2009/2010 V.1 ON-LINE Curtains EDITION Dinner Theatres • Dance • Musicals • Comedy Drama • Kids & Family • Opera Plus Live Theatre Resource Directory UP

YOUR SUPERGUIDE TO LIVE THEATRE

WINTER 2009/2010 V.1 ON-LINE Curtains EDITION Dinner Theatres • Dance • Musicals • Comedy Drama • Kids & Family • Opera plus Live Theatre Resource Directory UP

What The Butler Saw Jitters Billy Bishop Goes To War Virtuosity

Featuring JERSEY BOYS more than 180 Theatre Productions in 2010

Young Frankenstein 4 ✴ ✴ y ✴ Ballet Jörgen u✴ j presents i ✴ The ✴ Amazing ✴ The Group of Seven Kreskin ✴ ✴ NutcrackerDec 9 - 11 at 7 pm Dec 22 at 8 pm h Suitable for t ages 5 and up. vg✴ l Your c f

✴ r D ✴ e m p c A Christmas Musical Q olidayl H 1 2

6 t - a l 0 Begins Here! 2 2 ✴ heer 0 a & y C t 7 p 19 m t Dec ✴ u✴ ✴ And After the Holidays Wind Down with these Great Shows! ✴ Constance Towers & Jason Graae in ✴ 4*9%"/$&-&440/4 #PZ[**.FO */4*98&&,4 ✴ A Broadway Comedy by Richard Alﬁeri Constance Towers ✴ Star of h General Hospital Jan 23 at 8 pm Broadway, Film, Television v✴g Jan 9 at 8 pm Jason Graae c ✴ Broadway, Film, Television Rik Emmett,Pavlo ✴ ✴ “Awesome! Funny, sentimental, & Oscar Lopez ✴ l bittersweet and riotous!” – The New York Times 9 *Warning: some language. ✴ 1 ✴ Jan 13 - 17 at 8 pm t Jan 16 & 17 at 2 pm h ✴ Jan 27 at 8 pm ✴ ✴ ✴ ✴ ✴ r

✴Q ✴ THEATRE BRAMPTON ✴

Rose_HotorontoAd_HolidayFINAL.indd 1 12/1/09 11:56:14 AM Winter 2009/2010 V.1 No.3 On -Line Edition from the editor

Proud Member of

SETTING THE STAGE

Publisher and Managing Editor Joey Cee FOR A HOT & EXCITING

Photographers NEW YEAR Aline Sandler, Tom Sandler Joey Cee Joey Cee, Publisher & Editor Enzo Iammatteo Lina Dhingra Live theatre is a great getaway and a sure alternative to taking in a movie. The differ- Interns ence is that you have actors who are taking you on a journey in real time - live and in Michael Capelo Jad Boukayli person. The audience reaction somehow draws you into a communal experience that is shared and felt. When we watch live theatre on stage, we can feel ourselves, we can Website Design see ourselves - many of us go through a life changing experience. The power of stage DesignSource is enormous - because it is real and not fake as in the movies. Although the big produc- Broadcast Media Division Producer tions are surviving through all this turmoil, community theatre is having a much tougher Joey Cee time to stage their productions. In most cases this is live theatre at its best and it needs HOToronto Magazine and to be supported. This is where you will usually find some real gems that may later make What’s On Where Magazines their way to Broadway. are published on-line by JCO Communications Inc., 1235 Bay Street, 4th Floor, In this third edition of our on-line magazine CURTAINS UP, we have compiled and Toronto, Ontario. M5R 3K4. condensed a listing of live theatre productions including dinner theatre, dance, comedy, Tel: (416) 923-HOTO (4686) drama, theatre for kids and family, opera, theatre festivals and of course musicals. You Fax: 905-820-9512 E-mail: [email protected] will find that many of these productions are very affordable. Some are (PWYC) Pay What You Can. www.HOToronto.com There is definitely no shortage of productions as you can see in this issue.Throughout The information on establishments and special venues listed or mentioned in this publication is the year, this edition will be updated and be available as a free download. Regular listing compiled from all available, and considered to be updates and additions can be found at any time by going to our website and clicking on reliable sources. The publisher does not assume re- sponsibility for omissions, errors or changes printed. the Curtains Up button in the instant links section. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of information provided at time of printing. Due to the nature of the venues, information may change after I highly recommend that you pass on this PDF format publication to your friends and date of publication. This publication does not endorse or recommend associates and also let them know that they can visit our website at www.HOToronto. the establishments listed or advertised. However, com and download this and our other publications for FREE. most establishments are listed on proven merit and therefore recommended for publication. You may no- tify the publisher in writing, by fax or by e-mail, of any Theatre is like a mirror where we can see ourselves, but we need to muster up the cour- changes or additions found in this publication. age to face it and to enjoy it whole heartedly. A theatre goer experiences the way life No part of this publication may be reproduced, is enacted live in front of them. It’s about listening to and experiencing the stories of duplicated or electronically stored in part or whole without the written permission of the publisher. ourselves.

714 Yonge Street (at Bloor Street) 416-921-8988

Delight yourself to an authentic taste of Japanese cuisine in the heart of Toronto. Free salad with every combo order. LIVE THEATRE DIRECTORY

Alumnae Theatre JOSEPH G. GREEN STUDIO THEATRE PASSE MURAILLE 70 Berkeley St. @ York University 16 Ryerson Ave. 416-364-4170 4700 Keele Street 416-504-7529 416-736-5172 Brigantine Room & Marilyn Brewer Theatre Direct at York Quay Centre MARKHAM THEATRE 601 Christie Street, Studio 174 235 Queens Quay West 171 Town Centre 416-537-4191 416-973-4000 905-305-7469 the drake hotel Berkeley Street Theatre PANASONIC THEATRE 1150 QUEEN STREET W. 26 Berkeley Street 651 Yonge Street 416-531-5042 416-3680-3110 416-872-1212 The NAGs Players BLUMA APPEL THEATRE PAPERMILL THEATRE at Tranzac Club at St. Lawrence Centre for The Arts at Todmorden Mills 292 Brunswick Avenue 27 Front St. East 67 Pottery Rd. 647-338-6247 416-366-7723 416-425-0917 TORONTO CENTRE FOR THE ARTS BUDDIES IN BAD TIMES THEATRE POOR ALEX THEATRE 5040 Yonge Street 12 Alexander St. 296 Brunswick Ave. 416-733-9388 416-975-8555 416-923-1644 TORONTO TRUCK THEATRE BURNHAMTHORPE AUDITORIUM PRINCESS OF WALES 94 Belmont Street 500 The East Mall 300 King St. W. 416-922-0084 416-248-0410 416-872-1212 VILLAGE PLAYHOUSE CANADIAN STAGE PREMIERE DANCE THEATRE at Studio Theatre at Berkeley Street Theatre Habourfront 2190 Bloor St. W. 26 Berkeley St. 207 Queens Quay W 416-767-9427 416-368-3110 416-973-3000 WINCHESTER STREET THEATRE CANON THEATRE ROSE THEATRE 80 Winchester St. 244 Victoria Street 1 Theatre Lane, Brampton 416-360-6429 416-362-3218 905-874-2800 York Woods Library Theatre ELGIN THEATRE ROYAL ALEXANDRA THEATRE 1785 Finch Ave. 189 Yonge Street 260 King St. W. 416-395-5980 416-314-2901 416-872-3333 YOUNG CENTRE FOR THE enwave theatre RYERSON THEATRE PERFORMING ARTS 231 Queens Quay W. 43 Gerrard St. E. at Historic Distillery District 416-973-3000 416-979-5009 55 Mill Street, Building 49 416-866-8666 FACTORY THEATRE/ SCARBOROUGH VILLAGE THEATRE FACTORY STUDIO CAFE 3600 Kingston Road DINNER THEATRES 125 Bathurst Street 416-396-4049 416-504-9971 MYSTERIOUSLY YOURS Shakespeare in Action 2026 Yonge Street FAIRVIEW LIBRARY THEATRE 109 Gore Vale Ave. 416-486-7469 35 Fairview Mall Drive 416-703-4881 416-396-5473 SECOND CITY SOLAR STAGE 51 Mercer Street Feast of Fools Theatre 4950 Yonge Street 416-343-0011 250 Scarlett Road 416-368-8031 416-231-3131 STAGE WEST soulpepper theatre 5400 Dixie Road Fleck Dance Theatre 55 Mill Street 905-238-0042 207 Queens Quay W 416.203.6264

416-973-4000 studio theatre OUT OF TOWN Festivals Four Seasons Centre at York Quay Centre 145 Queen St. W. 235 Queens Quay West Shaw Festival 416-363-8231 416-973-4000 10 Queen’s Parade, Niagara-on-the-Lake 905-468-2172 Imperial Oil Opera Theatre TARRAGON MAINSPACE & EXTRA SPACE 227 Front St. E. THEATRE STRATFORD SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL 416-363 - 8231 30 Bridgeman Ave. 5 Queen Street, Stratford 416-531-1827 1-800-567-1600

