Splashy pads with pools on offer in Toronto
DUNKING INDOORS AND OUT
This palatial abode in south Richvale has, among many features, a salt water swimming pool with a sauna and, for cooler days, an indoor basketball court, all for $6,188,000. The property at 19 Fairview Ave. is listed with Alan Newton Real Estate Ltd.
LOWER VILLAGE LAP POOL
Entertaining is a breeze in this handsome gated stone home in lower Forest Hill Village with a walk-out to the private pool and cabana. This luxury property at 301 Russell Hill Dr. is listed for $7,895,000 with Forest Hill Real Estate, Inc.
BRIDLE PATH BEAUTY
This handsome home on a double-lot in the Bridle Path has a heated in-ground pool, heated walk-ways and an outdoor fireplace for cooler summer nights. And you can take the party inside, where awaits a stunning wine wall in the large sun-lit kitchen. This property at 117 Highland Cres. is listed at $7,998,000 with Harvey Kalles Real Estate Ltd., Brokerage.
ALL-SEASON SWIM
What’s better than a pool on a hot day? An all-season pool with ravine-facing floor-to-ceiling windows. Points if it’s an infinity pool, which this one is. More points if it’s in a modernist fantasy home (which this one is). This house at 194 Roxborough Dr. is listed for $21.5 million. On offer with Chestnut Park Realty.
Glamping brings luxury to outdoor living north of Toronto
At a time when we spend much of our days staring at computer screens or cell phones, there’s something about “unplugging” that really strikes a chord.
So as the warm weather arrives, it makes sense that many city dwellers opt out of the hustle and bustle of Toronto and search for pastoral views and tranquility in the calmer parts of our province.
Some opt to camp and some opt for a cottage retreat. Both are increasing in popularity, but tend to be on opposite ends of the wilderness spectrum.
Enter the summer’s hottest new trend — glamping, or luxury camping. Without the down and dirty aspect of camping, glamping offers you a yurt or canvas tent immersed in nature, where you can enjoy all that camping has to offer, along with a couple more bourgeois perks. Glamping provides an experience where guests can connect with the earth and the land we so often lose touch with while still maintaining a five-star, luxury feel.
Glamper Arlene Valentini found Whispering Springs while scrolling through Instagram.
“Not being a camper, I was excited by the idea of having all the comforts of home and not feeling so wretched as you might sleeping in a tent,” she says.
Valentini and her friend Leah Glenn drove an hour and a half north of Toronto to Whispering Springs, a family-operated glamping resort in Northumberland County.
Looking forward to a “soulful, meditative and wholesome experience,” she says, “Whispering Springs is more like a resort in a tent than a camping trip.”
Upon arrival, they were brought to their safari tent cutely named the Harvest Moon. At $349 a night, with a reduced rate during mid-week stays, the traditional safari tent fits two people with a king-sized bed. There is also an electric fan, Muskoka chairs, a floating tub, firepit, mini-fridge and barbecue, among other amenities. During your stay, there are activities and services provided on site such as forest hiking trails, canoeing, biking and spa services. Valentini and her girlfriend took advantage of the salt water pool, hot tub and massages offered at the resort. She even said using the bathroom felt luxurious.
“Not often do you see a tent like that with a tub in it! It really exceeded my expectations,” she says.
That was just the feel that Whispering Springs owners, Nancy and John Corcoran, were aiming for.
“We wanted to provide people with the opportunity to be as outdoorsy — or not — as they want while staying with us,” says their daughter, Jenna Corcoran, who handles marketing and reservations.
The Corcorans opened Whispering Springs in 2015, after they decided to leave city life behind and get back to their wild side in the country.
“We believe more people are looking for an outdoorsy Canadian experience, whether or not they have camped before,” says Jenna.
Eighty per cent of Whispering Springs clientele is Toronto-based. There is a buzz around glamping that is taking clients away from the classic cottage experience, says Jenna of their mostly Toronto-based clientele. The emergence of camping culture has created a buzz around glamping getaways, taking away from the classic cottage experience.
People are choosing glamping as an alternative to cottages and camping simply because there is way less hassle.
