Wallybag will not be renewing his 2011/2012 subscription. Hart House theatre has a great season of 4+1 free show for $80 dollars. That is where i will be.
Since it's going to the Canon... anyone know how BILLY is faring? I know it is a year away but they had originally hoped BE would run for a very long time....
1. La Cage 2. Pre-Broadway engagement of HONEYMOON IN VEGAS 3. Book of Mormon 4. Flashdance 5. Sister Act 6. The Normal Heart 7. Backbeat from the West End
Would be good to see some of those shows. Do you think Flashdance is a good choice? What about Backbeat closing early in UK will that perform well in Toronto. Is Toronto ready for Book of Mormon? What are your thoughts?
If that were the season, with certainty nothing would be substituted or canceled, I wouldn't mind seeing all of them except Backbeat. I have zero interest in yet another Beatles show. I would sit through it if I had a subscription but I definitely wouldn't buy a ticket on its own.
I'd be most excited for Sister Act and Book of Mormon. Probably La Cage as well. I miss having Priscilla here, saw it 3 times here, and this would be a good substitute although I'd like to have Nick Adams back in it. I don't travel to New York to see shows so I would welcome any of these here. Book of Mormon is a hot show right now so I think bringing it here would draw well but I don't really know anything about the business side of theatre. I don't think Toronto would have a problem handling it.
Buddies just did a production of The Normal Heart so I wonder if this would be a re-staging of that? I'd enjoy that one, I missed it when it was on.
I subscribed to Mirvish long time ago, used to have great shows, 7-8 shows, and whatever they advertised was whatever we got.
Now a day, they can change anytime they want. They can advertise show A, and then when the time comes, it gets replaced by show B. How is that legal is beyond me!
Oh, and now the shows are crappy, really. Only one or two decent shows, and the rest, meh.
And lastly, many of these shows are "old". I mean, I have already seen them on Broadway/West End years before (Billy, Poppins, Priscella...). And these were the "headline" shows. So no point for me to subscribe.
Tomorrow is the first of February! This month is typically considered bleak and dreary, but this much-maligned month is actually the month that we have been waiting for! Are you ready for 29 excitement-packed days? It may be the shortest month of the year, but we've got enough excitement to get you through the dog days of winter. Big Announcement February 6! Julie Andrews, Martin Short, Kim Cattrall, Mel Brooks, John Waters, Queen, Joan Collins, Linda Evans, Dame Edna.
What do all these bold names have in common?
They were all special guests at past Mirvish season launches. It's that time of year again, when we announce to the world the shows in our upcoming theatre season. You'll want to make sure you won't miss this year's event. It's the real deal -- a bells-and-whistles, pull-all-the-stops, highly entertaining event.
Mark your calendars and join an exclusive group of media, dignitaries, subscribers and partners on:
Monday, February 6, 2012 10:30 AM sharp start time The Ed Mirvish Theatre (formerly the Canon and now affectionately called "the Eddie" by those in the know) 244 Victoria St.
Important: You must RSVP by clicking here.
Seating is general admission. The doors to the theatre will open at 10 AM. The event will last approximately one hour and 15 minutes.
The season... Backbeat - July/August 2012 La Cage aux Folles - October/November 2012 Sister Act - October/November 2012 Honeymoon in Vegas - December 2012/January 2013 The Wizard of Oz - January/February 2013 Book of Mormon - May/June 2013
I think it sounds great! Ive been lucky enough to have seen everything except Backbeat, and obviously the new Honeymoon in Vegas.....I think Im also going to spring for Flashdance! While the reviews out of the UK were less than stellar, I think it will be fun, and cant be worse than Dirty Dancing....Thrilled to see BOM make its way here!
I wasn't very surprised reading through the official list of shows. The predictions here were pretty spot on. I could do without Backbeat but I am actually seriously contemplating subscribing. Maybe not the top level pricing but its still cheaper than Dancap I think, well besides the 30Cap program which I have done. I am already hearing a lot of excitement for Book of Mormon from many non-theatre going friends and people around the city. I think this one might have the potential to have broader appeal than the typical theatre shows and musicals. I don't travel to New York, Chicago or London to see shows so I for one, can't wait for it!
I just hope they don't move anything around, cancel, or change any of the shows this year.
I'm glad Book of Mormon is officially coming to town, although it's quite a long way off. I hope I'll get to see it in New York before then.
I may want to see that La Cage aux Folles (despite George Hamilton), although I'm not holding my breath on any of the other shows.
And are there no plays out there? I remember back in the day when the Mirvish subscription series was mostly plays, with a musical or two thrown in at the end of the season. Mirvish (and Dancap) seldom program plays anymore.
i dont like any of these shows from Mirvish also Canstage has a dud season and Dancap is way too pricy, maybe buy a show here and there not much point in buying a subscription this season.
Canmark, plays simply don't pay the bills any more. Many people won't go to them because it's not glitzy enough. They want big, glamorous shows full of light, fast and easy entertainment (i.e. Sister Act or Shrek) and not thought-provoking, which many plays try to be.
Add to the mix the competition from movies, television, sports and the Internet and it's harder to find an audience for plays, especially at the prices these companies need to charge in order to make a profit. Somehow you have to convince an audience that they should see these shows LIVE instead of recorded. And competition from all the theatres in town for the same audiences - including community theatre in Toronto, which often is based in doing plays and not musicals.
Then remember that no one will come out to plays without a star above the title and don't want to take a risk on something they've never heard of. Case in point: Tony Danza in Honeymoon in Vegas. Not only is this a film, a very pop culture film from nearly 20 years ago, they got a celebrity to put onto the marquee. Admittedly the celebrities in this announcement (Danza and Hamilton) are hardly A-list any longer but they help bolster a series of titles that are familiar (Sister Act and Wiz of Oz), based in the familiar (Backbeat) or huge media sensations/hits (Mormon).
Now recall that people are often ignorant to what might be a good "title" or script in the theatre... hence the desire to see a staged version of their favourite movie (The Graduate or Tarzan) and you demonstrate how poor the market for plays is in Toronto. Even in New York the majority of plays performed on Broadway are produced by non-profit companies for limited runs by companies that can take the financial loss, perform world premieres or load their casts with stars (Frances McDormand and Laura Linney among the recent ones).
The familiar wins. Especially in a poor economy where people have limited entertainment dollars and want to see the flashy shows, feeling like they've gotten a show worth their dollars.
I'm looking forward to everything except Backbeat. I liked Jason Robert Brown's comment "Who are you people"? during the announcement of the season. It seemed a little weird that he has not played in front of audiences before or at least considers it odd to do so - or at least odd enough to ask why the audience is there and who they are.
Is it just me? I do not get it why would they put OZ to Jan/Feb. It is many families' tradition to get to get together around the Winter Holidays and go out to see a kid friendly show. O personally know two families that buys over fifteen tickets at once, so from grandma to grandchild are all going. People drive up to Toronto from 200-300 km for these "reunions" What are the chances that this can be pulled off in Jan/Feb or that Sister Act or Honeymoon in Vegas will cater to the same audience that filled the house at the Sound of Music or Marry Poppins? I think this is a big mistake, but that is just me.
@adam.peterson44 JRB is quite comfortable in front of prying eyes. He performs often with his band called the Caucasian Rhythm Kings. (I believe his last performance in Toronto with his band was in 2009). His "Who are you people?" comment was referring to the fact that many season announcements are not public affairs like Mirvish's. I believe the second half of his comment was "There are not 1,800 journalists in Toronto."
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Posted: 5/11/11 at 03:09pm