DESI DIARY
What’s on in July
Image above: The Second City's 82nd mainstage revue, Walking On Bombshells. Until end-July.
July 13: The UPICA annual family picnic. Games, prizes and loads of fun, snacks and dinner. 12 pm to 6 pm at JC Saddington Park, Mississauga. Tickets: Child (5 and under), free; child (6 to 12), $10; adult, $15. Buy through Interac e-transfer to sanjeev.malik@upica.ca. For more info, contact Sanjeev Malik (647-883-4445), Tarun Vasudeva (647-571-4062), Kuldeep Singh (416-418-4013), Rohit Shah (647-232-6911) or Aashish Sharma (416-270-7076).
Until end-July: The Second City's 82nd mainstage revue, Walking On Bombshells (pictured above). An explosive, fast-paced take on the minefield we’re all currently living in. Directed by Chris Earle and starring Nadine Djoury, Stacey McGunnigle, Sharjil Rasool, Allana Reoch, Chris Wilson and PHATT al. Tickets start at $27. Visit www.secondcity.com.
Until Sept. 2: Treasures of a Desert Kingdom: The Royal Arts of Jodhpur, India at the ROM. Ceremonial objects, opulent jewellery, textiles and tapestries, palace furnishings, architectural treasures, and a monumental 17th-century court tent showcase the history of the Rathore dynasty. Ticket info at www.rom.on.ca/en/exhibitions-galleries/exhibitions/rajasthan.
Until Oct. 12: Hungarian director László Bérczes tackles one of the great American classics, Tennessee Williams’s renowned tragedy The Glass Menagerie, resonating with love, loss, bitterness and heartache. Narrator and aspiring poet Tom Wingfield (André Sills) recalls growing up in a Depression-era Midwest apartment with his shy sister Laura (Julia Course) and their overbearing mother Amanda (Allegra Fulton). Yearning to escape his stifling home and family obligations, Tom pins his hopes on Laura’s ‘gentleman caller’ (Jonathan Tan), only to be forever haunted by the devastating outcome of their encounter. At The Shaw’s Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre. Tickets through the box office at 1-800-511-SHAW and at www.shawfest.com.
Until Oct. 12: Rope, a psychological crime drama by Patrick Hamilton at the Shaw Festival’s Royal George Theatre. Jani Lauzon directs the play that’s loosely based on the infamous Leopold and Loeb 1924 murder case. Inspired by debates surrounding amorality with former teacher Rupert Cadell (Michael Therriault), Wyndham Brandon (Kelly Wong) and Charles Granillo (Travis Seetoo) murder a fellow student – just to see if they can pull it off. Drunk on their arrogance and the thrill of committing the ‘perfect murder’, they throw a party and use the locked wooden chest containing the body to serve the evening’s buffet. Tickets at 1-800-511-SHAW and www.shawfest.com.
Sept. 13-14: Canadian comedy superstar Sugar Sammy returns to perform live in Ontario. He can hit on cultural, social and political themes with such charm and finesse that it allows him to push the envelope a little farther than most, especially in his famous improv moments, which allow him to interact with audiences at every one of his shows, both onstage and after the shows. Sugar Sammy consistently has one of the most colourful audiences in Canada. With all this Canadian success, he promptly decamped to Paris and started over from scratch to see how far he could push French audiences. Pretty far, it turns out! He has wowed audiences in France, Belgium and Switzerland. And he keeps popping back home, here in Canada, to remind audiences how good Canadians have it. In 2017, he toured Canada, hosting the Just For Laughs Comedy Tour, which visited 12 cities across the country and this past February he sold out three shows at Toronto’s Randolph Theatre. Oct. 11, at Rose Theatre, Brampton. And Saturday, October 12 at the Winter Garden Theatre, Toronto. Tickets: $42.99 - $56.99 at www.sugarsammy.com.
Toronto mayor launches the sixth annual Cultural Hotspot
Toronto mayor John Tory launched the sixth annual Cultural Hotspot which celebrates and spotlights the arts, culture, food, events and communities of north Etobicoke and York through October.
Highlights include:
• Arts Etobicoke’s Augmented Representations mural project will weave the voices of community members into visual narratives that incorporate lived experiences, historic and current dialogue and explore Indigenous roots.
• RexFest, a two-day slam poetry competition presented by Lakeshore Arts will provide youth ages 12 to 19 the opportunity to perform on June 22 and 23 at Thistletown Community Centre.
• The Cyborg Circus Project’s Project Disruption is a disability-centred performing arts program for youth aged 16 to 25.
• HOT Eats celebrate the vibrant neighbourhoods of north Etobicoke and York.
More at www.toronto.ca/culturalhotspot.
• Free Desi Diary listings. List your event for free in Desi News and e-desinews. com. E-mail: desinews@rogers.com. Deadline for AUGUST listings: July 20, 2019.