Aimee Alabaster, owner of Alabaster Acres in Caledon, Ont., says, “People don’t have the space to keep all their camping essentials anymore, so we provide everything. That way you can leave work at five o’clock and still make it in time for cocktail hour by the fire.”
After deciding to ditch her corporate lifestyle to become a full-time farmer, Alabaster found that there was a demand amongst friends and acquaintances to get involved and learn about her new life.
“Our facility was built on community, and we encourage all of our guests to get involved and try on farm life, even if it’s just for a little while,” she says.
Of course, not all guests are looking for a farm-friendly experience and to that Alabaster says, “Nothing is structured. Guests can do whatever they are comfortable with, even if that is nothing at all.”
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Hosting bachelorette parties, weddings and romantic getaways, Alabaster Acres has already started expanding due to the increase in booking requests over the last year. The average nightly rate is $200.
For those who feel glamping is a little too glam, there are also options such as OutPost Co. in Temagami Region. Offering a more authentic wilderness experience, OutPost is completely ensconced in Temagami’s white pine forest and is only accessible by float plane. About five hours from the city, this completely remote and off-the-grid experience allows campers to unplug and let go of city life for $600 a night.
Owner and founder Constantin Von Flotow started out in adventure- and expedition-based tourism and wanted to create a “back-to-nature” style glamping facility that was luxurious enough to draw a crowd but not so much so that his guests would not really connect with mother nature. He hopes his guests will “Pause, hit the reset button and hopefully have a transformative experience,” he says.
Glamping’s popularity has also increased its accessibility. Parks Canada has even made it possible for you to glamp right here in Toronto. The Glen Rouge Campground at the 401 and Kingston Road has opened up its first oTentiks for $120 a night.
“A play on words between a cabin and a tent, oTentik also means ‘authentic’ in French,” says Emily Kinnon, visitor and events manager at Parks Canada.
“We are using the Glen Rouge as a gateway park to showcase a glimpse of what we offer all over the country” she says.
The oTentiks are the most affordable option and the closest to home while still being on a campground and on the water. Glamping has never been so easy.
Luminato concert shines light on rising global movement
A number of talented Toronto artists will perform at this month’s Luminato festival in a special concert highlighting Indigenous music, including two past Polaris Prize winners — Jeremy Dutcher (2018) and Lido Pimienta (2017).
Biziindan gets its world premiere this month on June 14 at Koerner Hall. Biziindan means “listen or listen to” in Anishinaabemowin, the language of the Anishinaabeg (Ojibwe peoples).
“The concert highlights the power of our voices and languages and the power of culture,” says Pimienta, who is currently putting the final touches on a new album, Miss Colombia, slated for release this winter.
“It’s a shift that continues to happen, and we are right in the middle of it helping to pump the pulse.”
Along with Dutcher and Pimienta, Biziindan features highly regarded cultural leader Marie Gaudet, 2010 Juno Award–winning band Digging Roots and legendary artist Pura Fe.
Pimienta is happy to be back working with Dutcher, who won a Juno Award this past spring for his incredible album Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa, which features the rearrangement of early 1900s wax cylinder field recordings from his New Brunswick community.
“Jeremy and I met many years ago, and I saw him playing piano, and doing his arrangements of the music of his people,” says Pimienta.
“He is such a special person. So it is good to be performing with people that you have so much in common with, that mutual understanding of the power of music.”
Biziindan culminates in a tribute performance to the legacy of Mi’kmaq and Scottish artist Willie Dunn, a pioneer of protest ballads and advocate for Indigenous rights.
For info go to luminatofestival.com.
David Lee’s new Planta Queen is plant-based perfection
Funny how chef David Lee couldn’t last at Nota Bene selling upscale normal snazzy restaurant food, and now that he’s doing vegan, there’s a lineup at the door.
Go figure. Vegan? Oh sorry, they never use that word. At Planta it’s called “plant-based” food. And also, not just one Planta. I call to change my dinner reservation one night and the telephonist says: “Which of our restaurants are you calling about?”
’Cause there are now four Plantas — three in Toronto and one in South Beach.
