& JULIET, OKLAHOMA!, and More Announced For the 2020-21 Mirvish Theatre Season

By: Feb. 26, 2020
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& JULIET, OKLAHOMA!, and More Announced For the 2020-21 Mirvish Theatre Season

The 2020/21 Mirvish Theatre Season has been announced, featuring 13 shows, including the North American premiere of & Juliet!

Learn more about all of the upcoming shows below:

Canadian Premiere - PRESSURE

Written by David Haig
Directed by John Dove
Starring Kevin Doyle, Malcolm Sinclair and Laura Rogers

SEPTEMBER - NOVEMBER 2020

D-Day, June 1944. The Allied forces led by General Eisenhower are poised to launch. 350,000 lives are at stake and the decision of whether to attack comes down to the most important weather forecast of all time.

The renowned British stage, film and television actor David Haig is also an equally renowned playwright. PRESSURE is his third play. It premiered at the Chichester Festival in 2018. It then had a UK tour before opening in London at the Ambassadors Theatre.

Award-winning director John Dove (Farinelli and the King on Broadway starring Mark Rylance) directs Kevin Doyle (Downton Abbey, Royal National Theatre) as Scottish meteorologist Group Captain James Stagg, in this true story and critical smash hit direct from London's West End.

Olivier nominee Malcolm Sinclair (Casino Royale, Royal National Theatre) and Laura Rogers (The 39 Steps, West End) reprise their roles as General Eisenhower and Kay Summersby to bring this remarkable story to life.

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics by Tim Rice
Choreography by Drew McOnie
Directed by Timothy Sheader

SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2020

An album that inspired a REVOLUTION.

A REVELATION that changed the world.

A REINVENTION for this millennium.

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR is an iconic musical phenomenon with a world-wide fan base. In celebration of its 50th Anniversary, a new mesmerizing production comes to North America. Originally staged by London's Regent's Park Open Air Theatre and helmed by the acclaimed director Timothy Sheader (Crazy for You, Into the Woods) and award-winning choreographer Drew McOnie (King Kong, Strictly Ballroom), this production won the 2017 Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival garnering unprecedented reviews and accolades. Appealing to both theatre audiences and concert music fans, this production pays tribute to the historic 1971 Billboard Album of the Year while creating a modern, theatrical world that is uniquely fresh and inspiring.

Featuring award-winning music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR is set against the backdrop of an extraordinary series of events during the final weeks in the life of Jesus Christ as seen through the eyes of Judas. Reflecting the rock roots that defined a generation, the legendary score includes I Don't Know How to Love Him, Gethsemane and Superstar.

Canadian Premiere - LOVE NEVER DIES

Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Directed by Simon Phillips

DECEMBER 2020 - JANUARY 2021

The ultimate love story continues in LOVE NEVER DIES, Andrew Lloyd Webber's spellbinding follow-up musical to The Phantom of the Opera.

The year is 1907. It is 10 years after his disappearance from the Paris Opera House and the Phantom has escaped to a new life in New York where he lives amongst the screaming joy rides and freak shows of Coney Island. In this new, electrically charged world, he has finally found a place for his music to soar, but he has never stopped yearning for his one true love and musical protégée, Christine Daaé.

LOVE NEVER DIES is so much more than a sequel: it is a dazzling new production, which takes audiences on a thrilling rollercoaster ride of intrigue, obsession and romance. Be seduced by the beautiful; sometimes magical and poetic; sometimes joyful; and occasionally melancholic score. Don't miss this magnificent continuation of one of the world's greatest love stories as it makes its premiere in Toronto.

Directed by Simon Phillips with new set and costume designs by Gabriela Tylesova, choreography by Graeme Murphy, lighting design by Nick Schlieper, and sound design by Mick Potter.

North American Premiere - & JULIET

Book by David West Read
Music & Lyrics by Max Martin
Directed by Luke Sheppard

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2021

You will roar with joy at & JULIET, London's "dazzlingly brilliant" (Evening Standard) new musical that's packed with some of the biggest pop anthems of our time.

"A kind of raucous Shakespeare comedy in itself" (The Stage), & JULIET asks: what if Juliet's famous ending was really just her beginning? What if she decided to choose her own fate? And what if she got over Romeo by running off to Paris with her best friends on a whirlwind journey of self-discovery and second chances? This is Juliet's story now.

Brought to life by the iconic music of the internationally acclaimed songwriter Max Martin, & JULIET features some of the most successful songs of the last three decades including Hit Me Baby One More Time, I Want It That Way, Teenage Dream and many more. Experience the songs you know and love in thrilling arrangements by the Tony and Grammy Award-winning orchestrator Bill Sherman and story by David West Read (Netflix's Schitt's Creek) as & JULIET offers a brilliant new take on the world's greatest love story.