LIVE THEATRE SUPERGUIDE

Talented” A Black and White Comedy at least as much as his wife. Clérambard Comedy in the Grey Area! Four Comedians. Four soon sells his castle and embarks with his Different points of View. One Goal: family and friends in a wagon on a beg- A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY Urban Brilliance. Join Vince Morris, BT, garly good-will tour. A delightful comedy, Young Centre for the Billy D. Washington and Louis Johnson sure to entertain, with an array of charm- Performing Arts for a hilarious and thought provoking ing and colourful characters. July 6 - August 7 show where laughter and learning collide In this richly textured, love-filled com- with everyday social elements. Their CLIFFHANGER edy, the magic of a summer holiday turns motto: Be Yourself - Everyone Else Is Al- The Curtain Club, Richmond Hill several hearts upside-down. ready Taken. The S.E.L.L.O.U.T. Comedy June 11 - 26 Tour is the only interactive show with a When an ethics professor is turned down BARRYMORE popular segment that allows the audience for the promotion he deserves by a venge- The Rose Theatre, Brampton to “Ask a Black man anything you’ve ful rival, he commits an unthinkable act in February 26 - 27 wanted to know but were afraid to ask!” a moment of emotion. Now facing a moral This irreverent and very, very funny play dilemma of his own, he and his wife try takes place as the legendary actor John BLIND DATE to cover their tracks in the face of a police Barrymore is rehearsing for a comeback Brigantine Theatre investigation, a blackmailing student, and to the stage. But Barrymore’s troubled February 23 – March 6 his own principles in this exciting comic- life intercedes, when he realizes he has Blind Date opens in a Parisian café along thriller. enough money to last him for the rest of the banks of the Seine where “Mimi” his life - as long as he dies right now: his waits for her blind date to show up. When CLOUD 9 drinking and womanizing have caught up he doesn’t, she turns to the audience, sure Panasonic Theatre with him; even the stage manager hired to find someone brave enough to answer January 19 – February 28 to prompt his rehearsals cannot help but Love’s call Indeed we are not... not in the colonial heckle the great man as he reminisces Africa of Victoria’s time when the natives with caustic wit about the triumphs and BLUISH were restless, the weather was stifling, disappointments of his illustrious career. Toronto Centre for the Arts the men were manly and women, submis- Barrymore jokes with the audience, spars March 3 – 14 sive...but that’s just Act I! Act II zooms us with the offstage prompter and does deli- When Ben’s gentile fiancée finds out that 100 years in time-to Margaret Thatcher’s cious imitations of his siblings Lionel and she is really Jewish, Ben and his family England-where the same characters, Ethel. each react differently to her enthusiastic miraculously, are still with us and still total immersion in her newfound tradi- fighting the same battles. BEYOND THERAPY tion. Papermill Theatre COMMUNION May 27 – June 12 BREAKFAST Tarragon Theatre – Main Stage Bruce and Prudence don’t know each Buddies In Bad Times Theatre February 23 – April 4 other, but they’re both deeply into March 17 – April 4 Lida has a secret. When her psycho- therapy. Prudence’s macho male therapist Meet Marnie, a woman trying out a therapist does the unthinkable and offers is urging her to be more assertive while self-help program in an attempt to “move concrete advice, Lida acts on it – before Bruce’s wacky female therapist wants ahead” in her life. The audience is invited it’s too late. Three women reveal their him to meet women by placing a personal to her kitchen, as voyeurs to Marnie’s hidden strengths, in this surprisingly funny ad. The two horrifying “healers” pursue morning rituals. play about motherhood, love, God, and the their own needs at the expense of the meaning of life. most mismatched couple ever to meet CLÉRAMBARD through a personal ad. Filled with offbeat Young Centre for the COURAGEOUS laugh lines, wry observations on the con- Performing Arts Tarragon Theatre temporary urban psyche and situations April 13 – 24 December 30 – February 7 that range from farcical to absurd. To save his honor and his chateau, the Martin wants to marry Brian, but is impoverished Comte de Clérambard encountering resistance from Tom. Todd BLACK PACK S.E.L.L.O.U.T. condemns his family to slave labor at doesn’t really want to marry Tammy, but The Rose Theatre, Brampton the knitting machine. Then, one day, a Tom is happy to oblige. From a chance February 24 miracle by St. Francis of Assisi trans- meeting at City Hall, three couples are S.E.L.L.O.U.T. ”Serious. Educated. forms him from a proud eccentric into a forever altered. A wicked satire exposes Laughing. Learning. Outrageous. Unique. humble one who loves his “sister spider” the hot-button issues of gay marriage, religious freedom, and a liberal immigra- In this comedy, a blocked screenwriter is a hilarious troupe of rude mechanicals, tion policy surprised when the daughter he left behind this uniquely Canadian production is both years ago, shows up on his doorstep, ready magical and hilarious. A perfect introduc- FEATURING LORETTA and eager to start her career in Hollywood. tion to Shakespeare’s world. Factory Theatre May 6 - June 6 JITTERS PRINCE AND THE PAUPER A wild comedy about a woman and two Young Centre for the Transac Club fiercely competing young men. Performing Arts February 11 - 20 June 24 - July 24 In a show being written by NAGs, the plot FRANKENSTEIN Jitters is a very special and deeply funny can be anybody’s guess. But rest assured Bluma Appel inside look. In one of the greatest of all there will be an outrageous pantomime May 3 – 29 “back-stage” comedies, French takes in- dame, very bad jokes, singing, dancing, The cautionary tale about the conse- spiration from the nerves and screw-ups of and Shakespearean-type confusion over quences of interfering with nature and the his own harrowing opening nights. male/female characters. universal search for love and acceptance revolves around Dr. Frankenstein (Andrew KEY FOR TWO PYGMALION Kushnir) and his lonely creature (George Village Playhouse – Studio Theatre Fairview Library Theatre Szilagyi) who becomes increasingly hos- April 30 – May 22 January 14 – 30 tile towards the man who made and aban- Harriet may be exacting payment from two One of Shaw’s finest plays, and a source doned him, and the society that repels him. lovers in order to make ends meet...but of theatre-audience delight for over a hun- A startling storybook come to life, this if two men should ever meet...! A clever dred years! It achieved further distinction multi-award-winning spectacle features comedy by two authors who have written when adapted into the stunning musical the original cast of eight actors in over 40 or co-written such popular British farces as My Fair Lady. Phonetics expert Henry roles and integrates poetic text, witty song, Move Over Mrs. Markham and Not Now Higgins wagers he can transform the stylized movement and fantastical cos- Darling. flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, into a lovely tumes and sets made entirely of paper. It lady of high society. is a quirky, beautiful and often ghoulishly LOVE’S LABOR’S LOST humorous take on a timeless story. Young Centre for the Performing Arts FUNNY GIRL February 10 – 20 Fairview Library Theatre Self-denial is in fashion at the court of May 26 – June 12 Navarre where the young King and three This is the funny and touching backstage of his courtiers solemnly foreswear all SHUT UP AND ... SHOW US life story of legendary singer and comedi- pleasures in favor of serious study. But YOUR TWEETS enne Fanny Brice and her rise to fame and the Princess of France and her all-too- Second City fortune. It was also the show that cata- lovely entourage have other ideas, and it October 15 - December 29 pulted an unknown named Barbra Stre- isn’t long before young love, with its glad After months of strikes and head honchos isand to superstardom literally overnight! eyes, hesitations and embarrassments, has flipping Torontonians the bird, it’s time to broken every self-imposed rule of the all- fight back -- well, tweet back, anyways. HAVING HOPE AT HOME male ‘academe’. Shakespeare’s boisterous The Second City’s 64th revue is a satirical Markham Little Theatre celebration of the claims of young love is comedy ready to take on anything that gets April 21 - 24 a festive parade of every weapon in the in its way: Parliament, the boardroom, the Pit the head of obstetrics and gynecology youthful playwright’s comic arsenal – bedroom. New talents Adam Cawley, Dale at a city hospital against his pregnant, from excruciating cross-purposes to silly Boyer and Rob Baker join veterans Darryl back-to- the-land daughter who is deter- impersonations, drunkenness, bust-ups and Hinds, Reid Janisse and Caitlin Howden mined to have her child at home, and the pratfalls. A joyful banquet of language, under the direction of alumni Sandy Jobin- comic possibilities run rampant flirtation, and the first blush of love. Bevans.