The newest Planta, the ex–Nota Bene on Queen west of University, opened in late March. It’s like Susur Lee’s resto Lee in the sense that the look is chinoiserie gone modern. There is the huge dragon mural on two walls, but instead of red, its dominant colour is hipster black. There are chopsticks and rice bowls, but they’re black and sleek. It’s a very big restaurant, with a hectic open kitchen behind glass and a lot of action.
How incredibly clever of owner/chef David Lee to make this vegan resto pan-Asian, a non-meat homage to his childhood faves.
Of all the world’s cuisines, save perhaps for Middle Eastern, Asian suits vegan. When is the last time you met dairy in Asian food?
As for the animal protein, much as I adore the likes of tuna sushi and Chinese BBQ pork, etc., Asian does fine without animal products. Eat at Planta Queen if you need convincing.
There is no faking the meat part, but they do make very good use of dehydrated watermelon, which comes out of the dehydrator sweet/sour and comfortingly dense. Their spicy “tuna” roll (quotes mine) has no tuna. It is, however, delicious: Classic sushi rice with tempura and spicy aïoli around nori and pickled watermelon replacing the tuna. We also love the crispy rice, a small cube of deep-fried crunchy rice topped with pickled watermelon.
Potato dumpling is a terrific play on gyoza. Delicate flour dough encases puréed potato with nutritional yeast to give it the cheese mouthfeel. On top are slivers of truffle, and the dumplings sit in a lovely coconut lemon grass broth.
Kung pao eggplant doesn’t miss its usual pork. Small Japanese eggplants, charmingly firm, come in deep rich Szechuan sauce with a little heat, Thai basil, yuba (chewy bean curd skin), peanuts and lime.
Even chocolate cake goes non-dairy … almost successfully. Coconut oil has some grease to it, but absent the richness of butter and eggs, the cake is more like a chewy bar: a pleasant bar made more so by coconut gelato, candied kumquats, caramel and puckery sea buckthorn purée.
My only complaint is the service. Why go to the trouble of dishing such interesting and wonderful food and have slapdash service?
Everything comes way too fast, and it seems each dish gets dropped by a different runner, most of them in a hurry. Disjointed. If they all knew what was in the food and were nice enough to tell us, it wouldn’t be so bad. But they don’t, and it is. One is not left feeling any warm fuzzies.
A restaurant doesn’t have to be white tablecloth or old school for waitstaff to make diners feel welcome and well taken care of. Everything else about Planta Queen is so lovely. Fix the service and I’ll eat more vegan. Oops, sorry: plant-based.
Is Niagara’s Pearl Morissette Canada’s best restaurant?
Chef Daniel Hadida doesn’t much care for lemons. He says relying on them is boring and that it signals a lack of creativity. Much better to ferment something acidic himself, like an emerald-green asparagus vinaigrette that somehow, magically, tastes like yuzu.
“Lemons are lazy,” he says. “As a society, we’ve chosen to import this thing that’s the lowest common denominator of acidity.”
That opinion might be unconventional, but then again, so is the Restaurant at Pearl Morissette, which Hadida opened with his co-chef and creative partner, Eric Robertson, in late 2017. Located on the grounds of the esteemed Pearl Morissette winery in the Niagara countryside, it’s a minimalist haven serving locally inspired cuisine that’s defying genres and turning heads.
Walking through the restaurant, it’s clear there are many other things Hadida doesn’t like. He doesn’t like it when chefs don’t clean up their own mess, so everyone in the kitchen takes turns on dish duty. And although he says he’s still dependent on refined sugar for desserts, he’d like to stop using it completely, because it’s unhealthy and — wait for it — boring.
Then there’s the issue of picky customers, which Hadida and Robertson sidestep by serving a $95 seasonal tasting menu that’s served blind: patrons discover what they’re eating only when the dishes are brought to the table.
“We will placate … customers,” Hadida claims, “but not when they’re wrong. That’s where we draw the line.”
Such preferences are probably why the restaurant is on its way to becoming a full-fledged dining destination. In 2018, it topped enRoute’s best new restaurants in Canada list, and earlier this year, it snagged number 14 on Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list.