The show explodes into life through a fusion of electrifying styles across a dynamic and diverse creative team led by director Luke Sheppard (In the Heights). He brings together the raw energetic choreography of Jennifer Weber, costume design by the Tony Award-winning Paloma Young and set design from the acclaimed Soutra Gilmour.

Canadian Premiere - Rodgers & Hammerstein's OKLAHOMA!

Music by Richard Rodgers
Book & Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein Il
Choreography by John Heginbotham
Directed by Daniel Fish

MAY - JUNE 2021

This is OKLAHOMA! as you've never seen or heard it before - reimagined for the 21st century, and now the Tony Award winner for Best Revival of a Musical. Funny and sexy, dark and jolting, this acclaimed production of Oklahoma! "lets us experience Rodgers and Hammerstein's greatness anew." (The New Yorker).

Stripped down to reveal the darker psychological truths at its core, Daniel Fish's production tells a story of a community circling its wagons against an outsider, and the frontier life that shaped America. Upending the sunny romance of a farmer and a cowpoke, this Oklahoma! allows the classic musical to be seen in a whole new light.

"This production shocked me and moved me," raves Frank Rich of New York Magazine. "This is the OKLAHOMA! that was there all along." The Daily Beast says "Forget your traditional idea of Oklahoma! Daniel Fish's daring, brilliant, utterly absorbing re-interpretation is dark and different - brilliantly so."

North American Premiere - Agatha Christie's MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS

Adapted for the stage by Ken Ludwig
Directed by Jonathan Church
Design by Rob Jones

JULY - AUGUST 2021

Step aboard the luxurious Orient Express where for one night everyone is a suspect.

Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks, by morning one passenger is dead. Isolated and with a killer in their midst, Hercule Poirot must eliminate the suspects and close the case.

Join Agatha Christie's most famous detective Hercule Poirot as he seeks to solve the crime in this sumptuous and riveting murder mystery.

This sumptuous new production of MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, the first ever stage adaptation of the famous novel, comes to Toronto direct from the Chichester Festival Theatre and is adapted from Agatha Christie's masterpiece by two-time Tony-nominated playwright Ken Ludwig. With design by Rob Jones and directed by multi-award-winning director Jonathan Church (The Last Confession), the Canadian Premiere of this production will take you on a suspenseful, thrilling ride aboard the legendary Orient Express!


OFF-MIRVISH SEASON - 3 SHOWS

Canadian Premiere - THINGS I KNOW TO BE TRUE

Produced by David Mirvish and The Company Theatre
By Andrew Bovell
Starring Tom McCamus and Seana McKenna
Directed by Philip Riccio

FEBRUARY 2021

David Mirvish and The Company Theatre, one of Toronto's most acclaimed independent theatre companies, present the Canadian premiere of Andrew Bovell's THINGS I KNOW TO BE TRUE.

A poignant family drama with universal resonance, THINGS I KNOW TO BE TRUE is the story of a year in the life of the Price family. Bob (Tom McCamus), recently let go from his job at a car factory, and Fran (Seana McKenna), a registered nurse, have raised their four children - Pip, Mia, Ben and Rosie - the best they could.

Now in their 60s, their children grown, they should be slowing down and taking time to smell the roses and enjoy a job well done. But a parent's job is never finished, and as the seasons change, Bob and Fran find themselves guiding and supporting their children as they each face life-altering changes that shake the foundation of the once-stable family home.

With insight and humanity, Bovell has tapped into the poetry, beauty, and tragedy of everyday life to create a deeply moving play that will resonate with anyone who has ever been part of a family.

Andrew Bovell is one of Australia's most acclaimed playwrights. His plays include Speaking in Tongues and When the Rain Stops Falling.

Founded in 2005, The Company Theatre has produced some of Toronto's most memorable productions over the last fifteen years, including the Canadian premieres of Bruce Norris's Domesticated, Annie Baker's John, and most recently the multiple Dora Award-winning production of Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem, starring Kim Coates.

BOY FALLS FROM THE SKY

Produced by David Mirvish/Past Future Productions
Written and Performed by Jake Epstein
Developed with and Directed by Robert McQueen
Music Direction by Daniel Abrahamson

MARCH 2021

He's been "that guy from Degrassi", starred in US National Tours of Spring Awakening and American Idiot, played Spider-Man on Broadway in Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark and originated the lead role of Gerry Goffin (Carole King's husband) in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Not bad for a kid who dreamed about performing on Broadway in the back seat of his parents' minivan on their annual family road-trip to NYC.

But the thing about dreams is, they don't always go as planned. Through a series of funny and revealing stories and songs, ranging from touring the US, to surviving Spider-Man, to enduring steroid shots and Broadway Boos, Epstein shares the rejection, stage fright and heartbreak behind a seemingly successful career in this showbiz tell-all. BOY FALLS FROM THE SKY is a must-see for anyone who's ever tried to go after their dreams.

