Stage Door News
Stage Door News
David Mirvish is excited to announce the new production of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical TITANIC, begins performances May 19th at the Princess of Wales Theatre, starring Ben Heppner, the greatest opera tenor of his time.
TITANIC is written and composed by Maury Yeston, with a book by Peter Stone, and directed by Thom Southerland. TITANIC will play through June 21st as part of the Mirvish 2014-15 Subscription Season. (The media performance is Sunday May 24th, at 2:00 PM).
Ben Heppner will play the role of Isidor Straus, a prominent U.S. politician and businessman. Among his many accomplishments and business holdings, Isidor Straus was the co-owner of Macy's department store. With his wife Ida, he was among the wealthy and famous members of society who wanted to be the first to sail on the maiden voyage of the unsinkable RMS Titanic.
In this new reimagining of the musical, director Thom Southerland uses an ensemble cast, meaning that everyone in the cast plays two or three or more roles in the telling of the story. Besides playing Straus, Heppner will play three other roles.
In addition to Ben Heppner, the ensemble cast of TITANIC includes, Phillip Arran, Matt Beveridge, Greg Castiglioni, Scarlett Courtney, Matthew Crowe, Gary Davis, Jonathan David Dudley, Grace Eccle, Scott Garnham, Celia Graham, Simon Green, Chris Holland, James Hume, Alex Lodge, Claire Marlowe, Shane McDaid, Nadim Naaman, Beth Peach-Robinson, Philip Rham, Victoria Serra, Rachel Spurrell, Judith Street, Samuel J. Weir and Jack Wilcox.
About the Musical:
The haunting tragedy of the great ship is transformed by composer and lyricist Maury Yeston (Nine, Grand Hotel) and book writer Peter Stone (musicals Woman of the Year and 1776; film Charade) into a riveting musical in which the hopes and dreams of rich and poor, heroes and cowards, lovers and foes are woven together in a celebration of the human spirit.
In the final hour of April 14, 1912 the RMS Titanic, on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York, collided with an iceberg and “the unsinkable ship” slowly sank. It was one of the most tragic disasters of the 20th Century. Based on actual characters aboard the greatest ship in the world, this stunning musical focuses on their hopes and aspirations. Unaware of the fate that awaits them, the Third Class immigrants dream of a better life in America, the newly-enfranchised Second Class dream of achieving the lifestyles of the rich and famous, and the millionaires of the First Class dream of their gilded world lasting forever.
The original Broadway production won five Tony® awards, including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book. Now, British director Thom Southerland’s acclaimed reimagining will come direct from London for its North American premiere at the Princess of Wales Theatre.
About Ben Heppner:
Over his career, Ben Heppner has performed some of the most iconic roles in opera with the world's top orchestras and at the most acclaimed opera venues — including New York's Metropolitan Opera House, London's Covent Garden, the Vienna State Opera and Toronto's Canadian Opera Company — both in stage productions as well as in concerts or recitals. He has also released a host of recordings, winning Grammy and Juno awards.
In April 2014, Heppner announced he would no longer be singing opera. He said he would pursue some new interests, including broadcast work, which he had already begun with his CBC Radio programme 'Backstage with Ben Heppner'.
In explaining his decision to work in musical theatre and TITANIC in particular, Ben Heppner said, "Last spring I mentioned to David Mirvish that I'd love to do some acting in one of his shows. I never thought that he might take me seriously. I'm totally pumped to climb aboard the production of TITANIC. Just think, I get to sail onstage again without having to drink Isolde's poison or wear Viking horns! And I get to play a captain of industry - Isidor Straus to boot. How cool is that!"
TITANIC: The Musical
May 19 - June 21, 2015
Princess of Wales Theatre, 300 King Street West
TicketKing at 416-872-1212 or 1-800-461-3333
Group orders call 416-593-4142 or 1-800-724-6420.
Performance Schedule:
Tue, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat – 8:00 PM
Wed, Sat, Sun – 2:00 PM
2015-05-08
Toronto: "Titanic: The Musical" starring Ben Heppner begins performances May 19