Between now and December 13, Winnipeg audiences can Seana McKenna and Scott Wentworth at the Manitoba Theatre Centre.
Medea is "Euripides' great drama of romantic obsession, the most searing of Greek tragedies, tells the tale of the princess Medea. For the love of Jason, an ambitious adventurer, she has betrayed her father and her people, murdered her own brother and gone into lonely exile in an alien land. Now, casually dismissed by the arrogant man for whom she has given her life, she plans a terrible revenge."
This Mirvish co-production, directed by Miles Potter, will reach Toronto audiences January 9, 2009, for a four-week run at the Canon Theatre.
Showing posts with label Mirvish Productions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mirvish Productions. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Ha'Penny Bridge Cancelled
When principle casting for the North American production of The Ha'Penny Bridge was announced late last month, there were rumours that it might end up on Broadway after a premiere in Toronto and a run in San Francisco.
That dream is no more.
In a press release yesterday, producer Garrett McGuckian declared that the show was being cancelled because it was not "commercially ready" for a May 16 opening, despite the fact that director Donna Feore and the rest of the creative team have been working on it for two years.
Richard Ouzounian reported that a discussion with McGuckian revealed the pull was more likely due to a lack of funds.
"We had been trying to create a big Broadway-style production," McGuckian told him, but it was too much for just two cities.
At press time, there were no estimations of what might fill the gap at the Princess of Wales Theatre between The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, which ends April 20, and The Sound of Music, which opens in October.
Mirvish Vice-President of Communications, John Karastamatis, however, assured Michael Posner that they would "find another terrific show for subscribers".
Meanwhile, the thirty-six (36) Canadians in the cast and creative team are now out of work.
"Our cancelling of this show has nothing to do with Donna Feore, whom we can't praise highly enough," said McGuckian.
In an interview from her Stratford home, Feore, who last directed Oklahoma! (2007) at the Festival, told Ouzounian that she is "saddened that the producers were unable to put together the venues that were required to make this a commercially viable show."
Rehearsals were slated to begin in five weeks' time, and would have included Kyle Blair, Keith Dinicol, Susan Henley, and Mary Ann McDonald.
That dream is no more.
In a press release yesterday, producer Garrett McGuckian declared that the show was being cancelled because it was not "commercially ready" for a May 16 opening, despite the fact that director Donna Feore and the rest of the creative team have been working on it for two years.
Richard Ouzounian reported that a discussion with McGuckian revealed the pull was more likely due to a lack of funds.
"We had been trying to create a big Broadway-style production," McGuckian told him, but it was too much for just two cities.
At press time, there were no estimations of what might fill the gap at the Princess of Wales Theatre between The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, which ends April 20, and The Sound of Music, which opens in October.
Mirvish Vice-President of Communications, John Karastamatis, however, assured Michael Posner that they would "find another terrific show for subscribers".
Meanwhile, the thirty-six (36) Canadians in the cast and creative team are now out of work.
"Our cancelling of this show has nothing to do with Donna Feore, whom we can't praise highly enough," said McGuckian.
In an interview from her Stratford home, Feore, who last directed Oklahoma! (2007) at the Festival, told Ouzounian that she is "saddened that the producers were unable to put together the venues that were required to make this a commercially viable show."
Rehearsals were slated to begin in five weeks' time, and would have included Kyle Blair, Keith Dinicol, Susan Henley, and Mary Ann McDonald.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Third Revival for Mirvish in 2008-2009
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (2008) will be flying in from across the pond for the 2008-2009 Mirvish Productions season.
This stage adaptation - the first ever of the Ian Fleming novel - is based on a book by Jeremy Sams, with music and lyrics by Richard Sherman and Robert Sherman.
Adrian Noble directed the premiere production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (2002) in London, England, which consisted of over 60 cast members and 10 dogs. Nobel will be directing a considerably smaller company in Hamlet (2008) this season at Stratford.
After three years at the London Palladium, Chitty Chitty (2005, tour) traveled Britain and spent a year on Broadway before landing in Singapore late last year.
The famous car itself even made it into the Guiness World Record books as the most expensive prop in the history of British theatre; it weighs 1.5 tonnes and actually flies!
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (2008) will open at the Canon Theatre in Toronto this November.
Previously announced in the 2008-2009 Mirvish season are The Boys in the Photograph (2008) and The Sound of Music (2008), the latter of which begins in October at the Princess of Wales Theatre.
This stage adaptation - the first ever of the Ian Fleming novel - is based on a book by Jeremy Sams, with music and lyrics by Richard Sherman and Robert Sherman.
Adrian Noble directed the premiere production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (2002) in London, England, which consisted of over 60 cast members and 10 dogs. Nobel will be directing a considerably smaller company in Hamlet (2008) this season at Stratford.
After three years at the London Palladium, Chitty Chitty (2005, tour) traveled Britain and spent a year on Broadway before landing in Singapore late last year.
The famous car itself even made it into the Guiness World Record books as the most expensive prop in the history of British theatre; it weighs 1.5 tonnes and actually flies!
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (2008) will open at the Canon Theatre in Toronto this November.