HAY FEVER MAMBO ITALIANO SIN, SEX AND THE CIA Alumnae Theatre – Main Stage Markham Little Theatre Clarke Hall, Mississauga January 15 – 30 February 10 - 13 January 28 - February 6 What happens when each member of an Two boisterous Italian-Canadian families Come experience the hilarious fun as ev- eccentric English family invites a guest hilariously collide in an inter-generational eryone tries to figure out who is and isn’t for a weekend at their country house? look at life and love - both conventional CIA in this rollicking comedy Outlandish behaviour, flirtations, and silly and not - in east end Montreal. parlour games, that’s what. SOUVENIRS MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM Rose Theatre, Brampton I OUGHT TO BE IN PICTURES Lower Ossington Theatre April 2-3 The Curtain Club, Richmond Hill February 9 – 19 This recent Broadway hit is a laugh-out- July 16 - 31 Featuring fairies, mismatched lovers and loud love letter to cult favourite Florence Foster Jenkins, a widowed society matron for a very private showing of their “Pas- OLD MEN DANCING: WISER AND who followed her dreams all the way to sion Fashion Wear” lingerie. Combine STILL GORGEOUS Carnegie Hall in 1944. Her out-of-tune, suspicious spouses, stolen underwear, (DO NOT RESUSCITATE) but passionately sung renditions of clas- and mistaken identities with five mil- Enwave Theatre sical repertoire were legendary, earning lion dollars, a scantily clad model, and March 26 - 27 her both sold-out recitals and the title “the a lecherous security guard and you have Renowned choreographer Bill James worst singer who ever lived.” Lovingly the recipe for a giddy farce in the classic brings together 16 men aged 50-75 told through the memories of her accom- tradition. without formal dance training who share panist this charming comedy is filled with an interest in creating movement-based music and is a true delight! Dance performance. Weathering was created specifically for the group and takes inspi- STRING OF PEARLS DO ANIMALS CRY ration from weather forces that surround Theatre Erindale, Mississauga Fleck Dance Theatre us at the same time as we interpret the February 11 - 27 March 3 - 6 climate of our bodies and the mutability Twenty-seven women, thirty-six years … One of Europe’s most celebrated choreog- of our lives. and a single strand of pearls. raphers returns for an exclusive Toronto engagement. Fascinated by the fragile and ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD THE CLANDESTINE MARRIAGE flawed human condition, this work delves Fleck Dance Theatre Theatre Erindale, Mississauga deeply into the complex relationships of March 24 - 27 March 11 - 20 parents and children. An incredible op- On the Side of the Road centres around a Fanny is not only secretly married but portunity for Toronto dance fans. young novelist, who returns home to his pregnant. Yet when her nouveau-riche family cottage with his Parisian girlfriend father plans to buy his daughters a title by FIVE to confront his past and the deep and dan- marrying them off to the nobility, she turns Artscape Wychwood Barns gerous depths of identity. out to be the only one they want! March 15 – April 11 Performed by two dancers to a live musi- ONCE AND FOR ALL WE’RE GON- TWELFTH NIGHT cal score, FIVE takes young people on a NA TELL YOU WHO WE ARE SO Lower Ossington Theatre delightful journey through the five senses SHUT UP AND LISTEN March 2 – 11 in a story told entirely through dance. Enwave Theatre In Twelfth Night, Shakespeare uses mis- February 16 – 20 taken identities, love triangles and a dash GISELLE Once and for all we’re gonna tell you of cross- dressing to create one of his most Fleck Dance Theatre who we are so shut up and listen is a play famous comedies. Inspiring numerous May 4 - 8 performed by 13 teenagers who are rebel- Hollywood films, including Shakespeare In the small town of Ballyfeeny, where lious, try to grasp themselves, behave ag- in Love and the recent teen comedy She’s the clouds hangs low and people keep gressively, feel vulnerable, are cool, play the Man, this hilarious love story is still a their secrets for good reasons, a lonely like children, but act sometimes surpris- relevant commentary on the illusions and Giselle McCreedy cares for her abusive ingly adult. delusions of love brother. But the town’s inhabitants are quick to exchange gloom for glam- ONEGIN WE’RE FUNNY THAT WAY our when the line-dancing Bratislavan Four Seasons Centre Buddies In Bad Times Theatre Albrecht arrives in town, and for the first June 19 - 25 May 13 - 15 time Giselle dares to dream of escape. Based on Alexander Pushkin’s verse-nov- We’re Funny That Way showcases the This radical reinterpretation of the roman- el Eugene Onegin, choreographer John most unique comedic talent from Canada tic ballet is a moving two-step between Cranko puts his textual adaptation skills and the U.S. the forces of laughter and disaster, blend- to the test in transforming literary works ing speech, song, stunning imagery and into dance. Pushkin’s story of his Byronic WHAT THE BUTLER SAW superb choreography in an uncompro- hero, Eugene, and his love for Tatiana, Young Centre for the mising production on the very edges of examines layers of passion, honour and Performing Arts theatre and dance. regret. Tchaikovsky’s music provides the August 19 – September 18 perfect musical context for the ballet. With his trademark blend of wit and irrev- LOIN… (FAR…) erence, Joe Orton blends sexual indiscre- Enwave Theatre RELAY tion and bureaucratic incompetence to March 11 - 13 Enwave Theatre create a seditious farcical romp. On the cutting edge of performance art, April 7 - 10 the acclaimed choreographer incorporates Featuring seven dancers and two mu- WHO’S UNDER WHERE? dance, video footage, a pedal-controlled sicians, relay crosses disciplines and Scarborough Village Theatre sound score and beat-inspired poetry into continents to make a performance that July 8 – 24 Loin... (Far...) asks important questions about the politics Jane and Sybil are on the verge of the deal and possibility of togetherness. Bor- of their lives. They’ve rented a hotel suite rowing from memories of dances past, relay re-imagines unison, asking how we THE NUTCRACKER LUCKY STIFF maintain our original selves while work- Four Seasons Centre Feast Of Fools Theatre ing together. December 12 - January 3 May 2010 Set in an enchanted, rustic world of Musical Farce ROADKILL 19th-century Russia, this version of The Enwave Theatre Nutcracker follows the quarrelling brother MURDER ON THE DISORIENT February 3 - 6 and sister Misha and Marie from their rec- EXPRESS This unsettling piece of dance theatre ognizable, everyday domain of folk cus- Mysteriously Yours... Mystery Dinner by the trio Splintergroup is a manic ride toms and holiday rituals through a dream Theatre! down the highway of misconceptions world that leads to the ice-coated realm of January 8 - February 27 about the heart of Australia. A couple is the Snow Queen and the splendour of the The Great Detective, Hercule Perrier, stranded in the outback with a car that golden palace of the Sugar Plum Fairy. sifts through a tangled web of clues and won’t start, a phone that doesn’t work and When they awake to their familiar lives, evidence, and applies the little grey cells a stranger who seems a little too eager to they find that the journey they have made to investigate the psychology of the help them out. Using unorthodox physi- and the experiences they have undergone colourful characters who are your fellow cality and intense drama, roadkill is part have led them to a new level of maturity passengers aboard the famous train! road movie and part excavation into the and understanding about themselves and urban legends and paranoia that surround their world. the outback – a place where backpackers disappear and the ghosts of original land WEST SIDE STORY owners and lost explorers still haunt the Four Seasons Centre ONE HIT WONDERS: bush. June 4 - 13 A MUSICAL West Side Story Suite is presented with REVUE SANKOFA World Premiere by Jorma Elo and Opus Stage West, Mississauga Fleck Dance Theatre 19/The Dreamer in a mixed programme. November 26 – February 7 April 15 - 17 Jerome Robbins’ West Side Story Suite For every great band or artist, there are For its 20th Anniversary, Ballet Creole represents his multifaceted choreographic about 20 more groups or artists who had presents Sankofa, a retrospective cel- character in a fun and touching piece of just one hit song to their credit. Many ebration in dance and music that draws pure Americana. groups even won major awards but then inspiration from the past while shaping the they surprisingly disappeared from the present. Intimate, poly-rhythmic and grav- music scene. They look at the hits and the ity defying, Sankofa sparks emotion, so- Dinner Theatre hit makers and provide two hours of non- lidifying a new direction while revealing stop musical hits and memories. the company’s choreographic eclecticism ALL SHOOK UP from traditional to contemporary dance. Stage West, Mississauga THE ST. PUGNACIOUS PARISH July 8 – September 19 BINGO NIGHT: DEATH BY DABBER Inspired by and featuring the songs of Feast Of Fools Theatre SLEEPING BEAUTY Elvis Presley. February 2010 Rose Theatre, Brampton Murder Mystery & Dinner Theatre March 2-3 EXTREME HOLMES MAKEOVER One of Russia’s most distinguished artistic Mysteriously Yours... THE WEDDING SINGER companies brings you a performance that Mystery Dinner Theatre! Stage West, Mississauga will delight and inspire your entire fam- December 2 - January 27 April 22- July 4 ily! Sleeping Beauty tells Tchaikovsky’s MURDER disrupts a gathering of Home In the Wedding Singer, its 1985 and interpretation of the classic fairy tale Renovation gurus! rock-star wannabe Robbie Heart is New through astonishingly beautiful dances set Fortunately, the great