On Monday January 23rd Theatre 20 held a splashy, star-studded event at Toronto’s The National Club to announce the shows that would make up its inaugural season. This event had been eagerly anticipated since the formation of Theatre 20 a year ago, and the group delivered on those expectations. Artistic Director Adam Brazier acted as MC for the evening, with speeches from founding artist Colm Wilkinson, Theatre 20 Board Chair David Morris and Sheridan College Associate Dean of Performing Arts Michael Rubinoff.
On hand to celebrate the announcement were many of Theatre 20’s founding artists, community supporters, special musical guests, up and coming performers and writers and invited members of the press. The overall tone was one of tremendous support and encouragement as everyone genuinely seemed to be rooting for a successful opening season for Canada’s newest (and arguably most promising) musical theatre company.
As part of their mandate, Theatre 20 promises to deliver story-driven new works that showcase up and coming Canadian talent. Their first production does exactly that. Bloodless: The Story of Burke and Hare tells the true story of the 1929 West Port murders that happened in Edinburgh. Written by Canadian playwright Joseph Aragon and reminiscent of Sweeney Todd, the show was previously seen at the Winnipeg Fringe and will now be presented in Toronto under the watchful eye of Canadian treasure Colm Wilkinson, making his directorial debut.
Mr. Wilkinson gave an enthusiastic speech outlining the story behind Bloodless, and his passion for the project immediately shone through. This was followed with a hilarious performance by founding member Juan Chioran and special guest performers Jeff Madden and Donnie MacPhee of “Better Off Dead”, one of the songs from the production. Bloodless will be workshopped from April-May of 2012 with a full production scheduled to run at The Panasonic Theatre from Oct 16-Nov 11, 2012.
Theatre 20’s mandate is not only to foster our incredible Canadian talent, but also to work with the community to encourage the development of new work. To help achieve that goal Theatre 20 has partnered with Sheridan College to foster the growth and development of new pieces. Associate Dean of Performing Arts Michael Rubinoff was on hand to explain the project, which will be Canada’s first incubator for the development of new musical theatre works by Canadian and international composers, lyricists and book writers.
The second production in Theatre 20’s inaugural season is Raindogs, and will be mounted in connection with Sheridan College and the CMTP program. The musical is based on Lanford Wilson’s Balm in Gildead and features original music by Andrew MacBean, Paul Chant and Bozo Suzuki. The show is set in 1969 in the UK, and tells the story of a young prostitute who meets an inept drug dealer, and examines the seedy underground world that they play in.
Special musical guest Tim Howar (last seen on a Toronto stage playing Marius with Colm Wilkinson and Susan Gilmour in Les Miserables when it returned to The Princess of Wales Theatre) was on hand to sing with a group of talented emerging artists from Sheridan College, and they delivered two energetic performances from Raindogs. The show will be workshopped this year at Sheridan, with mentoring from Theatre 20 Founding Artists and a full production is slated for Theatre 20’s 2013-2014 season.
Finally, Sondheim lovers rejoiced as Adam Brazier announced Company as the third production of the inaugural season. A critical darling, there hasn’t been a production of Company on a Toronto stage in twenty-five years. This new production will be a ‘re-imagining’ of the classic, directed by Brazier with Gary Griffin as Creative Consultant. The show tells the story of Bobby, a single man celebrating his 35th birthday surrounded by married friends. It examines a person’s need to be with someone, and the delicate nature of the relationships people find themselves often settling for.
The “First Lady of Canadian Musical Theatre” Louise Pitre gave a stunning performance of The Ladies Who Lunch, and in a surprise twist Theatre 20 was also able to announce that Ms. Pitre had just accepted the title role in Mame at the Goodspeed Opera House. After a quick toast, all of the founding artists, emerging artists and special guests joined together on stage for a brilliant rendition of Side by Side, which showcased just how much talent this group has to offer. Company will be staged at Harbourfront’s Enwave Theatre in February of 2013.
