Summer 2009 Music Theatre In Toronto
Toronto-Area Musical Comedies include Jersey Boys, Sound of Music
May 21, 2009
Music theatre lovers living near Toronto, Canada have lots to choose from onstage during the summer 2009 season. In particular, if they're willing to venture just outside the city, they can see no less than three shows by Stephen Sondheim running concurrently almost all summer.
Long Running Musicals in Toronto
Three long runs continue to draw audiences:
- The Sound of Music – The story of the Von Trapp Family Singers and their flight from Nazi-occupied Austria continues at the Princess of Wales Theatre downtown on King Street. (Mirvish.com)
- We Will Rock You – The music of iconic rock group Queen is reimagined as a musical about a repressive future world and the rebels who challenge it. It runs until at least June 28 at the Panasonic Theatre on Yonge Street south of Bloor. (Mirvish.com)
- Jersey Boys – The Tony Award-winning show chronicles the rise to fame of '50s and '60s pop group Franki Valli and the Four Seasons, and includes crowd-pleasing renditions of their famous hits like "Sherry" and "Walk Like a Man". It continues its run at the Toronto Centre for the Performing Arts on Yonge Street in the north end of town. (Dancaptickets.com)
Limited-Run Musicals at the Canon Theatre:
- Riverdance – The Canadian farewell production of the iconic Celtic dance extravaganza hits the Canon Theatre on Yonge Street downtown from May 19 to June 21. (Mirvish.com)
- The Harder They Come – Perry Henzell's adaptation of the film of the same name takes over the theatre from July 21 to August 23. With songs by reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, it's a vital and gritty tale of the struggle for survival in Jamaica's underworld. The photo below shows Roland Bell in the production. (Mirvish.com)
Sondheim Musicals at Local Festivals
From June 5 to October 31, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario presents West Side Story, the beloved retelling of Romeo and Juliet in New York City. Created by Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein and Sondheim, it includes famous standards like "Maria" and "Tonight". This production stars Paul Nolan and Chilina Kennedy as the doomed lovers.
The Stratford Festival is also presenting A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, starring Bruce Dow (shown in the photo, top and below) as Pseudalus, the wily slave who's conniving to get his freedom, from June 20 to November 1. It's partly drawn from the Roman comedies of Plautus, and also bears a family resemblance to Shakespeare's A Comedy of Errors, which is the reason it's included in the playbill. Seldom seen in Ontario, the show has a hilarious and witty script by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart (of M*A*S*H* fame), with music by Sondheim.
At the nearby Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, yet another Sondheim show is on offer with Sunday in the Park with George, which runs from May 22 to November 1. This is the one that's loosely based on the 1880s-vintage painting by Georges Seurat known as A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.
Read on to find out more about Broadway musicals in New York, Chicago or Toronto.
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