Saucy hard rock, Inuk comedy and more: what the Star's culture team is obsessed with this week

TV: ‘North of North’ Anna Lambe (“True Detective: Night Country”) is radiant in this comedy as Siaja, a young Inuk woman breaking free of her self-absorbed husband and seeking purpose in her tiny town while nurturing relationships with her daughter, her troubled mother and the white father she never knew. The show was shot in Iqaluit, and its characters do things that southern folks do, like go to house parties and bars, but they also have more idiosyncratic pursuits, like seal hunting and bum-hopping contests (IYKYK). Now that the sitcom is on Netflix as well as CBC Gem and APTN Lumi, more people can discover this funny, cheeky, heartfelt but also bittersweet slice of northern life .

—Debra Yeo Anna Lambe stars as Siaja in “North of North.” Comedy: Tea4Tea: An All Trans and Non-Binary Comedy Show This comedy showcase sold out its last three shows, so you know the chuckles will be plentiful. This one’s line-up includes Bren D’Souza, Alice Rose, Ava Val and Sarah Ashby.



Attending solo or feeling nervous about hitting your first queer event? Producer Anna Sebastien wants to make it as fun and accessible as possible, so you can email them for support at anna.sebastien.comedy@gmail.

com . “Pay what you can” tickets are available. Thursday at Tallboys (838 Bloor St.

W.). — Briony Smith Watch: Rami Malek in a new spy thriller See: A dated LGBTQ play jolted back to life Theatre: ‘Mahabharata’ Since premiering at the Shaw Festival in 2023, Why Not Theatre’s thrilling stage adaptation of the Sanskrit poem “Mahabharata” has toured the world.

Now, the show is back in Canada for a run at the Bluma Appel Theatre, presented by Canadian Stage. The play is truly epic: the story of warring branches of an ancient noble family is five hours long and split into two parts. See it over two days or, for the best experience, watch both parts back-to-back, with a dinner break in between.

—Joshua Chong Music: The Darkness, ‘Dreams on Toast’ It’s been more than two decades since they broke out with the joyous “I Believe in a Thing Called Love,” but on their eighth studio album, these saucy British hard rockers sound as fresh as ever. With feet planted in the ’70s rock firmament (think Queen, 10cc and Status Quo) and tongues buried deep inside cheeks, they deliver their most consistent batch of songs in years, full of instantly quotable lines like “I wake up so early / The sun has only just set / I wake up in a middle aged body / To the toilet I must get.” And just try to dislodge the relentless chirpy “The Longest Kiss” from your brain after only one exposure.

—Doug Brod.