grandson of Sher- Jersey’s favourite wedding singer. He’s to enchanting costumes and sets. lock Holmes, Mycroft, is on the scene. the life of the party, until his own fiancée See if ‘Myke’ Holmes can make things leaves him at the alter. Shot through the SWAN LAKE right, by solving who took the D-I-Y heart, Robbie makes every wedding as Four Seasons Centre approach to murder. disastrous as his own. March 11 - 21 First performed in Moscow in 1877, Swan GLORIOUS! Drama Lake has ever since been an indispensable Stage West, Mississauga part of the classical ballet repertoire. Its February 11 - April 16 9 PARTS OF DESIRE mythical appeal, Tchaikovskys glorious Florence Foster Jenkins had a passion for Theatre Centre music and the intricate yet fervent elabo- singing, but her voice left audiences cry- May 26 – 30 rations of its choreography combine to ing with laughter. A true heart-warming A portrait of the extraordinary (and make it one of the monuments of Euro- story about a group of friends who lived ordinary) lives of a whole cross-section pean tragic art. there dream. of Iraqi women: a sexy painter, a radical communist, doctors, exiles, wives and lovers. This work delves into what it its pigments violently peeled away and forest that has been devastated by time means to be a woman in the age-old war reapplied. Toronto choreographer Susanna and man. In this forest, there is no sleep zone that is Iraq. An unusually timely Hood uses the canvases of Francis Bacon or rest, no sign of life. One cold night meditation on the ancient, the modern and to forge, with her performers, a work of six disembodied Tree spirits seek sleep the feminine in a country overshadowed missed connections that evoke sensual- and home. They are greeted only by their by war. ity, brutality and loneliness. Theirs is a dreams and nightmares. They dream what grotesquely beautiful and disarmingly they have witnessed in the hundreds of A CHRISTMAS CAROL intimate encounter. years of their lives ~ the story of a great Young Centre for the hero, the love of his life and how he fell Performing Arts AND SO IT GOES from grace and took the whole world December 6 - December 30, 2010 Factory Theatre (including their forest) with him. Through Soulpepper’s perennial holiday classic February 4 - February 28 the course of their night, through acts of returns with Joseph Ziegler in his trium- A middle-class husband and wife find story telling, dreaming and remembrance, phant performance as Ebeneezer Scrooge. their lives spiraling out of control until the forest regenerates itself. In a world Charles Dickens’ timeless Christmas desperation drives them to where Nature has been destroyed, there is ghost story is perfect for the whole a literacy legend. renewal ~ there is spring. family! ANDROMACHE BREAKFAST A RAISIN IN THE SUN Theatre Erindale, Mississauga Buddies in Bad Times Theatre Young Centre for the January 21 – 30 March 17 - April 4 Performing Arts Desire … envy … vengeance …Racine’s Meet Marnie, a woman trying out a October 15 - November 13 most popular tragedy pitches a youthful self-help program in an attempt to “move Three generations of a black American ensemble into a paroxysm of emotional ahead” in her life. The audience is invited family discover love, dignity, courage, violence. An operatic tangle of obsessed to her kitchen, as voyeurs to Marnie’s and hope amidst the tribulations of racial and unrequited lovers pursue their pas- morning rituals. Marnie anchors this intolerance. sions with lethal results, in the mythic surreal and chilling encounter with one aftermath of the Trojan War. The Broad- woman’s psyche, which takes an unflinch- AMADEUS way master of English verse renders this ing look at loneliness, self-delusion and Scarborough Village Theatre extraordinary French masterpiece from our cultural obsession with self-help and June 3 – 19 1667 into rhyming couplets. personal transformation. It is thirty years after Mozart’s death and a rumour is spread throughout the whole ART CASTING FOR MURDER of Vienna - Salieri poisoned Mozart. The Bluma Appel Scarborough Village Theatre source: Salieri himself. Feeling embit- March 15 - April 10 April 8 – 21 tered by age and his past, Salieri address- The play revolves around the purchase of Angela Benson inherited a fortune when es the audience to confess all the sins he a very expensive, white-on-white painting her Aunt Maud was murdered, but the has ever committed. which pushes the boundaries of art and killer was never found. A young journal- ignites a passionate debate among three ist uncovers some startling new evidence AN INSPECTOR CALLS friends. Gruff battleaxe Marc, highly- about the three-year-old murder, and John The Oakville Players strung appeaser Yvan and burgeoning and Angela find themselves embroiled in March 4 - March 13 art aficionado Serge come to a head over a sinister play when the cast assembles at Set in 1912, a respectable British family artistic merit, modernism and the value of their island home. This is the Toronto de- is interrogated by a police inspector about friendship, testing the men’s relationship but of a play from an exciting new Agatha the suicide of a young girl, with whom and ultimately offering reconciliation. Christie style playwright. they had each apparently been involved. As the story unfolds, it becomes appar- BINTI’S JOURNEY CIVIL ELEGIES ent that all members are implicated in the Richmond Hill Centre for the Soulpepper Theatre matter, some lightly, some deeply. Their Performing Arts December 3 - 24 demeanor changes as they are revealed to February 23 - 26 The 1972 Governor General’s Award-win- be selfish, self-absorbed, or cowardly. The After losing her home and family to AIDS ning work of poet Dennis Lee is brought questions, replies, and reactions of each and enduring separation from her siblings, to life by Soulpepper Academy graduates character lead the audience to contem- 13 year-old Binti Phiri finds her way to Mike Ross and Lorenzo Savoini, drama- plate its own morals and values. her Grandmother’s village and discovers tized and set to music in a way that speaks a deeper understanding of the power of to the heart of what Canada was, is and AN UNTITLED NEW WORK family and community. could be. Buddies In Bad Times Theatre April 29 – May 9 BIRNAM WOODS CURIOUS SAVAGE Three figures - witnessed and witnessing Theatre Passe Muraille Scarborough Village Theatre - are bound, blurred and melded together March 18 - 27 December 3 – December 19 to reveal a portrait of a dismantled family, Birnam Woods is the story of an ancient This delightful warm-hearted tale, in keeping with the Holiday Spirit, takes us play examines the role of science in the HAMLET to a sanatorium in the 1950’s where the service of humanity. Lower Ossington Theatre greedy stepchildren of Mrs. Ethel Savage December 1 – December 17 have committed her in order to bring her ENCHANTED APRIL A classic tale by William Shakespeare to her senses. There, Mrs. Savage meets a Clarke Hall, Mississauga about a hero who tries to avenge his variety of social misfits who may be saner April 1- 10 father’s death. Students will be shown in than those who live outside the walls Lottie and Rose, two married woman liv- modern-production that they have more DEATH AND THE MAIDEN ing, in 1920’s London, share the misery in common with Shakespeare’s characters Jane Mallett Theatre of empty relationships and decide to rent than they think. May 5 - May 22 an Italian Castle for the spring to get Five years after a regime change, Pau- away. HUSH lina is waiting at the beach house for her Tarragon Theatre – Extra Space husband, a human rights lawyer and rising FAITH HEALER February 9 – March 21 star in the new democratic government. Young Centre for the Twelve-year old Lily wakes up scream- When a good Samaritan brings her hus- Performing Arts ing, again. As her nightmares consume band home from the roadside, she has to April 29 – June 4 her, her father Harlem embarks on a quest figure out if she is really hearing the voice Three fascinating characters — a faith to a nocturnal world where dreams and of her anonymous torturer. healer, his companion and his promoter reality, the present and the past collide. A — tell conflicting versions of the same thrilling mystery takes us to the very core DEATH OF A SALESMAN story in this disturbing and humourous of our consciousness to discover who we Young Centre for the meditation on relationships and the truth/ are. Performing Arts lies that bind them together. October 16 - November 13 IF WE WERE BIRDS Arthur Miller’s best known work is one FUTURE FOLK Tarragon Theatre, Main Stage of the undisputed masterpieces of Western Theatre Passe Muraille, Main Stage April 14 – May 23 theatre. Real-life couple and Soulpepper February 13 –March 15 A vivid re-imagining of Ovid’s myth. founders Joseph Ziegler and Nancy Palk Future Folk uses the vocabulary of Fili- Procne, daughter of the King of Athens, play Willy and Linda Loman in this hom- pino folk arts to tell the story of Filipina marries the triumphant war hero Tereus age to those disappointed by the promise nannies in Toronto whose labour under and returns with him to Thrace, leav- of the American Dream. Canada’s notorious Live-In Caregiver ing her beloved sister Philomela behind. Program is the subject of this powerful Procne begs her husband to reunite the DOC multi-disciplinary work. sisters. Desire triumphs over reason ignit- Young Centre for the ing a chain of shattering events. Performing Arts GLENGARRY August 19 - September 18 GLEN ROSS INTIMATE APPAREL Doc is a powerful and very personal play Young Centre for the Bluma Appel by one Canada’s most celebrated play- Performing Arts February 8 – March 6 wrights. With generosity and forgiveness, April 22 - June 5 Intimate Apparel is a love story set in Pollock examines the scars and redemp- In a scorching