Musical Theatre and Dance

November’s feast, December’s follies - OLD FRIENDS AND NEW FAVOURITES

As I write this column, we are about to bid farewell to two extraordinary musicals that started their runs in September and were extended until November 2 – the Crow’s Theatre/Musical Stage Company/Soulpepper production of Dave Malloy’s Octet at Crow’s, and Garner Theatre Productions’ Bright Star presented by Mirvish Productions at the CAA Theatre. Wildly different shows, they have one thing in common: they are showcases for some of the top musical theatre talent in the country.

DAVE MALLOY’S OCTET COMES TO CROW’S

After the phenomenal success of Dave Malloy’s musical Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 this summer, Crow’s Theatre is joining forces again with the Musical Stage Company, and this time also with Soulpepper, to produce another Malloy musical: Octet, this September.

Life After's Full Circle

This April, acclaimed Canadian composer, writer, and lyricist Britta Johnson’s Life After returns to the city where it began, in a new production at the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre. I saw the first professional production back in 2017 at Canadian Stage’s Berkeley Street Theatre and remember being captivated by the fluidity of the staging, the deeply felt yet often funny writing, and the way the songs carried the audience into the heart of the characters’ emotions.

Ladies of the Canyon at Soulpepper

One of my favourite things at Soulpepper is their concert series. Under the leadership originally of creator and music director Mike Ross and now under Frank Cox-O’Connell, each concert explores a new theme, artist or group of artists, interweaving words and music in a uniquely satisfying way particular to the story or stories that emerge.

Perennials, panto, old favourites and modern takes highlight this year’s holiday fare

The holiday season’s musical shows run a wonderful gamut: perennial holiday fare; more modern takes on the holiday; year-round family favourites; and, of course, pantomime.

Among the perennials this year are such shows as the National Ballet’s Nutcracker, the Shaw Festival’s A Christmas Carol, and Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre’s Wintersong compilation of dance pieces celebrating the winter solstice, while the more modern takes include a musical version of the 1983 movie A Christmas Story about to take the stage at Theatre Aquarius directed by Artistic Director Mary Frances Moore. And headlining the year-round family favourites are My Fair Lady, also at the Shaw Festival, and The Sound of Music at The Grand Theatre London, both of which run right into the waning days of December.

Pantos soar on stage at theatres across the province at this time of year, usually combining contemporary comedy with songs in the telling of traditional fairy tales or equally well-known magical tales. This year’s crop includes Sleeping Beauty…A Fairy’s Tale at Theatre Orangeville and what seems to be a panto-oriented Christmas Carol at Tweed & Company’s stages in Bancroft and Tweed. Even Ross Petty’s madly modern yet traditional panto, The Wizard of Oz: The Toto-ly Awesome Family Musical, is back, at the Elgin Wintergarden Theatre Dec 6 to Jan 5. It is now under the banner of Canadian Stage but with many of the former creative team in place. Written by Matt Murray, it will be directed by Ted Dykstra with music directed by Mark Camilleri, and stars audience favourites Dan Chameroy (Plumbun) and Eddie Glen (The Scarecrow), along with multi-Dora-Award-wining Vanessa Sears as the Wicked Witch.