Mirvish season features Broadway, West End hits
Mirvish Productions has unveiled its upcoming 2018-19 season, featuring a slew of recent stage hits from Broadway and London’s West End, and one new musical in a pre-Broadway run. Among them is the first international production of hit musical Dear Evan Hansen, an adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the Sara Bareilles- scored Waitress, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s take on School of Rock and musicals featuring the songbooks of Bob Dylan and the Temptations. The season includes seven shows in the subscription series, three in the Off-Mirvish season, and six bonus shows.
“We are very fortunate to have Dear Evan Hansen as the anchor show of our main season subscription. This new musical has set Broadway ablaze by appealing to a younger audience with a story rooted in today’s social-media culture. It heralds a new era in musicals and we are very proud to have its first international production,” producer David Mirvish said. The subscription series includes: Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of the Temptations, directed by former Stratford Festival artistic director Des McAnuff with choreography by Sergio Trujillo. The show, which makes its Canadian debut before heading to Broadway, plays at the Princess of Wales Theatre from Oct. 11 to Nov. 17.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, fresh from Broadway, makes its Canadian debut from Nov. 20 to Jan. 6, 2019, at the Princess of Wales Theatre.
School of Rock — The Musical, based on the 2003 film and featuring an original score by Andrew Lloyd Webber, plays at the Ed Mirvish Theatre from Nov. 27 to Jan. 6, 2019.
The Play That Goes Wrong, a wacky murder mystery comedy that has won awards in London and Broadway, gets its Canadian premiere at the Ed Mirvish Theatre from Jan. 8 to Feb. 10, 2019.
Girl From the North Country, featuring music and lyrics by legendary folk singer Bob Dylan, comes from London’s West End with a North American premiere at the Princess of Wales Theatre from February to March 2019.
Dear Evan Hansen, the six-time Tony Award winner that also won a Grammy for best theatre album, opens at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in March 2019.
Waitress, a musical hit now playing on Broadway (starring Sara Bareilles, who wrote the music and lyrics), will make its Canadian debut at the Ed Mirvish Theatre from July 16 to Aug. 18, 2019. The Off-Mirvish season features: Oslo, the historical drama that won the 2017 Tony Award for best play, gets its Canadian premiere at CAA Theatre (formerly the Panasonic) in February 2019.
A Doll’s House Part 2, a modern sequel to the 1879 Henrik Ibsen classic, in co-production with the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, runs at the CAA Theatre in MarchApril 2019.
Next to Normal, a 2010 Pulitzer Prize winner for drama and winner of three Tony Awards, plays at the CAA Theatre in April-May 2019.
The bonus series includes six shows, most of them previously announced:
Motown: The Musical, with book by Motown founder Berry Gordy, returns to Toronto at the Princess of Wales Theatre from May 22 to June 3, 2018.
Phantom of the Opera, producer Cameron Mackintosh’s new production of the classic Andrew Lloyd Webber love story, plays at the Princess of Wales Theatre from June 7 to 30, 2018.
Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Experience, written and performed by Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner, returns to Toronto for the fourth time, playing at the CAA Theatre from June 13 to July 8, 2018.
Wicked, the musical that reinterprets the Oz stories, returns for a run at the Ed Mirvish Theatre from June 20 to Aug. 5, 2018.
Mamma Mia!, the much-loved hit based on the music of ABBA, plays the Ed Mirvish Theatre from Aug. 9 to 19, 2018.
Reversible, a new show from Montreal artist collective The 7 Fingers, featuring a blend of music, dance, circus and acrobatics, plays the CAA Theatre from Dec. 11, 2018, to Jan. 6, 2019. Bruce DeMara