Sometimes in less-than-ideal situations, all you can do is laugh. While the state of Toronto’s embatled housing market generally is no laughing matter (crying, more like it), a new play makes the subject matter a little lighter. The city’s Crow’s Theatre will raise the curtain on “The Bidding War” tomorrow through December 15.
Written by Michael Ross Albert and directed by Paolo Santalucia, the dark comedy follows a group of ordinary people who find themselves in an extraordinary situation: they are all bidding on the last affordable house in the city.
The bidding war quickly escalates when a routine open house erupts into an emotionally-charged frenzy, with buyers and agents turning on each other in a desperate attempt to win the coveted home. The high-energy play explores themes of greed, desperation, and anxiety, and it offers a humorous look at the lengths people will go to to secure a home in this economy and in notoriously pricey cities like Toronto.
The cast – the season’s largest – features familiar faces on Canada’s entertainment scene, including Aurora Browne (Baroness Von Sketch Show), Sergio Di Zio (Four Minutes Twelve Seconds), Izad Etemadi (Mad Madge), Peter Fernandes (The Master Plan), Veronica Hortiguela (Prodigal), Amy Matysio (It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play), Fiona Reid (Hedda Gabler), Gregory Prest (De Profundis: Oscar Wilde in Jail), Steven Sutcliffe (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Sophia Walker (The House That Will Not Stand), and Gregory Waters (Letterkenny).
"Everyone I was speaking to, we were all worrying about real estate and all trying to figure out how to navigate this impossible puzzle," said playwright Michael Ross Albert. "That led me to think I could write a large-scale comedy about a varied group of people who are all trying to achieve the same end in completely impossible circumstances."
The play communicates these frustrating circumstances, as the characters grow increasingly anxious to come out the top bidder. "All of the characters are desperate," says Albert. "They think that navigating this real estate transaction successfully will radically transform their lives for the better." (Sound familiar?).
The play comes at a time when Toronto’s real estate frenzy has softened since the dramatic bidding war-filled days of the pandemic. Still, bidding wars are common in the city, particularly among first-time buyers (and would-be first-time buyers), especially as many sellers strategically price homes low to intentionally start them. Furthermore, though prices have also dropped since their red-hot pandemic highs, Toronto homes are still incredibly pricey, something that makes home ownership a challenge for countless people. According to the Canadian Regional Real Estate Association (CREA), median sale price for single detached homes was $1,230,000 in the third quarter of 2024.
So, countless Canadians who’ve been in the market as of late know all too well that the struggle is real and will likely relate to the play – even if it does inspire flashbacks. "I think this play is great for anyone who's ever lived in a house or an apartment or a loft," jokes actress Fiona Reid, who plays a buyer.
If you’re ready to make light of the house-hunting journey, this play could be for you (that is, if your mortgage payment permits… tickets cost $65-$100).
Find more info here.