Hadida is aware that he can come across as arrogant. His co-chef Robertson is more subdued, but they both feel that they’ve gone beyond opening a restaurant. As might be expected for a pair of idealistic millennials (Hadida is 31, Robertson is 33), they both have a deliberate social justice bent.
They don’t want to just have a low carbon footprint — they want to actively benefit the land. So they’ve planted trees and built two ponds on the property to attract wildlife and encourage biodiversity.
Lofty intentions pervade the restaurant proper as well. There is no tipping; staff are all salaried and earn a yearly bonus. The restaurant also supports temperance, with an extensive non-alcoholic pairing option where one might find kombucha and other beverages crafted from waste items, such as apple peels.
“Hopefully we can influence people to think about things differently,” Robertson says.
There is a palpable effort to highlight the flavours of the Niagara landscape with wild-fed Berkshire pork and foraged herbs — although, incongruously, there are numerous seafood items from the East Coast. Especially intriguing is the use of weeds, including dandelion petals, sheep sorrel and Japanese knotweed.
“It’s an invasive species,” Robertson says of the knotweed, “so we try to eat up as much as we can.”
The two chefs met in Europe while beefing up their resumés at Michelin-starred restaurants. Hadida, a Toronto native, got his start as a dishwasher at Casey’s and was never formally trained. Still, he would end up gradually working his way into top-tier restaurants such as Le Chateaubriand in France and Pujol in Mexico, an ascent he attributes to “obstinacy, narcissism and a little bit of luck.”
Robertson, who grew up in Brantford, Ont., paid his dues at a breakfast diner and at Pita Pit before eventually graduating from the Stratford Chefs School. He, too, would end up in some of the world’s best kitchens, including In De Wulf in Belgium and Langdon Hall in Cambridge, Ont.
By late 2015, Hadida was tired of travelling. So when he heard that Pearl Morissette was looking for someone to cook for staff and private events, he gave it a shot.
“We thought this could be a playground for someone with the right mindset,” says general manager Milton Mednick, who hired Hadida.
The winery didn’t have a restaurant, yet, but Hadida and the team at Pearl Morissette began to see potential in the property, and suspected that something substantial could be done that paid tribute to the low-intervention ideology espoused by winemaker François Morissette.
“Daniel had drive, ambition and hunger. He was someone not content with just doing something good,” said Mednick.
Pearl Morissette’s investors gave Hadida the support he needed to be ambitious. He planted gardens and raised livestock. He worked with the Design Agency to create a 38-seat restaurant inside a barnlike tractor building on site. The result is a bright, vaguely Nordic space, with 200-year-old barn wood floors and large windows overlooking the Niagara countryside.
Midway through the opening process, Hadida hired Robertson, whom he had always respected and believed was talented enough to co-helm the kitchen with him. The way they see it, they’ve just begun setting their vision into motion.
“This restaurant changes faster than anywhere else I’ve ever worked,” Robertson says.
Whatever they’re doing, it’s working: reservations are booked three months in advance. It’s an outcome that they hoped for but didn’t necessarily expect.
“There were moments wondering, ‘Who’s going to come here?’ ” Hadida says. “Turns out, a lot of people will.”
The return of Corey Hart
Decades ago, this ‘Sunglasses at Night’–wearing ‘Boy in the Box’ was on top of the world, selling millions of records and touring to packed arenas. Then he walked away from it all. He’s finally returning with a new album and a cross-country tour hitting Toronto’s Budweiser Stage on June 14.
So what brought you back?
Well I had four kids, and they are all getting a little bit older. My oldest is 23 [then] 21, 19 and 15. Gave me the chance as they got older to take a season off and devote my life to the old Corey Hart life, music touring and recording.
Were you surprised that your fans didn’t go anywhere?
When I stepped away 20 years ago, truthfully, I didn’t think doors would open for me to come back. Two or three years is a long time to be away in the music business. Twenty years is really a century. So I didn’t have any expectations.
Any fond Toronto memories from your heyday?
One of the memories that stands out for me was playing at the CNE in the summer of ’85. At that time, playing for a thousand people was a lot, but there was like 25,000 people there. It was at the grandstand, and I just remember bolting off the stage to try and get closer to the audience’ I was so overwhelmed by the sheer number. And they never knew I was going to jump offstage and run to the back of the grandstand, which I did, and that caused a bit of pandemonium.
