Summer is officially over, but don’t let that keep you at home.
Toronto’s fall culture calendar is jam-packed with exciting events and exhibitions to check out across the city. Here’s a look at some of the things we’re most excited for this week.
Movies: “Crimson Peak” with Guillermo del Toro
Oct 3. at Revue Cinema
Over the summer, movie fans across Toronto rallied around the Revue Cinema, which was at risk of closing over a lease dispute with its landlord. Among the most vocal supporters of the independent venue in the west end is Guillermo del Toro, the Oscar-winning Mexican director who calls Toronto his second home. In early September, the Revue announced that it had secured a new five-year lease.
On Thursday, the cinema will host del Toro for a special screening of his 2015 gothic romance “Crimson Peak,” starring Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain and Tom Hiddleston. The screening will be followed by a Q&A hosted by director Vincenzo Natali, with all proceeds from the event going toward the theatre’s upcoming renovations. Tickets: revuecinema.ca
Comedy: John Early
Oct. 3 at the Opera House
You might know him as a recurring actor on the Netflix comedy series “I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson,” or perhaps you know him as Jenna Maroney’s son on “30 Rock,” or maybe from Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” music video. Or you might not know him at all. Regardless, John Early has a strong claim to being one of the strangest and most in-demand comics working right now.
On Thursday, Early is set to perform a night of comedy and music at the Opera House in support of his new album, “Now More Than Ever,” which features hilarious covers of songs by Neil Young, Britney Spears, Madonna, Aaliyah and more. Expect a performance that he describes as “something like being a crazed preacher at a tent revival.” Tickets: theoperahousetoronto.ca
Visual arts: Toronto Biennial of Art
Through Dec. 1 at various locations
Art lovers rejoice — one of the city’s largest and most accessible contemporary art exhibitions has returned.
Running for 10 weeks between September and December, the third edition of the Toronto Biennial of Art is underway at a diverse set of locations across the city, including the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Toronto Sculpture Garden and the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery on Queens Quay.
According to the curatorial statement, the exhibition, which features work from more than 55 artists, will focus on a broad range of subjects depicting the theme of “Precarious Joys,” from “environmental justice” to “diasporic sonic cultures” to “queer world-making.” In other words, something for everyone. More info: torontobiennial.org
Theatre: “The Thanksgiving Play”
Through Oct. 20 at CAA Theatre
Forget Christmas, forget Halloween — the start of fall is a time to embrace the most underrated of holidays: Thanksgiving.
And what better way to get into the spirit of turkey season than catching “The Thanksgiving Play,” a razor-sharp satire that follows a group of theatre nerds as they attempt to rewrite the holiday’s foundational myth according to the ever-moving precepts of “wokeness” and political correctness.
Written by Native American playwright Larissa FastHorse, the first show of the off-Mirvish season was a hit on Broadway in 2023. Tickets: mirvish.com
Music: Nilüfer Yanya
Oct. 5 at the Phoenix Concert Theatre
The bad news: the Phoenix Concert Theatre — one of Toronto’s last independent mid-size music venues — is set to shutter in January after 33 years.
Until then, there will still be plenty of great reasons to head down to the club on Sherbourne Street.
One solid bet is Nilüfer Yanya, an acclaimed singer-songwriter from England, who plays next Saturday. Yanya, whose most recent album, “My Method Actor,” came out earlier this month, has drawn comparisons to Sade with her smoky voice and early ‘00s Radiohead with her crunchy approach to guitar. Tickets: dice.fm
Science: “Earth: An Immersive Journey”
Through Jan. 1 at the ROM
Ever watch “Planet Earth” and think, “This is cool, but what does it smell like?”
You just might find your answer at the Royal Ontario Museum, which is hosting the exhibition “Earth: An Immersive Journey” until mid-January. A multi-sensory tour through the planet’s vibrant ecosystem, the show brings together high-definition projections, scent diffusions, spatial audio and atmospheric lighting.
Call it a dream come true for all the nature lovers who are stuck in the city. Tickets: rom.on.ca
Dance: Toronto Burlesque Festival
Oct. 3 to Oct. 6 at El Mocambo
After a long hiatus, the Toronto Burlesque Festival is returning, and organizers are promising the event will be “bigger, brighter and better than ever.”
The 2024 festival features a long list of both local and international talent, including headliners Kozmic Joy (Montreal), Chola Magnolia (Texas), Zyra Lee Vanity (Montreal/Toronto) and Ka’ena (Hawaii/New York). Tickets: torontoburlesquefestival.ca
