A dance bonanza at the ballet
Music groups the Parcels. Scott Foley and Lauren Cohan.
MONDAY
London Kills
Watch this if: You’re looking to supplement your British detective favourites. Every streaming service is jumping on the original content bandwagon, including niche providers like British TV specialist Acorn. Its first straight-to-series commission is this crime procedural set in the English capital that promises “a new riveting murder case” every week. The cast is led by Sharon Small ( Inspector Lynley Mysteries) and Hugo Speer ( The
Full Monty, Father Brown). (Acorn at midnight) —Debra Yeo
TUESDAY
Jacob Banks
Watch this to: Get a load of a voice that’ll melt the snowbanks. The 1,500-cap Danforth should be no problem for 27-year-old Banks, blessed with a baritone of rare power and gritty elegance that can shake most any room. There’s more than enough variety and joy in his songs to set him apart from the earnest Brit future-soul crowd, with gospel, dance hall and Afrobeat befitting his Nigerian-English heritage. (Danforth Music Hall, 147 Danforth Ave., doors 7 p.m.) —Chris Young Parcels Watch this for: Whole lotta Chic-in’ goin’ on. It’s a Hot Band Alert for this group of five Aussies who, upon finishing high school, up and moved to Berlin for its fertile electronic scene, then promptly adopted a wider palette of sounds and attracted the attention of tastemaking Parisian label Kitsuné. Daft Punk, too; the French electropop pair are co-writing and producing the single “Overnight” from the band’s debut LP. Their influence is all over Parcels’ sound; a little too on-the-nose at times, but it’s still hard to resist their bright vocal harmonies and steady groove. (Lee’s Palace, 529 Bloor St. W., doors 8 p.m.)
WEDNESDAY
35th Anniversary of Freedom to Read Week Watch this if: You believe people should be free to read without censorship. There are events across the country, but the big one in Toronto is at the Glad Day Bookshop. It begins with a panel discussion titled “On the Frontlines” featuring Vickery Bowles, Toronto’s city librarian; writer Nancy Cooper; Indigenous literacy advocate Marcus McCann, co-owner of Glad Day; and media lawyer Brian MacLeod Rogers. The annual Freedom to Read Award will also be presented. (Glad Day Bookshop, 499 Church St., 6:30 p.m.) —Deborah Dundas James Blake
Watch this if: You want to see the music industry’s best collaborator take centre stage. He’s best known for subduing a generation of music lovers (his words) with his debut self-titled album in 2011, but James Blake has since become a go-to collaborator in the music industry, from Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon to Beyoncé’s Lemonade to the Black Panther album. Promoting his latest album, Assume Form, the Brit hitmaker can surely make one of the city’s biggest theatres feel like your bedroom. (Sony Centre for the Perform- ing Arts, 1 Front St. E., doors 7 p.m.) —Carly Maga Kitchen Chicken
Watch this if: You’re starving for some experimental performance. Literally. Take notice when Quebec City’s L’orchestre d’hommes-orchestres comes to town. Impossible to categorize as theatre, music or performance art, this ensemble is constantly pushing its own boundaries. Their latest creation poses a particular challenge: perform songs by 1930s yodellers the Cackle Sisters while roasting a chicken, mashing potatoes and more to create a full meal. (The Theatre Centre, 1115 Queen St. W., 8 p.m., on until March 2) —CM Whiskey Cavalier
Watch this if: You’ve been missing Lauren Cohan since she left The Walking Dead. Cohan became a fan favourite on the AMC zombie drama as farm girl turned postapocalyptic butt-kicker Maggie. She’s still kicking ass in this dramedy as CIA agent Frankie Trowbridge opposite Scott Foley ( Felicity, Scandal) as FBI agent Will Chase. The show’s not reinventing the crime drama wheel but hey, it’s action-packed and the dialogue is snappy. (CTV at 10 p.m.) —DY
FRIDAY
I’m Not Running
Watch this if: You want to see the latest from one of the U.K.’s premier playwrights. Best known for West End hits Plenty and Skylight, and Oscar-nominated screenplays for The Hours and The Reader, David Hare dives deep into the U.K.’s turbulent political world in a new play that hits local screens thanks to Cineplex’s National Theatre Live. It stars Sherlock’s Sian Brooke as a doctor and rising Labour MP in the midst of personal and professional crises. (Cineplex YongeDundas, 10 Dundas St. E., 6:55 p.m.; Eglinton Town, 22 Lebovic Ave., 6 p.m.) —Jason Anderson
National Ballet of Canada Mixed Program
Watch this if: You want to see an eclectic collection of ballets in one night. First up is George Balanchine’s 1928 pas de quatre Apollo, featuring Guillaume Côté in the lead role on March 2 to celebrate his 20th anniversary with the company. Also featured: Julia Adam’s Night, Robert Binet’s The Sea Above, The Sky Below ( to mark principal dancer Xiao Nan Yu’s final season) and Christopher Stowell’s Paquita. (Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W., 7:30 p.m., on until March 21) —CM
SATURDAY
Surfer: Teen Confronts Fear Watch this if: You want to hop on board a so-bad-it’s-great movie phenom. Every year, intrepid TIFF Midnight Madness programmer Peter Kuplowsky gathers a bounty of new cult-movie and outsider-film finds for what could only be called the What the Film Festival. The most anticipated in this fifth edition may be the one already hailed as a worthy successor to Tommy Wiseau’s The Room: a combination of surf flick, teen movie and faith-based entertainment complete with a ghost made of squid ink. (Royal Cinema, 608 College St., 7:30 p.m., festival runs March 1 to 3) —JA