Could you tell me the story of your first foray into music and a certain cassette tape?
Sure. Billy Joel was playing at the Montreal Forum, and I bought a ticket and just had the idea because I liked Billy Joel a lot as an early teen starting to write songs. I made a cassette tape of three or four piano vocal demos and left one for each band member with my name and phone number. I never really thought I’d get a call back, but I did. I got a call from the sax player in his band, and from there we started chatting and I went down to Long Island and was working there, got to meet Billy and record some of my songs.
You left music to raise your kids. Were you a helicopter dad or a cool dad?
I’d say cool helicopter, a combination. I like that helicopter term though. I definitely micromanaged the kids. I was not like “just gimme the details” at the end of the day. I was very hands-on as a dad. I believe that, when I made the decision to do this, my established job [in music] would have prohibited me from giving them the hours that they needed, and that might have come from me not having a dad in my own life. But I believe in quantity, and hopefully there is some quality in that quantity.
Most artists who make similar comebacks talk about the lack of pressure and how joyous it feels. How do you feel about it?
I agree with that, and there is no pressure for me, except my own artistic benchmarks because I want to give fans the best possible show. It is all about the fans and making them feel validated and important. That’s why the music was created.
What can we expect from your show here in Toronto this month?
I’ll probably jump off the stage and run into the crowd again.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Well, no such thing as perfection, but being with my family.
What is your most treasured possession?
I’m not a materialist type of person, but I think my piano. The one I wrote all my songs on.
What is your greatest fear?
Being afraid. How about that?
What living person do you most admire?
I’d say my wife Julie.
What skill would you most like to have?
That’s a great question, and I have such a long list: navigation skills, map skills, science skills, anything in that world. Not losing my keys, wallet, passport every three days.
What is your greatest regret?
Hmm. Dude, you’re giving me some heavy s**t. I guess I’m too sincere about stuff. I want to try to give you a good answer. Man. Gimme the next question, and I’ll come back to that one.
It might not be easier, but what is your life’s motto?
Boy, man. OK, life’s motto is Never Surrender, so that one comes out easy. And my biggest regret is doing this interview. (Put a smiley face next to that one though.)
Here’s where to watch the Raptors in Toronto by neighbourhood
Tonight the Raptors have their first of three opportunities to close out their series with the defending champion Golden State Warriors and bring the first NBA championship north of the border.
For those without tickets to the game yet, as of noon today, tickets were being sold on StubHub with prices ranging from $1482 to $81000 USD.
For those without Drake money, Jurassic Park, just outside Scotiabank Arena has served as the primary gathering point in the city for fans wanting to cheer on their team. However, with the Raptors on the verge of winning it all on home soil, Jurassic Park has become increasingly difficult to get into, with fans lining up days in advance of Game 5 to ensure their spot.
Fortunately, much like the Jurassic Park movies, Jurassic park the party has spawned numerous sequels and spinoffs, and pretty much every bar in the city is sure to have their TVs tuned to the game tonight, ensuring there are no shortages of spots to watch the Raps put an end to the Warriors dynasty.
These are the best spots to watch the game by neighbourhood.
Scarborough
Jurassic Park Scarborough will be taking place tonight (and for game 6 and 7, if necessary) at Albert Campbell Square at Scarborough Town Centre. Scarborough Town Centre will be keeping the food court and washrooms open past 9 p.m to accommodate Raptors fans.
Roncesvalles/Parkdale
Friends of Sorauren Park are encouraging you to bring your lawn chairs, snacks, friends and neighbours for a free outdoor viewing party at Sorauren Park, located on Sorauren Avenue, in the Dundas Street West and Lansdowne area.
North York
The Warehouse Event Venue at Downsview Park will be hosting what they are calling “Jurassic Park North York”.
The Beaches
“Jurassic Beach” will be taking place rain or shine at Woodbine Park, at 1590 Lakeshore Blvd E.