Previously announced in the 2008-2009 Mirvish season are The Boys in the Photograph (2008) and The Sound of Music (2008), the latter of which begins in October at the Princess of Wales Theatre.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Lloyd Webber Rewrites for Canadian Cast
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton are revising The Beautiful Game (2000) with plans to bring it across the pond.
This time around, it will be The Boys in the Photograph (2009) because, as Elton remembers the original 11-month London run, "people thought they were coming to see Andrew Lloyd Webber's soccer musical and it's no more about soccer than My Fair Lady is about flower sellers."
It's about a soccer team in Belfast, Ireland, that is composed of both Protestants and Catholics. Set in 1969, the musical explores how the boys are affected by the severe political and religious tensions around them as they grow up.
"It really doesn't matter what [they're playing]," says Elton, who wrote and directed We Will Rock You (2007), currently at the Canon Theatre.
In a remote interview with Richard Ouzounian, "Elton estimates 15 per cent of the actual material will be changed, but he claims that 'the show will be 50 per cent different in terms of atmosphere and impact.'"
Apparently, "people came thinking it was about soccer and left thinking it was about terrorism and neither of those things were true."
Once revamped, The Boys in the Photograph (2009) will rehearse at the Manitoba Theatre Centre with a "100% Canadian" cast and creative team.
It is expected to open in Winnipeg in April 2009, run through May, and then transfer to the Canon Theatre in Toronto in June.
This time around, it will be The Boys in the Photograph (2009) because, as Elton remembers the original 11-month London run, "people thought they were coming to see Andrew Lloyd Webber's soccer musical and it's no more about soccer than My Fair Lady is about flower sellers."
It's about a soccer team in Belfast, Ireland, that is composed of both Protestants and Catholics. Set in 1969, the musical explores how the boys are affected by the severe political and religious tensions around them as they grow up.
"It really doesn't matter what [they're playing]," says Elton, who wrote and directed We Will Rock You (2007), currently at the Canon Theatre.
In a remote interview with Richard Ouzounian, "Elton estimates 15 per cent of the actual material will be changed, but he claims that 'the show will be 50 per cent different in terms of atmosphere and impact.'"
Apparently, "people came thinking it was about soccer and left thinking it was about terrorism and neither of those things were true."
Once revamped, The Boys in the Photograph (2009) will rehearse at the Manitoba Theatre Centre with a "100% Canadian" cast and creative team.
It is expected to open in Winnipeg in April 2009, run through May, and then transfer to the Canon Theatre in Toronto in June.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
San Francisco Expecting Stratford Alumni
Principle casting for the Canadian premiere of Ha'Penny Bridge (2008), announced yesterday, includes beloved Stratford alumni Kyle Blair (known to musical audiences as Will Parker, Noah Claypole, and Ambrose Kember); Keith Dinicol (who has, in 24 seasons, been in more than 60 productions); Susan Henley (just three seasons), and Mary Ann McDonald (last in The Sound of Music [2002]).
Musical director and choreographer Donna Feore, whose Stratford credits include Oliver! (2006) and Oklahoma! (2007), will be heading up this touring production.
Ha'Penny Bridge is the tale of "a love torn apart in a country divided". Molly Cassidy (Broadway's Anika Larsen) and the "handsome and quick-witted" George Aitkin (Kyle Blair, pictured above in guess what?) meet in 1922 Dublin, in the midst of the civil war. And he a Londoner. What chance has their love of surviving?
An Irish musical, Ha'Penny Bridge (2008) is characterised as "Broadway bound" by Playbill, though neither a tentative date or theatre has been issued - even tentatively.
Ha'Penny Bridge (2008) will run in Toronto at the Princess of Wales Theatre May 16 to June 29, 2008, before moving to San Francisco's Golden Gate Theatre on July 6, 2008.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Posner in Putnam County Spelling Bee
To get an early look at The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (2007, tour), which begins in Toronto on Tuesday, January 29, Michael Posner joined the cast as a not-so-unsuspecting audience member in a recent show in Buffalo, New York.
"At every show," he explains, "the producers include a little audience participation, inviting three or four people to come on stage and join the Bee. My 'selection,' of course, was prearranged, and I was accompanied by three local Buffalo residents, including WKBW news anchorwoman Joanna Pasceri.
"I did not do well.
"How unwell did I do? Out on the second round.
"Ouch. Few demands are made of journalists, except the ability to spell.
"Mind you, you are not supposed to do well. If you make it past the third round, you risk interrupting the flow of the show, so they deliberately give you a word that only a genuine spelling-bee champion could be expected to handle. I knew this going in. I was fully prepared for my public humiliation, if not for the speed with which it was delivered."
Posner, who details his humiliation in an article for the Globe and Mail, was contestant #3 (pictured).
"At the theatre, before the opening curtain, the four of us were briefed by a support crew on what to do. Take the right stairs, stand behind the desk, listen to the other cast members and no funny business — no sophomoric attempts at humour, no monologues from Shakespeare. And always ask for a definition of the word and for it to be used in a sentence: These provide set-ups for jokes.
