416-978-5851.

FILM

Planet in Focus

The end is nigh. The annual environmentally themed film festival closes with Chasing Ice, a perilous, sweeping documentary on melting polar ice caps based on the time-lapse photography National Geographic's James Balog (who will be in attendance at the gala closing presentation, Oct. 14, 7 p.m., $22). To Oct. 14. $5 to $22, TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St. W., 416-599-8433.

Singin' in the Rain

After this crazily upbeat musical was released in 1952, the Boggs Act was passed, which increased punishment and established mandatory substances for

possession of controlled

substances such as marijuana.

We're not saying Gene Kelly was all buzzed up or anything, but the "glorious feeling" and the

"laughing at clouds" business is suspicious. Oct. 17 and 18, 7 p.m. Fox Theatre, 2236 Queen St. E., 416-691-7330.

FAMILY

I On the Sky

Acrobatics, storytelling and colourful visuals are part of what Montreal's Dynamo Theatre calls its "enormously theatrical

production," involving a woman disoriented by a storm who tries to find out where she is and how she got there. Could a young

runaway hold the answers? To Oct. 21. $10 to $20. Young People's Theatre, 165 Front St. E., 416-862-2222.

FREE

Mirabilia: A Miracle on Gladstone Avenue

It's Canada's only Byzantine-styled Anglican church, we've been informed, and the only church with religious art by members of the Group of Seven. St. Anne's celebrates its 150th anniversary with music, lectures, film, storytelling, and, perhaps, a little boasting. To Oct. 21. 270 Gladstone Ave., 416-536-3160 or stannes.on.ca.

CONTINUING

Tafelmusik and Vesuvius Ensemble To Oct. 14. Trinity-St. Paul's Centre, 416-964-6337.

Toronto International Antiquarian Book Fair To Oct. 14. Metro Toronto Convention Centre, torontoantiquarianbookfair.com.

COC's Il Trovatore To Oct. 31. Four Seasons Centre, 416-363-8231.

COC's Die Fledermaus To Nov. 3 Four Seasons Centre, 416-363-8231.

Sister Act To Nov. 4. Ed Mirvish Theatre, 416-872 1212.

BOOKING AHEAD

Cat Power Oct. 20. Kool Haus, 1-855-985-5000.

Frida & Diego: Passion, Politics and Painting Oct. 20 to Jan. 20. Art Gallery of Ontario, 416-979-6648.

Toons For Toddlers: The Wiggles Big Birthday Oct. 20. Fox Theatre, toonsfortoddlers.com.

Toons For Toddlers: The Wiggles Big Birthday Oct. 21. Bloor Cinema, toonsfortoddlers.com.

Smashing Pumpkins Oct. 25. Air Canada Centre, 1-855-985-5000.

John Legend Nov. 3 (postponed). Massey Hall, 416-872-4255.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Nov. 10 to 25. Four Seasons Centre, 416-345-9595.

Snow White: The Deliciously Dopey Family Musical! Nov. 23 to Jan. 5. Elgin Theatre, 1-855-599-9090.

Lady Gaga Feb. 8 (sold out) and Feb. 9. Air Canada Centre, 1-855-985-5000.