Mississauga
As Raptors fandom is not confined to the city limits, Mississauga has its own version of Jurassic Park. Billing itself as “Jurassic Park West”, Mississauga’s (hopefully aptly named) Celebration Square will be showing game 5 tonight, and will also feature pre game entertainment and the chance to shoot a few hoops of your own before tip-off. With space for 30,000 people, this might be the biggest gathering in the GTA. Great news for those currently looking out the window, this one will happen rain or shine.
Brampton
Raptors fans in Brampton should make their way to Garden Square, where a 24-foot outdoor screen will be showing Kawhi and the boys trying to put the Warriors away.
Vaughan
“Jurassic Park Vaughan” will be taking place in the Vaughan City Hall Courtyard, at 2141 Major Mackenzie Dr. The event will take place rain or shine, and food vendors will be available.
Richmond Hill
Richmond Hill will be showing the game, weather permitting, at Richmond Green Park, at 1300 Elgin Mills Rd. E.
Massive House of Mirrors part of this year’s Luminato Festival
Toronto’s annual Luminato Festival has brought another cool exhibit to town.
The immersive art installation “House of Mirrors,” will make its North American debut at the festival from June 7-23. Creators Christian Wagstaff and Keith Courtney designed the 12-foot-tall mirror maze in the hopes that they’d bring a bit of joy to a few hometown cities in Australia, but quickly realized that they’d tapped into something that a much larger audience was craving.
“We’ve only just realized that it’s three years to the day that we launched in Tasmania,” says Courtney. “We could have never imagined we’d be here in three years.”
Since the launch, the duo has taken all 55+ tonnes of mirror magic through Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Asia, and now North America. One of the many striking aspects to greet audiences as they arrive is the open-air concept the duo has constructed, leaving the skies open as you make your way through the dizzying labyrinth. But if you think being able to spot Toronto’s landmarks will give you any kind of edge, clever engineering and elegant geometrical schemes are ready to test, intimidate, and exhilarate.
“Having no roof was a real master stroke,” says Courtney. “Every city looks different. The light’s different in Toronto than it is in Singapore. And we’ve never been on a site where there’s been so many buildings in the reflection, so it’s unique to be seeing the CN Tower reflected behind you, in front of you, to your left.”
The distinct relationship with each space that this traveling feat of art and engineering has is at the heart of what House of Mirrors aims to achieve: a collapse of the boundary between spectator and spectacle. Audience members and the cities in which they dwell become as much a part of the experience as any piece of glass or timber.
“The theatre of this is the connection between the person and the experience,” says Wagstaff. “People will interact with it in different ways. Some people will try to ‘beat’ the maze and will come out quickly in triumph, others will get frustrated when they can’t. Then you’ll get the people who are wafting through for an hour, or those that find the exit by chance and are disappointed. All of these emotions are part of it; everyone brings their personalities to the show.”
Emotional connections with performance, art, and amusement are what set this maze in motion when the duo left the world of corporate commissions and collaborations behind, and it’s what drives their desire to continue bringing House of Mirrors to hundreds of thousands of audience members around the world.
“Nostalgia is a driving concept,” says Wagstaff. “This is an old-world model that we’ve brought into the now. We’ve got a beautiful amusement park in our hometown that holds childhood memories for us, and we wanted to bring aspects of the past that have always worked to what we are creating today.”
“It’s a bit like writing music or cooking a beautiful dish,” adds Courtney. “To create something that people—whether 5 or 85 years old—are having so much fun with? There’s a real joy in that.”
Give Dad a millennial makeover for Father’s Day
Ever feel like Dad’s wardrobe is a bit drab? Fashion expert Jeanne Beker is here to help give him a hipster refresh. Whether his style is cool and casual, summer chic or urban and sophisticated, there’s a look that will suit him (outfits from left):
LOST & FOUND
“Great classic styling with this shirt unbuttoned with a tee underneath. The colour of the tee looks great with the khaki green cargo pants. These are a great cross between a jean and a jogging pant, really nice casual look. The cap is a lovely shade of purple and these are a great pair of running shoes.” SHIRT, Gitman Bros. $180; T-SHIRT, Save Khaki $60; CAP, Norse Projects $95; PANTS, Garbstore $295; RUNNERS, New Balance $230. Lost & Found, 44 Ossington Ave.
