Theatre: ‘6 Guitars’
Chase Padgett’s one-man show “6 Guitars,” returning May 6 through 10 to Mirvish’s CAA Theatre (651 Yonge St.), is a tour de force evening of entertainment. Weaving together music, comedy and improv, it follows six characters (coming from blues, jazz, rock, classical, folk and country backgrounds) and their relationships with guitars. I fell in love with this incredibly moving and humorous show when it was last it in the city three years ago. Anyone with an affinity for music, or who played an instrument in their youth, will also be deeply touched. —Joshua Chong
Movie: ‘Spaceballs’
The underrated and enduring 1987 comedy, screening Sunday as part of Paradise Theatre’s Mel Brooks retrospective (1006 Bloor St. W.), is not just a spoof of “Star Wars,” but a strike back at the entire Hollywood Empire. Ever the sly insider, Brooks understood that the real Force in the film industry is ancillary revenue, and the best jokes in “Spaceballs” are about sequels, spinoffs, and shameless product placement. In his first leading role, Bill Pullman ably splits the difference between Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford as an intergalactic crusader who travels by Winnebago; he’s supported by the great John Candy as Barf, a cheerful mutant who introduces himself as a “Mog” (“half man, half dog … I’m my own best friend”). Cameos abound, including John Hurt, Brooks’s old pal from “The Elephant Man,” who gallantly reprises his role from “Alien”: “Oh no,” he whimpers as a xenomorph pushes through his stomach. “Not again.” —Adam Nayman
Book: ‘The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman’
As a culture critic, Niko Stratis strikes a perfect balance between wit, self-deprecation and earnest moral clarity. In her soul-baring memoir, “The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman” (University of Texas Press), Stratis leans on these same qualities to guide readers through the sadness and despair that coloured her experiences as a closeted young trans woman living in the Yukon. In a series of essays, Stratis shares how she found solace and belonging in the music of the Replacements, R.E.M. and the National — bands through whose vulnerable and honest music she “could access worlds beyond her own.” —Richie Assaly
Art installation: ‘Electric Theatre’
The Waterworks Food Hall (50 Brant St.) is a lovely spot to while away a few hours, sampling snacks or sipping on coffee — or perhaps having a quick tipple. Now, you can add a bit of art to your itinerary — by ducking into a darkened room as coloured lights dance over Toronto artist Philippe Blanchard’s new immersive fabric installation, “Electric Theatre,” “animating” the yarn and bringing it to joyful life. —Briony Smith
