Latest news with #MirvishProductions
Toronto Star
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
Mirvish Productions has found its '& Juliet' star in a former Stratford Festival Juliet
Mirvish Productions has announced the all-Canadian cast of the Toronto run of hit pop musical '& Juliet' following a fiercely competitive audition process last year. Vanessa Sears will star as Juliet. It's a role she has already played in the 2024 Stratford Festival version of 'Romeo and Juliet,' albeit with a different ending than the one in the musical.
Hamilton Spectator
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Vanessa Sears takes another run at Shakepeare's Juliet in jukebox musical '& Juliet'
TORONTO - Canadian stage actress Vanessa Sears is resurrecting her role as hopeless romantic Juliet Capulet, with a playful pop music twist. Mirvish Productions says the Deep River, Ont., native leads the all-Canadian cast of jukebox musical '& Juliet,' which returns to Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre later this year. Sears is deeply familiar with William Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers. She played Juliet in the Stratford Festival's 2024 production of the dramatic love story. '& Juliet' will have her portray a more comedic version of the character. The musical imagines what might've happened if Romeo and Juliet had gone their separate ways. The book was penned by Toronto playwright David West Read and propelled by the pop hits of Swedish producer Max Martin, including tracks 'Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely,' 'Since U Been Gone' and 'Roar.' '& Juliet' has a limited run from Dec. 3, 2025 to March 22, 2026. Tickets are already on sale through the Mirvish website. Sears is a familiar face in Mirvish productions, having previously starred in their 2015 production of 'Kinky Boots' and is set to appear in 'Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812' this summer. Other Canadians in the new '& Juliet' cast include David Silvestri, who starred in 'Come From Away;' Julia McLellan, who had parts in 'Kinky Boots' and 'Six;' and Stratford and Shaw Festival veteran George Krissa. The musical made its North American premiere in July 2022, leading to a successful Broadway run later that year as theatre productions gradually resumed after COVID-19 closures. 'The cast consists of artists we know and love from past productions,' said theatre producers David and Hannah Mirvish in a joint statement. 'Others we've been following on stages around the city and beyond, and some exciting new talent (will make) their professional debuts.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Vanessa Sears takes another run at Shakepeare's Juliet in jukebox musical ‘& Juliet'
TORONTO – Canadian stage actress Vanessa Sears is resurrecting her role as hopeless romantic Juliet Capulet, with a playful pop music twist. Mirvish Productions says the Deep River, Ont., native leads the all-Canadian cast of jukebox musical '& Juliet,' which returns to Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre later this year. Sears is deeply familiar with William Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers. She played Juliet in the Stratford Festival's 2024 production of the dramatic love story. '& Juliet' will have her portray a more comedic version of the character. The musical imagines what might've happened if Romeo and Juliet had gone their separate ways. The book was penned by Toronto playwright David West Read and propelled by the pop hits of Swedish producer Max Martin, including tracks 'Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely,' 'Since U Been Gone' and 'Roar.' '& Juliet' has a limited run from Dec. 3, 2025 to March 22, 2026. Tickets are already on sale through the Mirvish website. Sears is a familiar face in Mirvish productions, having previously starred in their 2015 production of 'Kinky Boots' and is set to appear in 'Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812' this summer. Other Canadians in the new '& Juliet' cast include David Silvestri, who starred in 'Come From Away;' Julia McLellan, who had parts in 'Kinky Boots' and 'Six;' and Stratford and Shaw Festival veteran George Krissa. The musical made its North American premiere in July 2022, leading to a successful Broadway run later that year as theatre productions gradually resumed after COVID-19 closures. 'The cast consists of artists we know and love from past productions,' said theatre producers David and Hannah Mirvish in a joint statement. 'Others we've been following on stages around the city and beyond, and some exciting new talent (will make) their professional debuts.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025.
Globe and Mail
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
Mystery solved: Clue at Mirvish is a delight
Title: Clue Written by: Sandy Rustin Performed by: Jennifer Allen, Mariah Burks, Donna English, David Hess, Sarah Hollis, Jamil A.C. Mangan, John Shartzer, Jeff Skowron, Mark Jude Sullivan, Elisabeth Yancey and Evan Zes Director: Casey Hushion Company: Mirvish Productions Venue: Royal Alexandra Theatre City: Toronto Year: Until June 8, 2025 It's 1954. McCarthyism is running amok across Washington, where no one is safe from investigation – not the politicians greasing the wheels of American power, not the cooks and maids keeping their homes and certainly not their wives and escorts. It's a tense time, and in Clue: On Stage, Sandy Rustin's terrific theatrical adaptation of Jonathan Lynn's iconic 1985 screenplay, the game is, as they say, afoot. The play is relatively faithful to both the film and the board game that inspired it, a mystery predicated on cheesy sight gags and – you've been warned – a veritable murder of puns. When six D.C. power players find themselves at the home of the mysterious Mr. Boddy (Mark Jude Sullivan), his cook (Mariah Burks), his maid Yvette (Elisabeth Yancey) and his butler Wadsworth (the fabulous Jeff Skowron), they soon realize something's not right. Before long, there's a murder, and, à la Agatha Christie, it's up to them to figure out whodunit. Of course, you know these colourful party guests well. There's the bumbling Colonel Mustard (David Hess), who takes things so literally even Amelia Bedelia would be impressed. Mrs. White (Donna English) has a suspicious number of dead ex-husbands, while Mrs. Peacock's (Jennifer Allen) life partner is a powerful senator. Mr. Green (John Shartzer) is a nervous Republican who may or may not have voted blue in the last election, and Professor Plum (a Stanley Tucci-esque Evan Zes) has an even more lurid secret of his own. And Miss Scarlet (Sarah Hollis) seems