After a successful run last summer, Dancap brings the Lincoln Center Theater’s magnificent production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific back to Toronto for a return engagement at the Toronto Centre for the Arts.

Based on a collection of short stories, Tales of the South Pacific, written by James A. Michener immediately after World War II, South Pacific originally debuted on Broadway in 1949. The show is a staple of the American musical theatre canon and features recognizable songs like “Some Enchanted Evening” and “Bali Ha’i”.

Continue reading Review: South Pacific (Dancap) →

By Wayne Leung

Mirvish is presenting the Edinburgh Festival Theatre’s new production of the musical, The Secret Garden by Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon at Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre through March 20, 2011.

The play is based on the novel, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. First published in 1911, the novel has become an enduring classic in children’s literature.

The Secret Garden tells the story of a young British girl, Mary Lennox, who is orphaned after her parents die of a cholera epidemic in India and sent to live in the large, gloomy estate of her uncle Archibald Craven in Yorkshire.

Continue reading Review: The Secret Garden (Mirvish) →

By Wayne Leung

Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre Company premiered its newest production, The Fantasticks, on Valentine’s Day.

If you were asked to guess what the longest-running show in American history was you’d likely go with a safe bet like Cats, A Chorus Line, The Phantom of The Opera, Les Misérables or some other similar big-production musical.

In fact, with an uninterrupted Off-Broadway run of 17,162 performances across 42 years, the distinction belongs to a simple yet charming little musical, The Fantasticks. It’s not hard to see why Soulpepper chose to open their 2011 Family Series with a new production of this winsome show.

Continue reading Review: The Fantasticks (Soulpepper) →

by Wayne Leung

Mirvish has been the dominant presenter of commercial theatre in Toronto for decades. Indeed, before the arrival of Aubrey Dan’s upstart Dancap onto the scene a few years ago Mirvish was the only major presenter of big broadway-style shows in Toronto.

The healthy competition from Dancap has forced Mirvish to up their game; their past couple seasons have arguably been their strongest in years.

The Mirvish 2011/12 season seems to continue the upward trend. It features an exciting and eclectic mix of musicals and plays. Continue reading Announcement: Mirvish to bring Mary Poppins, Chess, Hair and others to Toronto theatres in their 2011/12 season →

by Wayne Leung

On the morning of January 26th, inside the historic Canadian Pacific Railway’s John Street Roundhouse (now the home of the Steam Whistle Brewery); Marquis Entertainment and The Touring Consortium Theatre Company announced an exciting, new production of a smash British play; E. Nesbit’s The Railway Children to be staged in a new theatrical venue, The Roundhouse Theatre, located on the grounds of the historic site.

Continue reading The Railway Children: North American premiere of a British smash in a brand new Toronto venue – The Roundhouse Theatre →