Stage Door News
Stage Door News
THE CHOCOLATE SOLDIER, Viennese composer Oscar Straus’ most popular musical, continues Toronto Operetta Theatre’s current season at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts with performances on April 26, 28, 29, 30, 2017. “I’m pleased that our season is going so well,” said TOT’s General Director Guillermo Silva-Marin. “Three of our six performances of PIRATES OF PENZANCE were sold out and earlier, WALTZ RIVALS was sold out as well. We expect CHOCOLATE SOLDIER to be equally successful. Let’s keep operetta on the stage!!”
THE CHOCOLATE SOLDIER is based on Arms and the Man, one of George Bernard Shaw’s greatest plays and thereby hangs a tale. Shaw had little use for the musical comedy stage and made several conditions before allowing Oscar Straus to set his play to music. Straus could not use any of Shaw’s dialogue, the characters’ names all had to be changed and he, Shaw would not take any royalties. Straus agreed and his work was a huge success in Europe and an even greater success in New York and London. The work premiered at Vienna’s Theater an der Wien in 1908, in New York in 1909 and London in 1910. Straus’ gift for melody is rivaled only by Lehar and the other Strauss and the hit tune ‘My Hero’ is in every soprano’s repertoire. By turns brilliant, comic and soulful, Straus’ genius shines brightly throughout. Shaw lived to regret his decision not to claim any royalties for the work.
Jennifer Taverner returns this season as Nadina, an idealistic young lady who longs for the perfect hero. Jennifer was a winsome Kathie in THE STUDENT PRINCE and has since been engaged by the Canadian Opera Company. The chocolate soldier himself will be Michael Nyby, last heard by TOT audiences in THE COUSIN FROM NOWHERE. Operetta fans in Edmonton recently heard him as Danilo in THE MERRY WIDOW. Anna Caroline Macdonald takes the role of Mascha and the strutting soldier Alexius will be sung by Cian Horrobin. TOT favourite Gregory Finney will display his comedic flair as Colonel Popoff, Nadina’s father. Rounding out the cast are Austin Larusson and Eugenia Dermentzis. Conductor Peter Tiefenbach leads the orchestra for our Straus confection and General Director Guillermo Silva-Marin directs.
Toronto Operetta Theatre remains the only professional company in Canada devoted to the unique world of operetta and its many-faceted charms. For more than three decades, TOT has championed the works of Johann Strauss, Gilbert & Sullivan, Franz Lehár, Kurt Weill, Ralph Benatzky, Imre Kálmán, Victor Herbert, Leonard Bernstein and Sigmund Romberg. The company has revived Canadian works by Telgmann and Lavallée 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.
In addition to the support from the Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, the Jackman Foundation, The Bedolfe Foundation, the company counts among its partners KPMG, Chelsea Hotel and Classical 96.3 FM for this year.
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, 1–800-708-6754 or online at www.stlc.com.
Photo: Poster for the 1941 film version of The Chocolate Soldier. ©MGM.
2017-03-21
Toronto: Toronto Operetta Theatre presents Oscar Straus's "The Chocolate Soldier" April 26-30