examination of Reagan-era New York in 1905, amid the ragtime mu- tion of a daughter’s relationship with her America, a group of real estate salesmen sic of Scott Joplin. Esther, an ambitious parents and her younger self. try to lie, cheat and steal their way to the and independent African-American wom- top, clawing over anyone who crosses an has aspirations in conflict with turn-of- EAST OF BERLIN their path in this Pulitzer Prize-winning the-century society. A gifted seamstress Tarragon Theatre play. Bursting with ferocious and unfor- who has gained financial independence January 6 – 31 gettable characters, Glengarry Glen Ross by sewing elegant undergarments for Her subject matter is not for the faint of cemented Mamet’s legacy as a giant of socialites and prostitutes, she dreams of heart. A young German growing up in Par- the American stage. opening her own boutique. When George, aguay finds out his father was an experi- a charming Caribbean islander employed mental doctor in the death camps. Running GOLDEN AGE in the construction of the Panama Canal, away to Berlin, he meets a Jewish Ameri- Village Playhouse – Studio Theatre writes to her, a romance begins that prom- can girl, and his life further unravels. January 15 – February 6 ises to help her realize her dreams. While interviewing a woman who once EINSTEIN’S GIFT rubbed shoulders with some of the great- LA COMMUNION The Curtain Club, Richmond Hill est writers and artists of the 20th century, Buddies In Bad Times Theatre April 16 - May 1 a literature professor comes to believe January 12 – 31 Fritz Haber was a chemist who helped that the lady may possess a hitherto In search of an escape from poverty, an revolutionize agriculture; Albert Einstein unknown part of a timeless work of art. A eleven-year-old girl leaves her village to was a physicist whose theories changed brilliant comic-drama from the author of join the insurgent Guerilla deep in the the way scientists understood the universe. The Cocktail Hour. jungles of Colombia. After six years of Both men changed the world, and this fighting she flees to Toronto under an assumed identity, where she confronts an mous speech to his children in Hamlet, is throne. The ‘queens’ - six women of rival even greater challenge: life as a civilian. at the core of what we do - help students royal families - use lies, innuendo and better know themselves through the clas- rumour as they battle to ally themselves to MARION BRIDGE sics. This idea has informed our theme for the new monarch. The Curtain Club, Richmond Hill our 2009-2010 season. What better way to January 8 - 23 kick off the season than with Sophocles’ RAINMAKER Three sisters come together in their Cape tragic masterpiece, Oedipus Rex? Scarborough Village Theatre Breton home to take care of their mother March 11 – 27 in this hopeful, moving, and often funny OH WHAT A LOVELY WAR Set in a rural western town during the family drama about reconciling past Young Centre for the Performing Arts Depression, the play tells the story of grievances, making the most out of life, March 11 - April 10 the pivotal hot summer day in the life of and coming together as a family. spinster Lizzie Curry. The arrival of a PARFUMERIE charming trickster named Starbuck, bring- MARY STUART Soulpepper Theatre ing promises of rain in exchange for $100, Papermill Theatre November 26 - December 24 sets off a series of events, which enable February 18 – March 6 One of the world’s most beloved stories, Lizzie to see herself anew. An imaginary encounter between Eliza- this play has inspired three movies (The beth I and Mary Queen of Scots. A new Shop Around the Corner, The Good Old RECONCILIATION English version of Schiller’s enduring Summertime, and You’ve Got Mail) and Buddies in Bad Times Theatre play focuses principally on the strong one musical (She Loves Me). Two clerks April 14 - 25 emotional conflict between the two in a Budapest perfume shop can’t stand Reconciliation is the story of two broth- queens, Mary and Elizabeth, and on the each other, but unknowingly exchange ers: Blake is a country boy who lives on a vicious, life-and-death intrigues at the love letters at night as anonymous penpals farm and Jared is a city boy who teaches English court. in this romantic comedy. linguistics. One crazy night out by the screen door they get roaring drunk and MONTH IN THE COUNTRY PRICE wrestle -- not only with each other -- but Young Centre for the Performing Arts Village Playhouse with the issues that divide them: sex, love July 6 - August 7 March 12 - April 3 and broken dreams. When country meets When estranged brothers meet to sell off city (and sex is involved) it takes the MOONLIGHT AND MAGNOLIAS their late parents’ chattels, choices made Ghost of Dad to straighten it all out. Fairview Library Theatre long ago are re-examined. Old furniture, April 15 – 24 they discover, is more easily disposed of RICHARD 111 It’s Hollywood, 1939 and the cameras than the past. A moving drama from the Ryerson Theatre are already rolling on producer David writer of All My Sons. February 2 - 11 O. Selznick’s epic GONE WITH THE WIND. The whole country is waiting to PROOF ROMEO AND JULIET see the film based on the hit bestseller... Oakville Centre for the Lower Ossington Theatre but there’s no script... and he’s just fired Performing Arts January 12 – 19 the director! Desperate, Selznick literally January 7 - 16 Inspired by 16th century morality plays, locks the new director Victor Fleming, In Chicago, on her twenty-seventh birth- but created for 21st century students, our fresh off THE WIZARD OF OZ, and Ben day, Catherine’s sister Claire arrives from Dora Award nominated production brings Hecht, writer of THE FRONT PAGE and New York for the funeral of their father the tragic tale of star cross’d lovers to life NOTHING SACRED, in his office for Robert. Robert was a brilliant mathemati- (and death) in grand style. three days... feeding them only peanuts cian who became insane. Catherine quit and bananas. Hecht has never even read her studies and lived with him for the last STUFF HAPPENS the 1,000-page book, so, Selznick has to five years. She’s concerned about hav- Royal Alexandra Theatre act it out with them. They hammer away ing inherited his insanity. Hal, a maths November 14 - December 23 at the script and at each other in what has student, is doing research in Robert’s Beginning with the first days of the Bush been described as a ‘rip-roaring farce. notebooks, trying to find any brilliant administration and following its march Frankly my dear, you will give a damn proof that Robert might have produced to war, STUFF HAPPENS is a dramatic even if you have never seen the movie or in a moment of lucidity. Catherine gives speculation, authenticated from multiple read the book... Ben Hecht hadn’t. If you him a notebook with the development of real-life sources, on the behind-closed- love screwball comedies or the movies of a unique mathematical theory that she door proceedings that have shaped recent the 1930’s and 40’s; this play is for you! claims that she developed world events. David Hare blends docu- mented public-record information and OEIDPUS REX QUEENS theatrical invention to create a riveting Lower Ossington Theatre Alumnae Theatre, Main Stage play that happens to centre on recent his- March 24 – April 1 April 16 – May 1 tory. These words, inscribed above the oracle As King Edward lies on his deathbed, his at Delphi and reiterated in Polonius’ fa- younger brother Richard plots to take the SUCH CREATURES when Jack arrives in Kigali, he is unable another hangs in the balance. The trial Theatre Passe Muraille to find the Tutsi doctor - or anyone who seems open and shut until one member January 11 – February 6 will even admit to having known him. of the jury has the will to probe more Such Creatures addresses the life and Befriended by both locals and diplomats deeply into the evidence and the courage death choices we make that create our sto- with veiled motives, Jack and his family to confront the ignorance and prejudice of ries; two deeply linked monologues show become enmeshed in the tension, terror, his fellow jurors. us the often-astonishing courage and professional risks and personal betrayals resilience of the young human being dur- that they ultimately realize mark the start ing earth shattering moments. Each piece of a genocidal war. WAITING FOR introduces us to a fifteen-year-old girl; THE PRICE THE PARADE the first speaks to us from the dark side Village Playhouse, Studio Theatre Young Centre for of contemporary Toronto, and the second March 12 – April 3 the Performing Arts from one of the bleakest times and places When estranged brothers meet to sell off April 29 – May 29 in history: Auschwitz, 1945. Each girl their late parents’ chattels, choices made Set in Calgary during World War II, this believes in miracles when there is almost long ago are re-examined. Old furniture, play reminds us that the wounded are not no hope, and although they are both furi- they discover, is more easily disposed of always at the front. Five women gather ous at times, each finds sharp humour in than the past. to work for the war effort while men they their most fearful moments. When the real love are away. world is unbearable, they both dive into THE SISTERS ROSENSWEIG the realm of their beloved Shakespeare, Oakville Centre for the WHERE THE BLOOD MIXES and use his poetry and insight to navigate Performing Arts Factory Theatre their way through the Odyssey they face. April 15 - 24 April 7 - April 18 Sara Goode, a successful American Suddenly reunited with a daughter he has SUMMER OF MY AMAZING LUCK woman working as the British representa- not seen in over two decades, a survivor Rose Theatre, Brampton tive of a major Hong Kong bank, is about of the residential school system is forced February 25 to celebrate her fifty-fourth birthday. to