Latest news with #StratfordFestival
Toronto Star
a day 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.
Globe and Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
Kat Sandler's fresh take on Anne of Green Gables is a standout at the Stratford Festival
Title: Anne of Green Gables Written and directed by: Kat Sandler Performed by: Caroline Toal, Tim Campbell, Sarah Dodd, Maev Beaty, Helen Belay, Jordin Hall, Steven Hao, Josue Laboucane, Julie Lumsden, Jennifer Villaverde Company: Stratford Festival Venue: Avon Theatre City: Stratford Year: Until Oct. 25, 2025 Critic's Pick For perhaps the first time in the Stratford Festival's history, the show you absolutely, categorically cannot miss this summer was not written by William Shakespeare. It's not a musical, either, or even a restoration comedy. No – the play you'd be doing yourself an enormous disservice to skip is Anne of Green Gables, adapted and directed in a heartwarming, gut-wrenching, life-affirming production by Kat Sandler. The show, which opened on Saturday afternoon at the end of an unusually strong week of openings for the Stratford Festival, wasn't on my list of most anticipated productions in 2025. To be honest, it was barely on the list of my most anticipated productions last week. But Sandler's adaptation – some of her best writing in recent years – manages to have its cake and eat it, too, with a script that welcomes children and adults alike into its care from the very first line. It's both funny and achingly sad; straightforward yet nuanced and supple. Like Anne herself, Sandler's treatment of her is one of gripping contradictions that stretch the imagination and satisfy the soul. For the Anne purists in attendance, don't worry: The first act is a faithful adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic tale about a gregarious young orphan living on Prince Edward Island in the 1890s. Anne is loquacious, adventurous and headstrong; she hates her red hair; she possesses a moral code comparable to that of a medieval knight. Behind the scenes with the Stratford Festival's artisans But Sandler's script is so much more than a one-to-one transcription of the classic stories. When she updates the story to a time that approximates now in the second act, the choice seems as obvious as a bottle of raspberry cordial on a hot summer day, the story as charming and timeless in modern dress as it is in bloomers and puffed sleeves. As if refurbishing those fabled gables by hand, Sandler builds a careful frame around Anne's story that lets the audience know what's what. When we meet the first-rate ensemble cast, they're not residents of Avonlea, but members of a book club eager to discuss the story's finer plot points. It's through this lens that Sandler is able to anticipate and reject the idea that Anne is untouchable – that she can't be reimagined by anyone with a big enough heart and a sharp enough pen. When actor Maev Beaty, novel in hand, chortles, 'That's not in the book!,' the laughs come easily: Superfans, it turns out, transcend centuries. (Beaty, as ever, is a treasure of the Stratford Festival stage, a joy to watch as she shape-shifts from concerned Anne stan to next-door neighbour Rachel Lynde.) And what's an adaptation without a spitfire Anne leading the way? Caroline Toal is that and more, spunky and sprightly as Canada's favourite redhead, as convincing in the play's darker moments as in its more lighthearted tales of tweenage girlhood. Watching Anne become bosom friends with Diana (Julie Lumsden) feels like watching a home movie, their love for one another timeless and sweet. Diana is the one person in Avonlea for whom Anne never needs to shrink herself or her heart, and Lumsden ably captures the child's sense of good humour. Two other important performances make this Anne sing: Sarah Dodd as Marilla, the woman who, after some prodding, accepts Anne into her home, and Tim Campbell as Matthew, Marilla's brother. Dodd and Campbell both possess the emotional dexterity these parts demand, the ability to convey complicated feelings of justice, pride and anxiety in a way that's accessible to the kids in the audience while also being deeply relatable to the guardians who bought their tickets. Campbell, in particular, is astounding – I'm certain his sensitive, iridescent portrayal of Anne's de facto father figure will stay with me for years. There are no weak links in the rest of Sandler's cast: Steven Hao, Jordin Hall, Jennifer Villaverde, Josue Laboucane and Helen Belay are phenomenal chess pieces in Sandler's vision, relentlessly believable and sweet as they weave in and out of Anne's orbit. One of the most poignant aspects of this production is Joanna Yu's set, complete with a peeling, emerald-green roof. It's easy to see how Anne falls in love with her home, the mismatched furniture pieces in her bedroom and kitchen that accompany her first experiences of family. Yu's costumes, too, conjure a universal childhood unconstrained by era – give or take a bad wig or two, the clothes themselves are nostalgic and sleek. (Fret not: The most important wig, with its iconic red braids, looks just fine on Toal's head.) 'I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers,' Anne memorably quips as the seasons turn cool in Avonlea. As summer descends upon Southwestern Ontario, I'm right there with her – but I'm equally glad I live in a world where there exists this gorgeous piece of theatre, the irrefutable standout of this year's Stratford Festival. Go see it.
