Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Toronto – Franz Lehar’s most popular operetta THE MERRY WIDOW and Jacques Offenbach’s LA VIE PARISIENNE make highly anticipated returns to the Toronto Operetta Theatre stage in the 2012-2013 Season. Lehar’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.
LA VIE PARISIENNE – Offenbach’s lively look at the City of Light – took Paris by storm and was a “must-see” during the World Exhibition of 1867. TOT’s spring production is scheduled for April 30, May 2, 3, 4, 5, (mat) 2013.
The season opens on Sunday, October 28 (mat), 2012 with a special presentation of ITALIANISSIMO, a showcase for four of TOT’s most popular vocal stars and features music from operettas inspired by all things Italian.
Toronto Operetta Theatre remains the only company in Canada devoted to the unique world of operetta and its many-faceted charms. For almost three decades TOT has championed the works of Karl Zeller, Gilbert & Sullivan, Ralph Bentazky, Victor Herbert, Federico Torroba, Leonard Bernstein and Sigmund Romberg. The company has revived Canadian works by Telgmann and Lavalee and premiered EARNEST, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING by Canadians Victor Davies and Eugene Benson, all with a goal of giving variety and breadth to the entertainment scene in the Greater Toronto Area.
“This season we have streamlined our programming and will be presenting three events more widely spread throughout the year for a total of 14 performances, all at the St. Lawrence Centre,” said TOT’s General Manager Guillermo Silva-Marin. “I’m also happy that we will be producing timeless works by two of the greatest musical entertainers/creators ever Lehar and Offenbach, one famous/beloved/acclaimed for an immortal waltz, the other for the high-kicking Can Can.” Fresh, young faces will enliven TOT’s colorful productions and include Leslie Ann Bradley, 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 LA BOHEME at the Tranzac Club in the Annex. 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 producer and stage director.
Offenbach made and lost a great deal of money entertaining theatre-mad Parisians but in 1866-67 he was at the height of his fame with not one but two hits playing in Paris during the World Exhibition. LA VIE PARISIENNE pulled in sell-out crowds and both beguiled and made fun of the thousands of tourists surging through Paris. Headlining the cast as the courtesan (glamorous) Metella will be Lauren Segal, the vocal discovery of the COC’s TALES OF HOFFMANN last season. Christopher Mayell plays a rich Brazilian lady’s man and Elizabeth DeGrazia brings grace and sophistication to the role of the Baroness Gondremarck, a Swedish countess who would love to get in trouble, but only if she doesn’t get caught! Lawrence Beckwith conducts and again Silva-Marin directs and produces.
Special fundraising events during the 2012-2013 season include the Artists’ Reception following ITALIANISSIMO on October 28 in the Lobby of the Bluma Appel Theatre with wine, gourmet treats at the buffet and conversation with our TOT stars. The HotHouse will once again be the scene for TOT’s Annual New Year’s Eve Gala with dinner, dancing, champagne and dessert in true European fashion.
In addition to support from the Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council, the Jackman Foundation, Bedolfe Foundation, the Good Foundation and the Michael and Sonja Koerner Foundation, the company counts among its partners Desjardins Financial Security, KPMG, Barrick, RBC Dominion, HotHouse Café, Victoria Hotel, Rabba Fine Foods, the Coffee Mill, Habaneros, Marriott Hotels, Huziak Graphic Designs and media sponsors Deutsche Presse and MZ Media.
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.
2012-08-27
Toronto: “The Merry Widow” and “La Vie parisienne” highlight the Toronto Operetta Season