confront the pain of the past. Very unlucky things happen to Lucy. She Firmly ensconced in her lovely London lost her mom and she got pregnant. Now home, she leads a quiet expatriate life WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA she’s in Have-A-Life (or Half-a-Life) with her daughter, Tess. For the birthday WOOLF? welfare housing for single mothers - but celebration, her two sisters, Dr. Gorgeous Fairview Library Theatre she thinks her luck’s about to turn! Leav- Teitelbaum, and Pfeni Rosensweig, are March 11 – 27 ing their ratfink neighbours behind, Lucy expected to arrive at any moment. As if Husband college faculty member George, and her friend Lish load the kids into a this weren’t causing Sara enough stress, and president’s daughter Martha have beat-up van for a hare-brained, hilarious four more male guests show up. This learned to survive within the world and and heart-warming journey. A play about leads to unexpected romance, suspected within their relationship. A young faculty love, generosity and wishful thinking - it’s partings, recriminations, reconciliations couple arrive as guests. They have yet to also a cutting and comical look at ‘life’ and, above all, newfound love and ac- come to terms with their existence, but below the poverty line. ceptance. in one evening George and Martha teach them all they know. THAT FACE THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS NEXT Berkley Street Theatre Berkley Street Theatre WISDOM OF EVE October 26 - November 23 April 12 – May 8 Scarborough Village Theatre Mia is at boarding school. She has access This is What Happens Next is a journey January 14 – 30 to drugs. They are Martha’s. Henry has deep into the heart of the Kingdom of Adapted from the story by Mary Orr, on dropped out of school. He has access to Kevin with an astrologer, a lawyer, an which the film All About Eve and the alcohol. From Martha. Martha controls absent father, the embodiment of our own hit musical Applause were based. An their lives. Martha is their mother. That Will and Me which takes us through the engrossing and revealing “inside” story of Face is an explosive portrayal of an afflu- dark forest of addiction, divorce, Arthur life in New York’s theatre world, told in ent family in freefall. Schopenhauer, The Little Mermaid and terms of an unscrupulous ingenue’s rise to the life of John Denver. A scary fairytale Broadway stardom. THE OVERWHELMING with a happy ending, this explosion of Berkley Street Theatre character and storytelling tries to make YOU FANCY YOURSELF March 8 – April 3 sense of life in the modern world. Theatre Passe Muraille The Overwhelming is a riveting exami- January 4 – 24 nation of the mounting tensions in 1994 TWELVE ANGRY MEN You Fancy Yourself tells the story of Rwanda and a war that cannot be compre- Scarborough Village Theatre a child, Elsa, whose family has trav- hended or controlled. American academic September 10 – 26 elled from Iceland -- the northern land Jack Exley travels to Rwanda to interview A provocative and gripping courtroom of mountains, lullabies and fairies -- to his old friend Joseph Gasana about strug- thriller set during a hot New York chilly grey Edinburgh. Post-war indus- gling for good against daunting odds. But summer. A man is dead, and the life of trial Scotland is suspicious of foreigners and Elsa quickly and cruelly learns that EL NUMERO UNO LITTLE ELF navigating her way through her new world Lorraine Kisma Theatre for Solar Stage of tenement buildings, scrubbing ladies Young People January 16 – February 7 and sad-eyed children, will require more January 31 – February 25 This charming, interactive musical fol- than learning the words to “Scotland the An original Caribbean tale about a little lows the journey of the little Elf and her Brave.” It means taking on the schoolyard pig captured by two greedy Beasts who billy goat companion as they learn how bullies and that being fascinated with the threaten his island with starvation. If he is to use her magic powers and encounter massacre of Glencoe doesn’t make you to save the day, El Numero Uno will need the challenges presented by a scheming Scottish and that dreams come with a high big-big help from his neighbours – and a wizard. price. magical soup! LITTLE PRINCE Kids and Family GOLDEN GOOSE Solar Stage Solar Stage May 1 – 23 A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD April 3 - 25 Join the Little Prince and his friend Rose Rose Theatre, Brampton This musical adaptation of the Broth- as they travel from their tiny home planet March 9 ers Grimm story follows the path of the to discover the importance of friendship in A hit on Broadway, A Year With Frog and young lad who helps a stranger when no this imaginative adaptation of Antoine de Toad was nominated for 3 Tony Awards one else will and, as a reward, acquires Saint-Exupry’s classic tale. - including Best Musical. Arnold Lobel’s the golden goose. On his journey with beloved characters hop from the page to the golden goose, he enters a kingdom MONSTER UNDER THE BED the stage in Robert and Willie Reale’s where marriage to the queen’s daughter Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People musical, A Year With Frog and Toad. is achieved only by making the daughter March 8- April 1 Developed by Mr. Lobel’s daughter, Adri- laugh. This play will certainly make you Ben has BIG problems. His Dad is far, anne Lobel, the stage musical remains laugh! far away, his former best friend Vince has true to the spirit of the original stories as it stolen his precious binoculars... oh, and follows two great friends, the cheerful and HANA’S SUITCASE there’s a monster under his bed who wants popular Frog and the rather grumpy Toad Lorraine Kimsa Theatre to trade places with him. A hilarious new through four fun-filled seasons. Waking for comedy about friendship and facing your from hibernation in the spring, the pro- Young People fears. ceed to plant gardens, swim, rake leaves April 18 – May 21 and go sledding, learning life lessons It is March, 2000. A child’s suitcase ar- MUNSCH MUDDLES along the way, including a most important rives from Auschwitz at the tiny Chil- Solar Stage one about friendship and rejoicing in the dren’s Holocaust Centre in Tokyo. Painted February 15 – March 21 attributes that make each of us different on the side are a name, Hana Brady, a We bring back our traditional and very and special. birthdate and the word, “Waisenkind” popular series of Munsch stories done as (orphan). Spurred on by the children at the one play. Enjoy Mud Puddle, Playhouse, CINDERELLA Centre, the curator embarks on a relentless Zoom, and Look at Me presented in skill- Solar Stage search from Tokyo to Prague to Toronto to ful and comic Solar Stage fashion. Your December 19 – January 3 uncover the story of Hana and her fate at children love to read Munsch! They’ll be In this musical interactive version of the hands of the Nazis. entranced by the play. the Grimm fairy tale Cinderella, who is treated unfairly by her selfish stepsisters, IN THIS WORLD PRINCESS & THE HANDMAIDEN responds with patience and kindness Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People toward all, trusting that the future will May 10 - May 20 November 15 – December 30 bring her a change of fortune. A holiday Bijou and Neyssa grimly await the prin- Mean Girls meets the Brothers Grimm favourite! cipal’s interrogation after getting into a in this clever new musical about loyalty, vicious fist-fight. As the former friends friendship, magic potions and talking DOUBLE TROUBLE confront each other, their pre-conceptions sheep. Whose grass is greener? The good- FOR ALISTAR ANT! about race, class, and, especially sex, are hearted, pampered princess or her jealous, Solar Stage laid to waste. hard-working handmaiden? May 29 – 30 Alistair Ant wants a friend who’s like him JACK AND THE BEANSTALK ROBIN HOOD: in every way. Can a chance meeting and Solar Stage THE ENVIRONMENTAL a touch of magic help change his mind? June 5 – 27 FAMILY MUSICAL Join Rob and Soli and their wonderful A colourful, music-filled production with Elgin Theatre puppet friends. a cow that makes beautiful ‘mosaic’, a November 26 – January 3 beanstalk, a transforming giant and, of Robin and his Merry Men’s challenge is course, a handful of magic beans that to preserve the green environment while change Jack’s life. the Sheriff of Nottingham threatens to raze Sherwood Forest in order to keep Nottingham Lumber the leader in its field This Broadway production features a ships out, and Albert’s got his hands full ...making toothpicks, bathroom tissue, and live orchestra, fabulous costumes and with the teenagers in town, his meddling catapults since 1732. Starring Paul Nolan, extraordinary visuals that will captivate mother, and his marriage-minded long- Eva Avila, Jessica Holmes and many oth- your entire family. You will find yourself suffering girlfriend. This classical musical ers. singing along to the classic songs “Over is sure to make you put on a happy face! the Rainbow”, “Ding Dong the Witch Is SUESSICAL: THE MUSICAL Dead” and “If Only I Had a Brain” in this CHILDREN OF EDEN Lower Ossington Theatre unforgettable performance. Scarborough Village Theatre May 13 - 22 February 11 - 27 All of your favorite Dr. Seuss characters THERE’S A MOUSE IN MY HOUSE join in a quest to protect Whoville! Lorraine Kimsa Theatre For Young People THE ADVENTURES OF TOM December 7 - December 19 SAWYER By asserting her right to a glass of pop, EXPLOSION: The City Playhouse a piece of cheese, and the opportunity to THE SHOW March 4 - 7 relate her life story, a charming young Rose Theatre, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is the ir- mouse succeeds at making two new Brampton resistible story of a fourteen-year-old boy friends – but can she overcome the op- April 27 growing up in the heartland of