Hamilton Spectator
2 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
2 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
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
Antoni Cimolino's well-acted Winter's Tale wrestles with oddities in Shakespeare's script
Title: The Winter's Tale Written by: William Shakespeare Performed by: Graham Abbey, Yanna McIntosh, Sara Topham, Austin Eckert, Tom McCamus, Marissa Orjalo, Tom Rooney, André Sills Director: Antoni Cimolino Company: Stratford Festival Venue: Tom Patterson Theatre City: Stratford Year: Until Sep. 27, 2025 'A sad tale's best for winter,' little Mamillius tells his mother when she asks for a story. As if spoken into existence, the events that follow are very sad indeed, with disastrous implications for Mamillius (Philip Myers on opening night of The Winter's Tale), his mother (Sara Topham) and his sister (Marissa Orjalo). When we next see the tiny prince, it's as a memory – a tiny child forever playing in a starlit afterlife. Oft-considered one of Shakespeare's 'problem plays' for its odd structure, The Winter's Tale begins with one of the Bard's more twisted psychological tests: King Leontes (a superb Graham Abbey), out of his mind with doomy rage, accuses his pregnant wife Hermione (Topham) of infidelity with King Polixenes (André Sills). When she denies the accusations, the play turns tragic: Her newborn daughter Perdita (Orjalo) is exiled to the coast of Bohemia, while the mother and her toddling son die of heartbreak. The play, so very dark in its first half, is a brooder that, for a while, rivals King Lear or Romeo and Juliet. But after intermission, the work mutates into a pastoral comedy with a decidedly light ending, and in Stratford Festival artistic director Antoni Cimolino's production, those halves never bind together in a way that makes for a satisfying story. Down the street at the Festival Theatre, Chris Abraham helms a pastoral comedy with similarly disparate acts. But in As You Like It, Abraham interrogates the relationship between the genre's form and its content in a way that feels intentional and bold; here, the fault lines in Shakespeare's dramatic structure are left to echo. Cimolino leans hard into each tonal shift – the shimmer of early childhood, the draconian gloom of Leontes's court, the Midsommar-esque merriment of Perdita's newfound clan – and often the production is enjoyable. But the momentum of the first act, led by Abbey in a tour de force performance as the tortured king, fizzles out by the time we get to know Perdita and her adoptive family. And once Perdita's surrogate father (played by Tom McCamus) steps aside for his daughter to rediscover her noble heritage, the play is all but over – an 'all's well that ends well' predicated upon, among other things, a sentient statue. Oddities in the play's dramaturgy aside, Cimolino offers a stylish, well-acted production that goes toe to toe with the heavier hitters being staged in the Avon and Festival theatres. Topham is heartbreaking as Hermione, Orjalo buoyant and jovial as Perdita. McCamus, once more this season sharing the stage with Tom Rooney, is breezy and droll as the pastoral shepherd, and Rooney is similarly amusing, clad in fabulous faux facial hair alongside Sills. Lucy Peacock, costumed in an Angels in America-style set of enormous wings, oversees the whole affair as Time, ushering the mortals in Leontes's orbit through the tribulations that accompany a long life on earth. It's perhaps Francesca Callow's costumes that shine the brightest in Cimolino's production, luminous gowns and flower crowns that suggest a happier, simpler life in the fabled land of Bohemia. A few mismatched hairpieces aside, the fashion of this production is top-notch, as airy as the springtime celebrations that open the play's second half. Other design elements, however, are less impressive. Douglas Paraschuk's sparse set sees lace doilies hung from the ceiling that raise and lower in accordance with Time's demands. There's a neat visual effect that sees the strips of fabric project interesting shadows onto the Tom Patterson Theatre stage, but the choice feels otherwise ungrounded, and strangely minimalistic against Callow's luxurious costumes. And, to address the elephant – or bear – in the room, Shakespeare's most famous stage direction is executed here somewhat disappointingly. 'Exeunt, pursued by a bear' is one of the playwright's wilder directives, and in Cimolino's production, the bear is neither an actor in a suit nor a puppet (nor even a projected beast). No: The bear, in this case, is a sound cue. In a lesser year of Stratford Festival programming, this convincingly-acted Winter's Tale would be a must-see – and indeed, die-hard Bard fans can rest assured Cimolino's production is perfectly fine. But if a dramaturgically rigorous pastoral is what you're after – or theatre tech that briefly makes you forget the constraints of live theatre – I'd suggest checking out the fest's other offerings first.
