This is definitely a recurring theme of this blog, that there is just so much to do, particularly in the late fall and winter, and I do worry that I am not seeing something that I should be seeing. I guess there is an abbreviation for this now (FOMO - fear of missing out), but I suffered from this long before Twitter...
It's sort of interesting that with theatre, you can generally piece together a schedule to see most of the interesting works, whereas with classical musical concerts, most concerts are one-offs, though the TSO will sometimes repeat concerts, though never more than 2 or 3 times.
I've been invited to a couple of performances in the next couple of weeks, and I may be able to make them, but at a certain point it just seems I am running from one thing to another (and maybe not fully enjoying myself as much if I cut back a bit...).
I actually just stumbled across a poster for two concerts at St. Barnabas (not all that far from my house) and the Nov. 13 concert looks particularly interesting. They seem to be putting concert notices here, and I'll try to check back in occasionally.
Then the following week Nov. 18 is a concert celebrating the art songs of Healey Willan, and I probably ought to try to make this concert. Details here.
The next day is where it just gets silly. Nov. 19, the Toronto Concert Orchestra is doing Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony and Healey Willan's Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue for organ, as well as Debussy's Rhapsody for Saxophone. This is at St. Paul's Anglican Church on Bloor. The poster for the concert is here.
The same day and same time, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra is doing Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony at Roy Thompson Hall. They are also doing Ravel's Piano Concerto in G. Information here.
It is a tough call, since the musicianship is going to be at a higher level with the TSO, but the program is more interesting with the TCO and I generally prefer church organs to organs in concert halls. Of course, I might solve the dilemma entirely, by skipping both and seeing Bach's solo cello pieces at the UT music school (as suggested here). It's really just too much for the music lover who is trying to do everything. And I just remembered that I have a neighbourhood potluck to attend, so I guess I will miss all of these concerts after all and can stop fretting about it.
While I doubt I would go to the entire series, there is some performer promoting a whole slew of bassoon concerts (details here). Dec. 19 is the most intriguing, but Dec. 5 also looks worth exploring, though I have a conflict that cannot be resolved, so I won't be in attendance.
Moving back to theatre, I've basically decided to give Hart House's Much Ado About Nothing a pass, though it is getting good reviews. I've seen it twice in the last two years, and I need to take a break from it. It basically runs for another two weeks.
I'm fairly likely to take my son to As You Like It at George Brown instead, since it is an easier play to ease into. What I have to decide (and fairly quickly) is whether I want to see Noel Coward's Cavalcade, since I need to put my ticket order for the season together soon (details here). I'm leaning against it, but I'll try to skim the play before the week is out.
At the end of November and into December, there will be an all-female version of Measure for Measure. I doubt they can fully redeem this problem play, but I'm leaning towards checking it out (without my son, to be sure). This will be at Red Sandcastle.
Wolf Manor had originally been slated to do Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, but they've moved this to January (probably better for me in terms of spacing) and then in March will do Chekhov's Three Sisters, which I'll probably see. And I may see the rest of their season, which is heavy on Shakespeare (Richard II and Julius Caesar). This depends if they actually sell subscriptions or not. Details will be unveiled here.
I believe I already mentioned that I had been thinking of seeing Shakespeare Bash'd's staged reading of Middleton's The Changling next Sunday, but then Stratford decided that they would do a full production, so I will hold off on that. On the other hand, they are doing Twelfth Night the first week of Feb. I wish I could take my son, but it looks like it is more of an adults-only affair.
For some reason, Stratford is a bit behind in putting out their schedule for 2017, so I haven't quite figured out what to do. On the other hand, I am thrilled that the Shaw Festival has finally decided to start running buses from Toronto down to Niagara-on-the-Lake. Details here. Unfortunately, the schedule only works out (for me) to be able to see a Sat. or Sun. 2 pm matinee (or possibly a 1 pm matinee but almost certainly not one of their noontime shows). That seems to rule out An Octoroon, but it dramatically increases the odds that I will check out St. Joan this summer. Again, I would be a total hypocrite if I didn't go at least once to show support for this bus.
I'm kind of getting further and further afield, but as long as I am thinking about long bus rides down to that corner of Ontario, I should mention that there is a fairly interesting exhibit at the Albright-Knox in Buffalo. It's called Picasso: the Artist and His Models (info here). As with last year's Monet show, I suspect it will only be a handful of Picasso's on loan, combined with a large selection of works by Picasso’s contemporaries from their collection. If I am extremely fortunate, they will be including their Beckmann. Anyway, I think I'll make the trip in mid-December or early Jan., and I may take my son as well.
Unfortunately, the timing doesn't quite work out to pair this with a performance of Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge, which runs for most of March 2017. I haven't entirely decided if I will go a second time to Buffalo just for this, but I'm leaning that way. It just isn't performed all that often, and it is really the last major Miller I have yet to see.
So as always, there is just too much to do, but I am slowly trying to pick my way through all these offerings.
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