America. position of their mother and find a new 75 minutes that will leave your family with In the course of the story, Tom matches home? An audience participation play only one wish... MORE!!!! wits with his stern Aunt Polly, falls in love that inspires creativity and demonstrates What is BAM’s formula? Side-splitting with the beautiful, feisty Becky Thatcher, tolerance. comedy and savage drumming virtuos- and goes on the adventure of his life with ity! The BAM characters, who look like Becky and that irresistible renegade, THRICE UPON A TIME they walked straight out of a mad cartoon, Huckleberry Finn. Lorraine Kimsa Theatre For speak a unique language: BAMspeach, Young People spoken only by them, but understood by THE NEW SHANGHAI CIRCUS April 18 - 29 everyone from 3 to 83-years old. From Rose Theatre, Brampton A young boy is stranded on a mysterious beginning to end, eXplosion electrifies the February 22 island with an outlandish creature who crowd with its powerful rhythms and its Astonishing athletes defy gravity and ex- wants his help to defeat a wicked witch. deliriously funny sketches. The pulsating ecute breathtaking feats as they stretch the This modern-day tale reflects the cour- energy of BAM is contagious: through limits of human ability in this spellbinding age and resilience children must have in a drumbeats and laughter, get ready to be show. Fearless performers with boundless sometimes forbidding world. overwhelmed with fun. energy bring you more than two thousand years of Chinese circus tradition. If it’s FIDDLER ON THE ROOF humanly possible -and even if it’s not- Musicals Canon Theatre Shanghai’s acrobats, jugglers and contor- December 8 – January 10 tionists do it with spectacular flair! This BILLY BISHOP Fiddler on the Roof, the Tony-winning mu- show is a beautifully orchestrated presen- GOES TO WAR sical that has captured the hearts of people tation of Chinese circus acts dating back to Young Centre For The all over the world with its universal appeal, the harvest festivals of 2000 years ago. Performing Arts returns to Toronto in an all-new and very January 22 – February 27 special production - it’s your once-in-a- THE SECRET WORLD OF OG Owen Sound’s famous fly boy takes to lifetime opportunity to see Chaim Topol, Enwave Theatre the skies once more in this remount of the the Oscar and Tony-nominated star who May 5 – 9 1978 musical about the World War I ace made the role of Tevye famous on stage This year’s major production is a new op- pilot. Original creators John Gray and Eric and screen! era based on Pierre Berton’s beloved novel Peterson return to the piano bench and the Come to sing again some of the greatest for children. cockpit, respectively. and most loved songs of musical theatre history - the poignant Sunrise, Sunset, the THE WIZARD OF OZ BYE BYE BIRDIE rousing If I Were a Rich Man, the exuber- Living Arts Centre, Mississauga Bathurst Theatre ant Matchmaker, Matchmaker and the January 1 – 3 April 15 – 25 triumphant Tradition as this great mas- Prepare to be swept away by breathtak- Rock & Roll sensation Conrad Birdie is terpiece returns to us, in the midst of a ing special effects from the moment the headed to the army, but before he goes new millennium, in a world fraught with tornado twists its way into Kansas. Travel he’s gonna give one last kiss to the presi- anxiety and fear, with its message of hope down the yellow brick road with Doro- dent of his Sweet Apple, Ohio fan club, and celebration of life. thy and her friends for an unforgettable televised live on the Ed Sullivan Show. adventure and discover that there truly is That is, if Albert Peterson, his manager no place like home. and songwriter can get him to the studio! Birdie’s got a lot of livin’ to do before he FRANKENSTEIN of adventures in which his spirit and Bluma Appel humanity are continually challenged. He May 3 - 29 is purchased by Potiphar where thwart- This home-grown “monster hit” out of ing advances from Potiphar’s wife lands Edmonton, has taken Western Canada by HE SANG, SHE SANG him in jail. When news of Joseph’s gift storm. A highly stylized, musical adap- Rose Theatre, Brampton to interpret dreams reaches the Pharaoh tation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel, February 13 - 14 (wryly and riotously depicted as Elvis), Frankenstein is about the consequences of He’s nervous. She’s bitter. He was left. Joseph is well on his way to becom- interfering with nature and the universal She walked out. A wonderfully quirky and ing second in command. Eventually his search for love and acceptance. A star- charming cabaret style concert that takes brothers, having suffered greatly, un- tling storybook come to life, this original, a hilarious look at modern relationships. A knowingly find themselves groveling at multi-award-winning spectacle integrates blind date leads these two down memory the feet of the brother they betrayed but poetic text, witty song, stylized move- lane as they share stories of laughter, no longer recognize. After testing their ment and “phantasmagoric” costumes and broken hearts, thrilling highs and tragic integrity, Joseph reveals himself leading sets made entirely of paper. It is a quirky, lows. Told through over 50 great songs of to a heartfelt reconciliation of the sons beautiful and often ghoulishly humorous the musical theatre, this romantic comedy of Israel. Set to an engaging cornucopia take on a timeless tale. will leave you with tears in your eyes and of musical styles, from country western with hope and renewed belief in eter- and calypso to bubble-gum pop and rock FUNNY BUSINESS THE MUSICAL nal romance. A cabaret musical of great ‘’n’’ roll, this Old Testament tale emerges City Playhouse songs and scenes from classical musicals, both timely and timeless. February 5 - 6 wonderfully quirky and charming, it takes When low morale threatens their office, a hilarious look at modern relationships. LAST FIVE YEARS five workers must mount a team building Featuring songs from some of Broadway’s Toronto Centre For Arts talent show. Romance blossoms, betrayal best loved shows, including Crazy For May 8 - 23 burns and hilarity ensues as they try to You, The Full Monty, City Of Angels, A An emotionally powerful and intimate keep the show together without tearing Chorus Line, Cabaret, West Side Story, musical about two New Yorkers in their each other apart. Guys and Dolls and many more, He Sang, twenties who fall in and out of love She Sang will leave a song in your heart over the course of five years. A fresh GREASE and a smile on your face. Created by and contemporary musical from Tony- Canon Theatre Adam Brazier - Broadway leading man Award winning composer Jason Robert April 7 – 18 and Dora Award-winning star of Mamma Brown, The Last Five Years chronicles After spending a hopelessly devoted Mia, We Will Rock You and The Rocky a young couple’s romance in an exciting summer with Sandy Dumbrowski, the Horror Show. way – her story starts at the end of their new girl in town, Danny Zuko’s world is relationship, his begins on the day they thrown upside down when Sandy appears HIGH FIDELITY met. at Rydell High on the first day of school. Hart House Theatre What follows is a rock n’ roll celebration January 15 – 30 LEGALLY BLONDE of growin’ up, cruisin’ with friends and High Fidelity (a musical based on the Canon Theatre goin’ steady. novel and film of the same name) tells the July 6 – August 8 story of a young man in ‘quarterlife crisis’ Sorority star Elle Woods doesn’t take GYPSY – he’s a young adult who gets dumped “no” for an answer. So when her boy- Meadowvale Theatre, Mississauga by his girlfriend, has no money, a cruddy friend dumps her for someone more January 22 - 30 apartment, his job has no upward mobil- “serious,” Elle puts down the credit card, Gypsy is the ultimate story about an ag- ity and he can’t seem to get off downward hits the books, and sets out to go where gressive stage mother. Join Rose, June spiral that is taking him nowhere. Through no Delta Nu has gone before: Harvard and Louise in their trip across the United his love of music, he grows out of his Law. Along the way, Elle proves that States during the 1920’s, when vaudeville self-centred view of the world and finds being true to yourself never goes out of was dying and burlesque was born. Jule happiness. style. Styne’s music and Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics include Let Me Entertain You, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE: Some People, You’ll Never Get Away TECHNICOLOUR DREAMCOAT THE MUSICAL from Me, If Momma Was Married, All I The Rose Theatre - Brampton Canon Theatre Need Is the Girl, Everything’s Coming April 8 - 10 January 27 - February 28 Up Roses, You Gotta Get A Gimmick and The Biblical saga of Joseph and his coat Little House On The Prairie has remained Together Wherever We Go. This is a grip- of many colors comes to vibrant life in one of the most beloved celebrations of ping story of one of the most frightening this delightful musical parable. Joseph, early Americana since the appearance of aspects of show business his father’s favorite son, is a boy blessed Laura Ingalls Wilder’s classic books 70 with prophetic dreams. When he is sold years ago. Now the inspirational stories into slavery by his jealous brothers and take on a new frontier in an uplifting new taken to Egypt, Joseph endures a series musical. Melissa Gilbert, who played Laura in the much-loved television series, musical adaptation features all the familiar THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA continues her legacy, starring as “Ma.” felons and fairies, ghosts and good-guys. Berkley St Theatre Families will continue to fall in love with With catchy songs, (Bricusse won Oscars January 4 – February 21 these life-affirming stories of struggle and for original musical score he originally Based on a