October, 2018

We all know the saying that comes with daylight saving time to remind us which way to adjust the clock: spring forward, fall back. In keeping with the upcoming autumn adjustment, there are several shows this month that take us back in time.

Bat Out of Hell, the album, was released in 1977. The first collaboration between rock singer Meat Loaf and writer Jim Steinman, it went on to become one of the most iconic, and best-selling, albums of all time. Steinman, now 70 yrs. old, envisioned the album as a musical when he wrote it back in the ’70s and finally, 40 years after the album’s release, his theatrical vision premiered in England last year before playing Toronto in the fall. This October, Bat Out of Hell – the Musical returns to the Ed Mirvish Theatre for three weeks as the first stop on a new North American Tour.

At the Princess of Wales Theatre, fans of the Temptations can catch Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations from October 11 to November 17. Featuring a score comprised of the Temptations’ iconic hit songs, Ain’t Too Proud chronicles the rise of the R&B group through the 1960s and ‘70s. The show’s world premiere run at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in California was the highest grossing production in that theatre’s nearly 50-year history.

One of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s offerings this month is Blue Suede Tunes, which presents the music of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry and more from the golden age of rock and roll. The show features vocalist Frankie Moreno, who has been named the Las Vegas Headliner of the Year three times. It’s onstage October 9 and 10 at Roy Thomson Hall.

James Bond sets out on his first mission as 007 in the 2006 film Casino Royale. Enjoy the film in concert at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, playing October 11 and 12.

The Canadian Opera Company is onstage at The Four Seasons Centre through October with performances of Eugene Onegin, based on Alexander Pushkin’s 1833 novel in verse, and the world premiere of Hadrian, by composer Rufus Wainwright and librettist Daniel MacIvor.

At the Elgin Theatre, Opera Atalier takes to the stage beginning October 25 with a French Baroque double bill, Actéon and Pygmalion.

The shows noted above represent a small sampling of the great theatre, music and dance happening throughout Toronto in October, in theatres large and small. Which show(s) did you enjoy seeing? Share your thoughts below and if you were at one of Toronto’s large theatres, please help us build our theatre database by submitting a review of the view from your seat on our Homepage.

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