to know one or two of these men from the D.C. nightlife scene – which is bad news for them, if word gets out. Director Casey Hushion's cast has great chemistry, punchy comic timing and a strong sense of physicality – an important trait in a slapstick comedy such as this one, which frequently sees the party guests tumble over each other like puppies in pursuit of murder weapons and brass keys. Rustin's script, too, preserves the campy political smarm of the film – you can expect more than a handful of jokes at the United States' expense. (Elbows up, could-be murderers!) It's a shame Clue's touring set, designed by Lee Savage, is a bit flimsy – slammed doors rattle the entire Boddy estate in a way that doesn't seem to be intentional, and the Royal Alexandra Theatre's narrow proscenium makes for a few sightline issues when murders happen at the very edge of the stage. When London's Grand Theatre co-produced Clue with the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre last year, Brian Perchaluk's set was wildly imaginative, a spinning, two-floor dollhouse spring-loaded with secrets. Savage's set isn't bad, but theatre fans who saw Perchaluk's – which at the time seemed firmly anchored to the stage without any sightline concerns – might feel a touch shortchanged here. That's a minor complaint, though, for a production that lives up to its marketing materials: Clue really is fun for all ages. The McCarthyism of it all is sure to make the adults in the room chuckle – same goes for the raunchy jokes about 1950s prudishness and secrecy – while the wacky accents and proximity to the board game will easily sate the more bookish kids in the audience. The breakneck 80-minute runtime, too, ensures there's not much room to get bored. Plus, on the design side, Jen Caprio's costumes are just gorgeous – Miss Scarlet's plunging, form-fitting evening gown, in particular, has been tailored to perfection. Performance-wise, it's worth singling out Skowron, whose performance as Wadsworth was just right on opening night. Without any spoilers, the seemingly buttoned-up butler is written in a way that might become tiresome in the hands of a less agile actor. (His final monologue, in particular, has the capacity to become exhausting for both actor and audience.) Skowron doesn't overdo it, and the end result is truly entertaining. His accents could use some work, but hey, it's Clue, not Shakespeare – a missed word or two in RP dialect is no cardinal sin. All this to say: Clue is an utter delight. Mystery solved.
CTV News
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
‘The Lion King' circle of life to end in Toronto after less than a year
Cast members perform "Circle of Life" during the media day for Disney's "The Lion King" at the production's rehearsal space in Toronto, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young TORONTO — 'The Lion King' will soon utter its final roar in Toronto. Mirvish Productions announced Tuesday that the last performance of the critically acclaimed and award-winning musical will take place Aug. 30 at the Princess of Wales Theatre. It's a shorter run than many expected for a production of its calibre, but the company's director of sales says producers determined it was better to close the show on 'a really high note' than gamble with uncertainties that may come up later this year. 'You don't want to go out struggling,' John Karastamatis added. The stage adaptation of the 1994 Disney animated film opened in November, featuring a cast of mostly Canadian performers and crew, with high expectations for an extended run. Before opening, David Mirvish told The Canadian Press he hoped the production might last at least a couple of years. He projected it would break even after 26 to 36 weeks of performances. By the time it closes, the show will have played 43 weeks and a total of 345 shows, reaching an expected audience of more than 250,000 people. Karastamatis said the production is profitable. 'We've accomplished what we set out to do, we have a new generation of artists on the stage and we've had great audiences,' he said. 'It's kind of a gut feeling, but it's hard to tell the future, especially nowadays.' Karastamatis described several factors that could negatively affect ticket sales for a show as long-running as 'The Lion King.' For instance, a new political climate has reduced cross-border travel. 'We're not getting Americans up here. Canadians aren't going to the United States either. So it's a whole new world,' he said. 'Our hope for this summer is that Canadians will make up the difference.' Producers weighed other factors, too. One was that come fall 'The Lion King' would be headed into a new theatre season and possibly deemed an 'old show' in a busy market of new projects. 'The Lion King' first ran in Toronto from 2000 to 2004, and has since seen a number of travelling versions roll through the city. Last year's return was touted as an open-ended run, a significant investment that hired more local talent and occupied a single theatre for an extended period. Toronto's 'The Lion King' production was an oversized ambition from the start. Last fall, Mirvish rented an old Toronto Catholic school to house its massive cast, crew and costumes, because there wasn't an existing rehearsal space in the city that could accommodate them. As the show got underway, it faced another hurdle when, a day before it opened, its star Simba was sidelined by injury. Actor Aphiwe Nyezi missed the first two-and-a-half months of the run but returned to 'The Lion King' in mid-January. He was temporarily replaced by the lead from the musical's ongoing North American tour. Open-ended productions aren't especially common in Toronto, and their long-running success is never a guarantee. Mirvish's last one was the $25-million 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,' for which it spent another $5 million to renovate and retrofit the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre. That show ended in 2023 after just 13 months. Before 'The Lion King' closes, Mirvish plans to host a 'relaxed performance' for the Aug. 1 matinee. The special version will cater to neurodivergent audiences with noises and music played at a lower level. There will also be an opportunity to book a 'touch tour' that day, which gives ticket holders an opportunity to touch the props and costumes before the show. The closure of 'The Lion King' comes just before this year's Toronto International Film Festival, which uses the Princess of Wales Theatre as one of its main screening rooms. The festival runs from Sept. 4 to 14. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 13, 2025. David Friend, The Canadian Press
