EXPLORING JAMAICA
Joseph Ziegler both directs and stars in Soulpepper Theatre's A Christmas Carol.
Breakout director makes an impression in Black Mother, a documentary on island’s history,
MONDAY Jessie Reyez
Watch this to: Get a load of Toronto’s latest pop nova. Multiple sold-out nights on the Danforth have become something of a pre-holiday tradition and a milestone marker. So it goes and then some for Reyez, who’s gone from humble Remix Project and busker beginnings to breakout last year to blowing up bigger in 2018, with a Juno Award, more collabs (Daniel Caesar, Eminem), her second EP, late-night TV and now this two-night stand. Move over boys: the city’s R&B throne room has a fresh and female aspirant with confidence to burn and something to say beyond the usual. Savannah Ré opens, another Remix alumna with credentials of her own, so come early. (Danforth Music Hall, 147 Danforth Ave., doors 7 p.m., also Tuesday at 7 p.m.) —Chris Young
TUESDAY Basement Review
Watch this if: You love surprises, music and literature. Created 12 years ago by Broken Social Scene’s Jason Collett and poet Damian Rogers, the Basement Revue quickly became the hottest cold-weather ticket in town through some intoxicating factors: surprise lineups, appearances from some of Canada’s biggest names in books, poetry and music, and the warm, intimate atmosphere of the Dakota Tavern. Though the Revue has graduated to a much bigger location inside the Great Hall, its other distinctive features are the same. Collett is still curating the 11th annual edition, starting this week, and attendees can still count on a variety of esteemed acts. There may be more space, but buy your tickets early. (Longboat Hall, 1087 Queen St. W., doors 8:30 p.m., also Dec. 13, 20 and 27) —Carly Maga
WEDNESDAY The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Watch this if: You want a reminder of why Rachel Brosnahan won an Emmy and a Golden Globe. The critically acclaimed, Emmy-winning comedy from Amy Sherman-Palladino ( Gilmore Girls) returns with its infectious lead character (Brosnahan) still in fine form. As the season begins, Midge’s standup is sparking new interest just as things get even more complicated in her domestic life. Meanwhile, Susie (Alex Borstein) has some problems of her own to tackle. The dialogue, sets and costumes remain as lively and colourful as ever with the added treat of scenes shot in Paris, where Mrs. Maisel proves she can slay a room even when she doesn’t speak the language. (Amazon Prime Video at 12 a.m.) —Debra Yeo
All the Wild Horses at Doc Soup
Watch this if: You love horses and movies about horses. A modern but still plenty rustic recreation of Genghis Khan’s 966-kilometrelong, horse-messenger system, the Mongol Derby is widely considered to be the toughest horse race in the world. Ivo Marloh, the British director of this month’s Hot Docs Doc Soup selection, embedded himself in the race to follow many of the competitors as they — and their indispensable equine teammates — faced the worst conditions the Mongolian Steppe has to offer. The filmmaker will talk more about what he experienced when he participates in postscreening Q&As with host Rachel Giese at the two showings this week. (Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, 506 Bloor St. W., 6:30 p.m., also Dec. 6 at 6:45 p.m.) —Jason Anderson
THURSDAY Black Mother at MDFF Selects
Watch this if: You want to see a very original work by a breakout director. Building on the buzz he earned with his 2015 doc Field Niggas — a stunning por- trait of life on a Harlem street corner — as well as his camerawork for Beyoncé’s video album Lemonade, New York filmmaker Khalik Allah made another big impression on cineastes when his latest played the True/False Festival and Lincoln Center’s prestigious New Directors/New Films program this year. An experimental documentary, Black Mother weaves together a wide array of scenes, stories and subjects to create a wholly unique exploration of Jamaican history and identity. Allah will be the special guest when MDFF Selects hosts the Toronto premiere. (TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St. W., 9 p.m.) —JA
6 Guitars
Watch this if: You want to travel through guitar history in just over an hour. Chase Padgett has been touring his one-man, one-guitar show since 2010, when it premiered on the Fringe circuit. A performer who’s trained in both music and improv, Padgett took the title 6 Guitars from his portrayal of six different players throughout music history — from a pretentious jazz guitarist to a farm boy amateur — culminating in one breakout song that combines them all. (CAA Theatre, 651 Yonge St., 8 p.m., also Friday) —CM
FRIDAY A Christmas Carol
Watch this if: You love a tradition. It’s the week for reliable Yuletide productions; the National Ballet of Canada has its annual Nutcracker and Soulpepper Theatre has its version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, originally directed by Michael Shamata, with this year’s remount director the longtime Scrooge himself, Joseph Ziegler. Or, for something new, try a fresh adaptation of Peter Pan, also opening this week at Soulpepper. It’s a natural tie-in for a day at the Distillery District Christmas Market, and tickets to Soulpepper get you free admission and bypass-the-lineup privileges. (Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 50 Tank House Lane, 7:30 p.m., on until Dec. 24) —CM
Frontier
Watch this if: You like your historical drama raw and bloody. Game of Thrones alum Jason Momoa is the King in the True North as this Canadian-made fur trade drama returns for a third season. Momoa’s outlaw character, Declan Harper, is on a collision course with Hudson’s Bay Company villain Lord Benton (Alun Armstrong) as the season begins, after Benton kidnapped his lover, Grace (Zoe Boyle), last season. The HBC, meanwhile, has sent a ruthless new representative to Canada, Major Vinnicombe (Paul McGillion), to crack down on rival fur traders and hunt down Declan’s right-hand man, Michael Smyth (Landon Liboiron). The action looks set to continue at full throttle all season. (Discovery at 10 p.m. and on the Discovery app after broadcast) —DY
SUNDAY
Raleigh Ritchie
Watch this for: Absolutely no clues for how Game of Thrones’ final season turns out. As GoT’s loyal warrior-eunuch Grey Worm, Jacob Anderson is a taciturn killer. As Raleigh Ritchie, his musical persona named for a couple of Royal Tenenbaums characters, he channels his inner journeys into song and rap far above the low bar set by the standard slumming actor. Associations with fellow Brit star Stormzy have expanded his reach further, but on this short North American tour, he’s his own man, showcasing material from an upcoming sophomore album that, off the evidence of a couple of recent singles, should continue to mark him out from the pack of R&B brooders and carry him beyond Westeros. (Mod Club, 722 College St., doors 8 p.m.) —CY