"I've spent my life going after my singular dream of doing musicals on Broadway. And what's crazy is that I achieved that dream. But the reality is that going after your dreams can be complicated and filled with disappointments. This show is my attempt to turn those disappointments into theatrical moments of joy and humour. I love story-telling and I thought this was a good story to tell. And you might even laugh." - Jake Epstein

David Mirvish presents the Segal Centre production of MYTHIC - An Immortal New Musical

Musical Direction by Nick Burgess
Choreography Avihal Haham
Directed by Brian Hill

APRIL 2021

MYTHIC is a modern retelling of one of the greatest stories of all time - the myth of Persephone. The relationship between a mother and her teenage daughter can be sheer hell - especially if that daughter is a Greek goddess with a taste for the Underworld. MYTHIC turns the immortal Greek story of Persephone on its side, with the gods as chart-topping rock stars, power-hungry politicians, and professional socialites.

The Segal Centre for Performing Arts production of MYTHIC arrives in Toronto after it made its North American premiere in Montreal, where it was extended due to popular demand.

Featuring 25 infectious original songs with musical direction by Nick Burgess, dynamic choreography by Avihai Haham, this "incredibly high-energy musical" (Montreal Gazette) helmed by acclaimed director Brian Hill is "epic entertainment that delivers a fun ride." (Curtains Up)


BONUS SHOWS - 4 SHOWS

Canadian Premiere - HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany
Directed by John Tiffany

Ed Mirvish Theatre
Begins October 2020

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a new play by Jack Thorne. It is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage.

Receiving universal acclaim for its breathtaking magic and stage wizardry, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the most awarded new play in theatre history, including six Tony® Awards, including for Best Play.

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn't much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is directed by John Tiffany with movement by Steven Hoggett, set by Christine Jones, costumes by Katrina Lindsay, music & arrangements by Imogen Heap, lighting by Neil Austin, sound by Gareth Fry, illusions & magic by Jamie Harrison, music supervision & arrangements by Martin Lowe.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is produced in Toronto by originating producers Sonia Friedman Productions, Colin Callender and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions, with David Mirvish.

COME FROM AWAY

Book, Music & Lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein
Directed by Christopher Ashley

Royal Alexandra Theatre
Now on stage through September 6, 2020

It's been called the "edge of the world." The weather is wild, but the locals never lack for warmth. And it's here, in Newfoundland, where a remote town became the epicenter of a remarkable true story filled with unusual characters, unexpected camaraderie and uncommon generosity.

Come From Away is the sell-out, blockbuster musical that Toronto has embraced with open arms. Now in its third smash year, audiences continue leaving the theatre night after night claiming they are "proud to be Canadian!"

Written by Tony®-nominated Canadians Irene Sankoff and David Hein, and helmed by Tony®-winning Best Director, Christopher Ashley, Come From Away "takes you to a place you never want to leave!" (Newsweek).

Cameron Mackintosh presents the new production of MISS SAIGON

Book and Lyrics by Alain Boublil
Concept, Book & Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg

The Princess of Wales Theatre
May 5 - 24, 2020

Experience the acclaimed new production of the legendary musical Miss Saigon from the creators of Les Misérables.

This is the story of a young Vietnamese woman named Kim who is orphaned by war and forced to work in a bar run by a notorious character known as the Engineer. There she meets and falls in love with an American G.I. named Chris, but they are torn apart by the fall of Saigon. For three years, Kim goes on an epic journey of survival to find her way back to Chris, who has no idea he's fathered a son. Featuring stunning spectacle and a sensational cast of 42 performing the soaring score, including Broadway hits like The Heat is On in Saigon, The Movie in My Mind, Last Night of the World and American Dream, this is a theatrical event you will never forget.

CAA is a proud sponsor.

Cameron Mackintosh presents the new production of LES MISÉRABLES

Author/Dramatist Alain Boublil
Book & Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg

The Princess of Wales Theatre
June 16 - August 23, 2020

THE TIMELESS MUSICAL ABOUT LOVE, COURAGE & HOPE

Cameron Mackintosh presents the new production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg's Tony Award-winning musical phenomenon, Les Misérables, direct from an acclaimed two-and-a-half-year return to Broadway.

By popular demand, Cameron Mackintosh's acclaimed new production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg's Tony Award®-winning musical phenomenon, Les Misérables returns to Toronto. Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Misérables tells an unforgettable story of heartbreak, passion, and the resilience of the human spirit.

Featuring the beloved songs I Dreamed A Dream, On My Own, Stars, Bring Him Home, One Day More, and many more, this epic and uplifting story has become one of the most celebrated musicals in theatrical history. With its glorious new staging and dazzlingly reimagined scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo, this breathtaking new production has left both audiences and critics awestruck, hailed as the "Les Miz for the 21st Century."



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