STREET SCENE
BuskerFest brings a wide range of entertainers to Woodbine Park in annual benefit event,
MONDAY RZA and the 36th Chamber of Shaolin
Classics from a couple of different fields are expected to come together harmoniously on Monday on College St. RZA, of the beloved and revolutionary rap ensemble Wu-Tang Clan, will be on hand to create a live score on the fly (drawing from the group’s catalogue in the process) for the likewise-treasured 1978 Hong Kong martial-arts film The 36th
Chamber of Shaolin as it unspools on the Royal Theatre screen. Fans of either can seek admission — free — by signing up at neverjaded.ca. (The Royal Theatre, 608 College St., doors at 6 p.m.) — Garnet Fraser
TUESDAY
Nakhane Touré
Watch this for: Glammy musicality, spirituality and sexuality. In his native South Africa, Nakhane Touré endured death threats for his screen role as a gay man going through Xhosa rites of passage in the awardwinning 2017 film The Wound. As a musician, and now relocated to east London, he has ditched the acoustic guitar and gone electronic while exploring personal and similar themes on his second album, You Will Not Die, delivered in an instantly arresting, theatrical manner that recalls the cabaret pop of David Bowie, Anohni’s ghostly falsetto and Marvin Gaye’s soul. The advance clips show a poised performer of some depth, making this Toronto debut a standout. (Adelaide Hall, 250 Adelaide St. W., doors 8 p.m.) — Chris Young
WEDNESDAY
NextWave Summer ’18 Watch this if: You’re tired of landlocked arts festivals. What’s the logical next step for Toronto’s stacked lineup of summer arts festivals? Put one on a boat. The NextWave Summer ’18 festival puts artists, vendors and festivalgoers together on the Northern Spirit Cruise Ship for an evening of marine merry-making. There isn’t much information about the lineup yet, but what’s certain is it will definitely have the best view in the city. (207 Queens Quay W., 6 p.m., tickets at eventbrite.ca) — Carly Maga
THURSDAY
New Order
Watch this if: Your favoured Britpop runs less to Ed Sheeran, the week’s other big visit. From their Joy Division beginnings to reinvention as a slick and all-conquering franchise, the survivors of it all are grand old Mancunians of the game now, and a rare example of two related bands who each cast a long and much different shadow over the pop landscape. On a short North American tour, it’s their first time here since a two-nighter indoors almost six years ago — ex-bass man Peter Hook’s claims on the catalogue and regular visits dipping into the familiar playlist notwithstanding. The dispute with Hook was settled last year and this’ll be a barometer on the state of the local audience’s longtime anglophilia; that long absence and all those years of hooks should make for a dance party on the lawn. (Budweiser Stage, 909 Lake Shore Blvd. W., 7:30 p.m.) — CY
FRIDAY
Heathers the Musical: In Concert
Watch this if: You want to celebrate a 30-year-old cult classic for a good cause. In 1988, the world was introduced to Heather Chandler, Heather Duke, Heather McNamara and Veronica Sawyer and some of the most quotable lines in teen-movie history. (“Whether to kill yourself or not is one of the most important decisions a teenager can make.”)
Heathers, now celebrating its 30th anniversary, is getting renewed interest in Toronto through its musical version, which ran Off-Broadway in 2014 and has since amassed a large following. Before the musical comes to Hart House in late September, the satirical show is getting a staged performance by We Are Here Productions as a fundraiser for the Canadian Mental Health Association. (Friday through Sunday, Wychwood Theatre, 601 Christie St., 8 p.m.; tickets at brownpapertickets.com.) — CM Toronto International BuskerFest
Watch this if: You want an end-of-summer tradition that doesn’t require you to cross a picket line. Instead of crossing the picket line from the locked-out International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 58 at the gates of the CNE, try another late-summer family tradition in the east end. The 19th annual Toronto International BuskerFest — an attraction of performers and entertainment benefiting Epilepsy Toronto — returns. There are circus performers, musicians, acrobats, magicians, a serene location at Woodbine Park and even a Mac and Cheese Festival for the food stunters. There may not be roller coasters, but the thrill of supporting a good cause and not betraying another is even better. (Friday through Monday, Woodbine Park, 1695 Queen St. E., torontobuskerfest.com) — CM Ozark
Watch this if: You like your crime dramas complicated. If you thought the very inconvenient death that ended Season 1 of this drama was as bad as it got for Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman), then buckle up for Season 2. The complications come fast and furious for the accountant turned mob accomplice as he tries to keep his money-laundering operation going and his family safe. Things get just as difficult for his associate Ruth Langmore (the excellent Julia Garner), especially after her father Cade (Trevor Long) gets out of jail. (Netflix) — Debra Yeo
SATURDAY
The Prince and the Dybbuk
Watch this if: You want to see a highlight of the films at Ashkenaz. North America’s foremost celebration of Jewish music, art and culture, the Ashkenaz Festival, doesn’t skimp when it comes to free movies, either. One such offering is The Prince and the Dybbuk, a documentary portrait of an especially fascinating film-biz figure. Born into a Polish Jewish family in 1904, Michal Waszynski packed several lives into one — his under heralded achievements included making a landmark film in the history of Yiddish-language cinema, filming a key battle in the Second World War and becoming Hollywood’s pointman in Italy. You’ll encounter some equally memorable folks and stories in the rest of Ashkenaz’s lineup of docs, features and shorts. (Studio Theatre, 235 Queens Quay W., 7 p.m., free) — Jason Anderson
Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day
Watch this if: You’ve got always time to spare for one of Germany’s most legendary auteurs. Although the city’s many ardent cinephiles may be busy preparing for TIFF’s launch, they’ll be making time for a meaty cinematic event the weekend before the big show. A miniseries that the ridiculously prolific director Rainer Werner Fassbinder made for German TV in 1972 but is only now receiving circulation in North America, Eight Hours Don’t
Make a Day is the eight-hour, five-part saga of a group of factory workers and their families. Critics have praised it to the skies since a restored version debuted at the Berlin festival in 2017. TIFF Cinematheque hosts the Toronto premiere, with two parts playing Saturday and three more on Sunday. (350 King St. W., tiff.net) — JA