My review of Parḗlios? The headline says it.

I was in the lobby at Theatre Passe Muraille early Sunday in anticipation of the closing performance of Parḗlios when I ran into Jennifer Nichols, who directed & choreographed the show, the last performance in the Toronto Opera Festival 2026 from Opera 5.

Jennifer immediately said two things to me:
First: “Cecilia Livingston is a genius,” and
Second: “Read the program, the synopsis & director’s notes.”

I couldn’t get the program to open properly on my phone.

Does that matter? I can’t decide. As a reviewer I feel I have a responsibility to prepare, to do my homework. That’s why I wrote that headline.

I was sitting beside a doctor, chuckling as I stifled my iPhone moments before the show, who said he never brings his phone to shows. I thought of the one-page synopsis the COC gives out, or pre-show talks like the ones Marshall Pynkoski does for Opera Atelier.

After the last Toronto Symphony concert I wrote about Bekah Simms’s program note for her new piece:
“A good program note is itself a work of art, writing that creates the horizon of expectation. We are meeting a new work, and it’s part of the job of the composer or painter or playwright to give us some idea, perhaps teasing us, perhaps mystifying us, but whether it’s explicit or poetic, they are drawing us in.“

I knew I needed something more from the creators of Parḗlios.

As impressive as Parḗlios was in its look and sound, as exciting as TorQ Percussion Quartet (Richard Burrows, Adam Campbell, Jamie Drake, Daniel Morphy) were playing Cecilia’s new score:
I didn’t get it.

The phrase is meant in the same spirit as when someone tells a joke that goes over my head, that I failed to understand. I could see the entire troupe of singers, dancers & musicians working hard, their intentions sky-high, and bouncing off me like a sermon in a language I don’t speak. I enjoyed the dance element, the beautiful music, some gorgeous singing, but I did not connect with the work. That’s what I mean in saying I don’t get it.

And I was frustrated that I couldn’t read the program when I had been directed there by Jennifer before the show. I did read it later, afterwards, but I am not sure that would have changed how I felt had I seen it before the show. I was reminded of my experience seeing the Robert Wilson Turandot twice, first with someone profoundly disappointed by what was missing from the opera she knew, then with a visual artist who arrived without expectations, who was swept up in the beauty of the presentation. I could identify with both positions after the fact. Parḗlios was like that for me, as I was simultaneously aware of simple beauty & complexities that I was not decoding properly. I felt like a mosquito stuck to the windshield on the outside of the car carrying the true believers.

After the show, as I talked producer Rachel Krehm’s ear off about my frustration with the program, I felt like a party-pooper, someone who went to the party but didn’t dance or even have a single drink.

Was I so hard-hearted that I couldn’t get into the images of apocalypse presented in Parḗlios? Maybe. I was watching rituals & solemnities that never connected with me. When I say “I don’t get it” that doesn’t mean no one did, the show was well-received.

At one point after the show while I was chatting with composer Cecilia Livingston, Carl Lyons came over to express his enthusiasm, on this his second viewing of the show.

Cecilia was very humble at that moment, delighted that Carl said he loved it and that he’d seen it twice. I said I wish I could see it again, as I stopped short of saying “I don’t get it” to Cecilia. But I did think I needed another look. I spoke of my belief that we need to see & hear things multiple times to pick up nuances, to get deeper into the things we love. And that goes double for something that one didn’t understand, although that’s not usually the way it works. When someone does not understand that may be when a dismissive review is written (something I won’t do).

I wish I were sufficiently gracious to know what to say. Carl certainly knows how to do this, and that’s why I wanted to share his picture. If/when you see him at a show (and he’s ubiquitous at Toronto theatres) you may recognize him, always smiling.

I want to recognize the excellent work of the Creative Team:
Jennifer Nichols, Director and Choreographer
Evan Mitchell, Music Director
Nathan Bruce, Video Projection Designer
Carlyn Rahusaar Routledge, Set Designer
Siobhan Sleath, Lighting Designer
Costume Designer, Chris Faris

The video was always lovely to look at, the singing always clear, the music direction effective.