Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Toronto – Franz Lehár’s most popular operetta, THE MERRY WIDOW, makes a highly anticipated return to the Toronto Operetta Theatre stage during the Holiday Season. Lehár’s Viennese masterpiece from the Silver Age premiered to rapturous acclaim in the Austrian capital and has since been heard around the world for over 100 years. TOT’s new production opens on December 28, 2012 with further performances on December 29, 30 (mat), 31, 2012 and January 3, 4, 5, 6 (mat), 2013. Regular performances begin at 8pm and matinees at 2pm.
“I’m thrilled,” says TOT’s General Director, Guillermo Silva-Marin, “this year Toronto’s operetta lovers can enjoy the greatest operetta of all time highlighted by comic hijinks, romance and one of the world’s most beloved tunes . . . The Merry Widow Waltz.” Fresh, young faces will enliven TOT’s colorful production and include Leslie Ann Bradley as Anna Glawari, recently hailed for her ‘nimbly negotiated geyser-like roulades’ as Norina in DON PASQUALE by the Boston Globe. Count Danilo, her reluctant lover, will be played by Adam Luther, an ardent Rodolfo in Against the Grain’s unconventional production of LA BOHEME. They will be joined by TOT favorites Elizabeth Beeler as Valencienne, Keith Klassen as the gigolo Camille and David Ludwig as the befuddled Baron Zeta. Canadian Opera Company conductor Derek Bate leads the orchestra and Silva-Marin is the designer and stage director.
Franz Lehár and his librettist Leo Stein have conjured a magical world where class distinctions are blown away and true love wins the day. Set in the splendor of Belle Époque Paris, Lehár’s ravishing score is filled with waltzes, fox-trots, polkas, can cans (one featuring 7 high-kicking Pontevedrian diplomats!) and Anna’s melting Vilja Lied, all tied together by the world’s most famous waltz. Toronto Operetta Theatre is proud to be in the forefront presenting this unique musical world to music lovers in the Greater Toronto Area.
New Year’s Eve revels take place in true Viennese fashion with a pre-performance 3-course dinner and post-performance dancing and midnight champagne toast at the HotHouse Café on December 31. Tickets to the performance must be purchased separately.
Subscription packages are still available with savings of up to 25 %. A Golden Matinee Series is available for Sunday afternoons and TOT’s budget priced FAMILY NIGHT OUT offers discounts of up to 50% for children and youth under 16 years of age.
In addition to support from the Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council, the Jackman Foundation, Bedolfe Foundation, The H & R Mida Charitable Foundation, KPMG, Barrick, RBC Dominion, HotHouse Café, Victoria Hotel, Marriott Hotels, Huziak Graphic Designs and media sponsors Deutsche Presse, MZ Media and Epoch Times.
The theatre is wheelchair accessible and close to public transit and municipal parking. Call the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts at 416-366-7723, 1–800-708-7654 or on line at www.stlc.com.
Illustration: Poster for the 1925 MGM film of The Merry Widow.
2012-11-26
Toronto: Toronto Operetta Theatre presents Lehár’s “The Merry Widow” December 29, 2012-January 6, 2013