Skip to main content

Canadian Stage announces Topdog/Underdog extension

int(100717)
iPhoto caption: Photo by Lorne Bridgman.
/By / Oct 5, 2023
SHARE

News out of Canadian Stage: its season opener, Suzan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play Topdog/Underdog, has been extended through October 22.

Topdog/Underdog concerns Lincoln and Booth, brothers haunted by their names and past. When Lincoln gets a gig impersonating his presidential namesake, Booth takes over his brother’s old racket of dealing three-card monte; a torrent of secrets, lies, and one-upmanship follows.

The darkly comic fable of brotherly love and sibling rivalry has been deemed a modern classic, with the New York Times calling it the best American play since Angels in America. Canadian Stage’s new production comes hot on the heels of a wildly successful 2022 Broadway revival.

Tawiah M’Carthy directs, making the production his third at Canadian Stage this year, following March’s Fairview (which he directed) and April’s Maanomaa, My Brother (which he performed in and co-created). Actors Mazin Elsadig and Sébastien Heins join him as Lincoln and Booth, respectively.

The design team includes Rachel Forbes (set), Joyce Padua (costumes), Jareth Li (lighting), and Stephen Surlin (sound). 

The show plays at the Berkeley Street Theatre’s main performance space, the Marilyn and Charles Baillie Theatre. M’Carthy and Forbes have significantly transformed the space, offering extended orchestra seating that allows the audience to experience Topdog/Underdog “as it was meant to be seen.”

Parks is widely considered one of the most adventurous playwrights of her generation, and Topdog/Underdog might be her most iconic work. As cards fly, stakes raise, and America’s darkness revs its engine, who will end on top?


Topdog/Underdog runs at the Berkeley Street Theatre until October 22. Tickets are available here.

Liam Donovan
WRITTEN BY

Liam Donovan

Liam is Intermission’s senior editor. His writing has appeared in publications like Maisonneuve, This, and NEXT. He loves the original Super Mario game very much.

LEARN MORE

Comments

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


/
iPhoto caption: Banner provided by Theatre Aquarius.

Theatre Aquarius’ NCNM selects three new musicals for 2025-26 development 

The Danish Guest, The Blue Castle, and My Beef with Beef each bring such distinct worlds to life — from Victorian London to early-1900s Muskoka to a modern kitchen haunted by a ghost cow," wrote artistic director Mary Francis Moore in a press release.

By Krystal Abrigo
iPhoto caption: Mahabharata: Karma (Part 1), The Life We Inherit (Why Not Theatre presented by Canadian Stage). Photo provided by TAPA.

TAPA unveils 2025 Dora Award winners

The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) announced the winners of the 2025 Dora Awards during a Monday evening ceremony hosted by Peter Fernandes, with 26 individual artists and companies receiving their first-ever Doras.

By Krystal Abrigo
The words iPhoto caption: Logo by Sunyeong Han.

Let’s turn the page: Announcing a nationwide program for emerging performing arts critics

Do you like writing about the performing arts but wish you had more skills and contacts to help you advance in the field? Would you like to continue to build your writing and critical thinking skills? Are you IBPOC or from another equity-seeking background? There’s a new program for you.

By Liam Donovan
iPhoto caption: The cast of Fat Fables. Photo by Roya DelSol.

SummerWorks Performance Festival announces 2025 lineup

Taking place from August 7 to 17, the 2025 festival features more than 35 projects and over 200 artists.

By Krystal Abrigo
iPhoto caption: Photo provided by Canadian Stage.

Canadian Stage marks 42 years of Shakespeare in High Park with Romeo & Juliet

This summer, Canadian Stage returns to the High Park Amphitheatre with a new staging of Romeo & Juliet, directed by Marie Farsi.

By Krystal Abrigo
Kay-Ann Ward, El Experimento, and Adam Francis-Proulx in a promotional shot for the Toronto Fringe. iPhoto caption: Photo of Kay-Ann Ward, El Experimento, and Adam Francis-Proulx by Joy Adeola.

Toronto Fringe unveils full 2025 programming

Tickets are now on sale for the 37th annual Toronto Fringe Festival, showcasing over 100 shows in 22 spaces across the city.

By Liam Donovan