novella by Elizabeth Spencer, triumph and the celebration of the pioneer wrote for the film version and best screen- it is set in Florence and Rome in the sum- spirit—a spirit that still resonates within play) and snappy dances this is just the mer of 1953. A young American tourist, each of us today. show to get your whole family into the Clara Johnson, meets and falls for young true holiday spirit! Italian Fabrizio Naccarelli. When Clara’s MAMMA MIA! mother Margaret learns of the affair, she Canon Theatre SOUL OF GERSHWIN, THE MUSI- opposes it for reasons that only gradually April 27 – June 7 CAL JOURNEY OF AN AMERICAN become clear to the audience. Inspired by the storytelling magic of KLEZMER ABBA’s songs from “Dancing Queen” and Winter Garden Theatre THE PRODUCERS “S.O.S.” to “Money, Money, Money” and May 1 – 9 Burnhamthorpe Auditorium “Take a Chance on Me,” MAMMA MIA! The Soul of Gershwin, the musical jour- April 23 - May 8 is a celebration of mothers and daughters, ney of an American klezmer is an aurally A down-on-his-luck Broadway producer old friends and new family found. illustrated examination of how a genera- and his mild-mannered accountant come tion of Jewish-American composers was up with a scheme to produce the most MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL influenced by the cross- pollinating sounds notorious flop in history thereby bilking Winter Garden Theatre of the day and is the ultimate expression their backers (all “little old ladies”) out of February 10 – March 7 of immigrant assimilation: something millions of dollars. Only one thing goes They share their ups and downs through greater than the sum of its parts. awry: the show is a smash hit! The antics a collection of 25 re-lyricized baby of Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom as they boomer songs from the 60’s, 70’s and 80s. SWEET CHARITY maneuver their way fecklessly through Disco hit ‘Stayin’ Alive’ becomes ‘Stayin’ Scarborough Village Theatre finding a show (the gloriously offensive Awake,’ Motown favourite ‘My Guy’ is May 6 - 22 “Springtime For Hitler”), hiring a direc- transformed into ‘My Thigh. tor, raising the money and finally going to prison for their misdeeds is a lesson in RAIN: A TRIBUTE TO broad comic construction. At the core of THE BEATLES the insanely funny adventure is a poignant Princess Of Wales Theatre THE COLOR PURPLE emotional journey of two very different February 26 - 28 Rose Theatre, Brampton men who become friends. May 18 – 23 RENT A soul-stirring musical based on the Pulit- THE SOUND OF MUSIC Lower Ossington Theatre zer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker Princess of Wales Theatre April 28 – May 8 and the Oscar-nominated film by Steven October 3 - January 3, 2010 Spielberg, the color purple is the unforget- REX table and inspiring story of a woman who THE TOXIC AVENGER Fairview Library Theatre triumphs over tremendous odds to find joy Music Hall February 17 – March 6 in life and her true inner beauty. Nominat- To January 3 The royalty, romance and intrigue of the ed for 11 Tony Awards, the color purple is Melvin Ferd the Third wants to clean up court of King Henry VIII is brought viv- a landmark theatrical event. With a joyous Tromaville, the most polluted town in idly and melodically to life in this dramati- Grammy-nominated score featuring jazz, New Jersey (just off Exit 13B on the Turn- cally fascinating, musically stirring and gospel and blues, the color purple captures pike). Foiled by the on-the-take mayor’s visually captivating musical. the hearts of both young and old, uniting bullies, Melvin is dumped into a vat of audiences in a celebration of love. radioactive toxic waste, only to re-emerge ROCK OF AGES as THE TOXIC AVENGER, New Jersey’s Royal Alexandra Theatre THE LAST FIVE YEARS first superhero. April 20 - TBA Toronto Centre for the Arts May 8 – 23 TITANIC THE MUSICAL SCROOGE: An emotionally powerful and intimate Meadowvale Theatre, Mississauga THE MUSICAL musical about two New Yorkers in their March 18 - 27 Rose Theatre, Brampton twenties who fall in and out of love over December 16 – 20 the course of five years. A fresh and TITANIC THE MUSICAL Drawing on the humour from Charles contemporary musical from Tony-Award Fairview Library Theatre Dickens’ Victorian classic, A Christmas winning composer Jason Robert Brown, April 1 - 10 Carol, renowned composer/lyricist Leslie The Last Five Years chronicles a young Bricusse has recast the tale of Scrooge and couple’s romance in an exciting way – her the Crotchets into a spooky yet fanciful story starts at the end of their relationship, musical. A sure -fire audience pleaser, this his begins on the day they met. VIRTUOSITY: A SONG AND is saved from a terrible death by Nep- fatal weakness—jealousy—in his quest to DANCE REVUE tune, God of the Sea, and in exchange for destroy him. Bluma Appel Theatre his life, rashly vows to sacrifice the first December 14 - January 10 person he meets on shore. In a tragic twist THE FLYING DUTCHMAN The heart and soul of VIRTUOSITY lies of fate, the victim turns out to be his only Four Seasons Centre in the passionate stories and emotions con- and much-beloved son, Idamante. From April 24 – May 20 veyed through song and dance. The cast, out of its dignified, classical framework, The Dutchman is a legendary figure, con- backed by a stellar band, perform both Idomeneo bursts to life with some of the demned to sail the seas without release. original and well-known material from the most heartfelt, passionate music Mozart Every seven years he may come ashore likes of Billie Holiday, the lsley Brothers, ever wrote for the human voice for a day, and if on that day he can find Smokey Robinson -and even Guiseppe a woman who will vow to love him until Verdi - in this riveting two-hour event. JULIUS CAESAR death, the curse will be broken. Senta is VIRTUOSITY is sure to be an exciting, Jane Mallett Theatre bewitched by a portrait of this mythical and glamorous event! January 31 seaman, with whom she feels her own With the Aradia Ensemble. One of the destiny is linked; this belief is put to the YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN greatest opera-seria creations by any test when the mysterious and enigmatic The Princess of Wales Theatre composer, this towering work weaves a man finally appears before her. This March 17 - April 18 dramatic spell through the sheer beauty search for redemption through love—a The classic Mel Brooks movie is Alive. of Handel’s melodic invention. Antiquity theme Richard Wagner was to revisit This wickedly inspired re-imagining of the comes to life in the central roles of Caesar many times—is set to some of his most Frankenstein legend follows bright young and the exotic Egyptian Queen Cleopa- gloriously romantic music Dr. Frankenstein (that’s Fronkensteen) as tra – Handel’s insights into the nature of he attempts to create a monster - but not political intrigue and human tragedy have THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO without scary and hilarious complications. never been more profound. Bickford Centre Theatre The brains behind the laughter is mad February 10 – 28 genius and three-time Tony-winner Mel LEO, THE ROYAL CADET Brooks himself Jane Mallett Theatre THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO February 17 - 21 Elgin Theatre Opera April 24 - May 1 MARIA STUARDA Based on the shocking Beaumarchais play CARMEN Four Seasons Centre of the same name, The Marriage of Fi- Four Seasons Centre May 1 – 30 garo, Mozart’s racy tale of love, betrayal January 27 - February 27 Queen Elizabeth I loves the Earl of and forgiveness is a hilarious and subver- Carmen. The name alone evokes a myriad Leicester but suspects he has fallen for sive social commentary about a world on of archetypes: powerful woman, sexual her rival, Mary, Queen of Scots. Follow- the brink of revolution. ideal, freedom-loving gypsy, fatalistic ing the example set by Schiller’s play soul. Unshakeable in her determination on which the opera is based, Donizetti THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE to live life freely, the tension between throws historical accuracy to the wind Jane Mallett Theatre Carmen and her spurned lover Don Jose and orchestrates a searing confrontation April 27 - May 2 culminates in an act of desperate fury. between the rival Queens, ending with It is as nonsensical as it is profound, Elizabeth’s demand for Mary’s execution. thrilling and shameless in its ability to COUNTESS MARITZA In Maria Stuarda, the dark intrigue of the whisk us away to a world both fantastic Jane Mallett Theatre Tudor court is thrillingly brought to life by and alluring. December 26 - January 3 Gaetano Donizetti’s sumptuous melo- dies and rousing ensembles, culminating THREEPENNY OPERA GIIWEDIN in Mary’s heartbreaking, bravura death Fairview Library Theatre Theatre Passe Muraille scene. May 6 – 22 April 8 – 24 Brecht and Weill’s The Threepenny Opera Giiwedin is a new opera written in An- OPERA TO GO is one of the best-loved pieces of musical ishnawbe Mowin, French and English. Fermenting Cellar, Distillery District theatre from the 20th century. Set in the Penned by Algonquin playwright Spy March 24 - 26 seedy underbelly of Victorian London, the Dénommé-Welch, it tells the story of a show brings us into a world of starving 150-year old Aboriginal woman fighting OTHELLO beggars, conniving hookers, and ruthless for her land. Four Seasons Centre criminals and tells the wry love story of February 3 – 28 Polly Peachum and “Mack the Knife.” IDOMENEO Othello, a former slave, has risen to the Four Seasons Centre rank of general and has found love with May 9 - May 29 his devoted wife, Desdemona. His friend Idomeneo, King of Crete, is sailing home and lieutenant Iago, empowered by a con- following victory in the Trojan war. He suming envy, brilliantly plays on Othello’s