"We were all called up after the opening number and draped with contestant numbers. Then we took seats in the miniature bleachers.
"My first word was 'jihad.' 'Could you use it in a sentence, please.'
"'Khalid made sure the meat was strictly halal at the welcome-new-members jihad barbecue.'
"No problem.
"Jihad: J-i-h-a-d.
"Hey, this is a breeze. I thought.
"Joanna P. got an even easier word — 'cow.' Robert, a retired General Motors car-plant worker, got 'Mexicans.' Only one of us, Mari, a financial secretary, exited on the first round. Joanna's next word was fandango, which she spelled correctly.
"But the one they threw at me threw me: 'kinnikinnick.'
"Yes, my thoughts exactly . . .
"Definition: A preparation made from dried leaves, bark and sometimes tobacco, and smoked especially by certain native-American peoples.
"I gave it a try.
"'I don't know what you spelled,' said vice-principal Douglas Panch (James Kall), 'but that isn't correct.'
"'Goodbye, goodbye,' they serenaded me, while Mitch Mahoney (Kevin Smith Kirkwood), the comfort counsellor, gave me three bear hugs, removed my contestant number and handed me a consolation prize — a juice box (apple).
"I drove home, not exactly jubilant. I went to the dictionary. I looked up kinnikinnick. Otherwise known as bearberry. They couldn't have given me that instead?"
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (2007, tour) will run at the Elgin Theatre from January 29 to February 10, in the inaugural season of Dancap Productions. If you're preparing to be a participant, practice your spelling skills on the game featured on the official website.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Dancap Takes Over Toronto Theatre
Not yet two shows under his theatrical belt, and Aubrey Dan is already managing the Canon and Panasonic Theatres in Toronto, and Broadway Across America, which tours in 42 U. S. cities and 20 Canadian cities. Both were part of a $61 million acquisition of Live Nation Inc. by Key Brand Entertainment, in which Dan is a primary investor.
Michael Posner provides the details at the Globe and Mail:
"Mr. Dan, 44, is in the first year of marketing a six-show subscription series in Toronto under the umbrella of Dancap Productions. In an interview, he said that through his investment company, Dancap Private Equity, he is taking an equity position 'north of 10 per cent and south of 15 per cent' in Key Brand, an investment company dedicated to development, production and distribution of live theatre. In return, he will manage its Canadian assets, including Broadway Across Canada, the Canon and Panasonic Theatres, and will sit on Key Brand's board of directors."
What does this mean for Mirvish Productions, which holds a lease at the Canon until 2016?
According to Dan's interview with Richard Ouzounian, there won't be a challenge to the contract. (We Will Rock You [2007] is free to continue its run as scheduled through 2010.)
"'I see this as a wonderful opportunity for the two of us to work together,' [Dan said]. 'I have the greatest respect for the Mirvishes and applaud the chance for synergy. We welcome them with open arms.'
"David Mirvish was similarly optimistic in a statement. 'I, too, think of it as business as usual and I look forward to meeting with Aubrey.'
"The acquisitions won't affect Dan's plans for the renamed Toronto Centre for the Arts in North York, where he'll present My Fair Lady [2008] and Jersey Boys [2008] this summer.
"All in all, it was quite a day for Dan, who on Tuesday opens The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee [2008] musical at the Elgin, only his second solo show in Toronto."
"The first was The Drowsy Chaperon[e (2007, tour)] last fall, also at the Elgin.
"'Not bad for a young start-up company,' he laughs."
Not bad at all.
Michael Posner provides the details at the Globe and Mail:
"Mr. Dan, 44, is in the first year of marketing a six-show subscription series in Toronto under the umbrella of Dancap Productions. In an interview, he said that through his investment company, Dancap Private Equity, he is taking an equity position 'north of 10 per cent and south of 15 per cent' in Key Brand, an investment company dedicated to development, production and distribution of live theatre. In return, he will manage its Canadian assets, including Broadway Across Canada, the Canon and Panasonic Theatres, and will sit on Key Brand's board of directors."
What does this mean for Mirvish Productions, which holds a lease at the Canon until 2016?
According to Dan's interview with Richard Ouzounian, there won't be a challenge to the contract. (We Will Rock You [2007] is free to continue its run as scheduled through 2010.)
"'I see this as a wonderful opportunity for the two of us to work together,' [Dan said]. 'I have the greatest respect for the Mirvishes and applaud the chance for synergy. We welcome them with open arms.'
"David Mirvish was similarly optimistic in a statement. 'I, too, think of it as business as usual and I look forward to meeting with Aubrey.'
"The acquisitions won't affect Dan's plans for the renamed Toronto Centre for the Arts in North York, where he'll present My Fair Lady [2008] and Jersey Boys [2008] this summer.
"All in all, it was quite a day for Dan, who on Tuesday opens The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee [2008] musical at the Elgin, only his second solo show in Toronto."
"The first was The Drowsy Chaperon[e (2007, tour)] last fall, also at the Elgin.
"'Not bad for a young start-up company,' he laughs."
Not bad at all.
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