Wendy Liebman
Wendy Liebman
Take my joke, please? The American comedian Wendy Liebman has been in the news of late, when it came to be known that a joke being used by Amy Schumer – "I am very old-school. I think the guy should always pay on the first date. For sex" – strongly resembled one from Liebman's act 20 years earlier. Liebman has defused the controversy, but the fact remains that her gentle, timing-dependent bait-and-switch humour is an acknowledged inspiration to Schumer. July 7 to 9. $25. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor St. W., 416-551-6540 or comedybar.ca.
Brian Wilson
"I knew I nailed it," Brian Wilson told the San Diego Tribune recently. "I didn't need feedback. I knew." The Beach Boys maestro referred to his 1966 magnum opus Pet Sounds, an uncommon album from an uncommon man. He tours the LP currently, on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. As for the feedback, it would come – initially in the form of mixed reviews, and, in retrospect, by way of thunderclap praise. Wilson shrugs and sings I Just Wasn't Made for These Times, while pop music stills tries to catch up to his genius. July 4, 8 p.m. $39.50 to $125 (sold out). Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St., 416-872-4255 or masseyhall.com.
Colour of the River Running Through Us
Closing after a year-long extended run, a lovely outdoor installation piece at the McMichael gallery was conceived by the celebrated Toronto multidisciplinary artist Thom Sokoloski, in association with others. Thirteen identical structures rest on a ravine near the East Humber River, serving as a bucolic thought on the flow of life and water. In the evening of July 7, haiku writing and a mass meditation occurs. To July 10. $15 to $18 (family pass, $36). McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 10365 Islington Ave, Kleinburg, Ont., 905-893-1121 or 50years.mcmichael.com.
The Pencil Salesman
Were you raised in a barn? Lucky for you, if it were the theatre barn at the Westben Arts Festival, a delightful summer happening that this year opens with the world premiere of a new opera by Brian Finley. Fully staged in English with a chamber orchestra, The Pencil Salesman concerns an out-of-touch patriarch of a family who is drawn into the present by a wayward peddler. July 1 (7 p.m.) and July 2 and 3 (2 p.m.) $5 to $55. Campbellford, Ont., 877-883-5777 or westben.ca.
Christie Pits Film Festival
When it comes to Sunday-night entertainment, the afternoon Pride Parade leads to many different places. At Christie Pits, a special Pride Toronto edition of a weekly al fresco film series happens. Though the main event is My Prairie Home (a musical documentary about the life and art of the musician Rae Spoon), do try to set your lawn chair or spread your blanket in time for The Little Deputy, a delightful and clever documentary short that satirizes frontier-town tropes through the eyes of a queer Albertan man. July 3, 6 p.m. (screening at sundown). Free/PWYC. 750 Bloor St. W., christiepitsff.com.
Brad Wheeler