UNCLE OTIS
“This is a great way to encourage your dad to get into prints because the colours are very subtle. I love the print on this shirt and these shorts with this sweatshirt over your dad’s shoulders. Bucket hats are back big time, and the sunglasses have a ’40s retro vibe, and I’ve never seen a shoe like this. I love them.” HAT, Universal Works $84; SWEATSHIRT, Lady White Co. $185; SHIRT, Norse Projects $195; SUNNIES, Raen $180; SHORTS, Oliver Spencer $215; SANDALS, Malibu $235. Uncle Otis, 329 Spadina Ave.
TNT CONCEPT
“What I love about this is really any man of any age can wear this and look hip without looking like he’s trying too hard. It’s a practical blazer, and I love a floral shirt with a great pair of jeans. This could be a nice way to introduce him to that distressed jean look and these beautiful, suede lace-up shoes.” BLAZER, Patrick Assaraf $795; BUTTON-UP, Patrick Assaraf $195; SHOES, Marsell $880; JEANS, Moussy $460. TNT Concept, Yorkville Village
The top must-see shows in Toronto this month
The Rolling Stones
Although it was touch and go for a while, when His Majesty Mick Jagger released a Twitter video of himself shaking and shimmying like a young man of 65, local concert-goers knew the show was on and the legendary Rolling Stones would indeed play their show at Burl’s Creek north of Toronto on June 29. Although the band, responsible for a few familiar tunes over the years from “Brown Sugar” to “Satisfaction,” is remarkably well preserved, this may be one of the last chances to see one of the great bands in the history of rock ’n’ roll.
Physical Thinking
The venerable National Ballet of Canada presents Physical Thinking: William Forsythe Programme with three stunning works from the revered American choreographer once called the high priest of post-structural contemporary dance. The program includes The Second Detail, an astonishing work that was created for the National Ballet of Canada in 1991, Approximate Sonata 2016 and The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude. Physical Thinking runs June 1 to 8 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.
Oprah Winfrey
The one-and-only Oprah Winfrey will be sitting down with 20,000 friends at the Scotiabank Arena on June 14 for a bit of a gab session. Winfrey will share personal stories and life lessons as only she can. Bring tissues.
Billie Eilish
Since her debut in 2016, Billie Eilish has established herself a legit force in pop music with a certain charming edge that allows for some crossover appeal. She’s an artist upon whom the music nerd dad and Taylor-loving daughter can both agree. Eilish arrives in town June 11 to play Budweiser Stage in support of her new album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
The Black Drum
Soulpepper has partnered with the Canadian Cultural Society of the Deaf to bring the deaf musical The Black Drum to their Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Written by deaf playwright Adam Pottle, the signed musical “tells the story of a young woman, whose life is upturned when her tattoos come alive and propel her on a fantastical journey in search of her own inner music.” It runs June 15 to 29.
Adam Sandler
Happy Gilmore has returned to standup for a new tour dubbed 100% Fresher, which coincides with the release of a new comedy album culled from Sandler’s Netflix special and, of course, a new Netflix movie release slated for June 14. Expect laughter, frivolity and a side of potty-mouth songs. Adam Sandler will cajole his way onto the Budweiser Stage on June 7.
Circus Sessions
Toronto contemporary circus company Femmes du Feu is bringing together international artists from the emerging and professional circus community. Over the span of two weeks, at Toronto Centre for the Arts, circus artists will work with mentors and experts in their field (including Toronto’s Monica Dottor and Bahia Watson and Michelle Man of Spain/U.K.) on two different productions that will be showcased on the weekends of June 21 to 22 and June 28 to 29.
The Full Light of Day
This multimedia theatrical production from the creative minds of writer Daniel Brooks and director Kim Collier tells the story of Mary, an aging matriarch in a wealthy Canadian family. As she approaches the end of her life, Mary is forced to contend with her husband’s legacy and the misdeeds that brought her family money, privilege and prestige. The film-theatre hybrid runs at the Bluma Appel Theatre, June 7 to 13.
