Richard Ouzounian News

Today, the still Broadway-bound production has released an official statement noting that “The PRINCE OF BROADWAY company and creative team has been informed that production on the show will continue without Dancap’s involvement. Further details will follow shortly.” (more...)

It was announced today in a story by The Star's Richard Ouzounian that Aubrey Dan was no longer involved as producer in the upcoming Prince of Broadway, and that there were not plans for future Toronto shows beyond the 2012 Season. Dancap Productions has been producing commercial theatre in Toronto since 2007, when it exploded onto the scene with a strong freshman season. Shortly thereafter the company produced the Canadian production of Jersey Boys, which ran for two years and played to over two million people. Since Jersey Boys closed Dan has faced an uphill battle, and has made the decision that 2012 will be the company's final season. (more...)

Soulpepper Theatre Company is one of the most successful theatre companies in Canada, and growing every day. What began as a group of twelve actors who wanted to tell classical theatre stories has grown into one of the largest theatre companies in Toronto and one of the most well respected in the country. They've enjoyed many sold-out productions in the last few years, and have been responsible for the growth and development of new Canadian works, including the smash hit Kim's Convenience, which has arguably been the most talked-about Canadian play of the last twelve months. (more...)

Talk Is Free Theatre (TIFT) and Show One Productions are thrilled to announce that Dora Award winner Jeff Madden will be joining the cast as Rafe in the upcoming Toronto production of Dani Girl, by Christopher Dimond and Michael Kooman. A touching, humorous and inspiring tale, this dark, original musical comedy follows a young girl’s battle with cancer. Dani Girl runs until March 4, 2012 at the Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace. (more...)

Dani Girl opened last night at Theatre Passe Muraille after a successful run at Barrie's Talk is Free Theatre last year. Directed by the Toronto Star's Richard Ouzounian, the show about a nine year old girl battling leukemia stars Gabi Epstein, Jeff Madden, Jonathan Logan and Amanda Leblanc. Heartfelt, funny, poignant and touching, Dani Girl is a show that will make you think as much as it will make you laugh. Best of all, it is an original and new musical, something the theatre community has been seeing less and less of. Overall, it is a celebration of life, love and the triumph of the human spirit. (more...)

Jeff Madden is best known to Toronto audiences for portraying the lead role of Frankie Valli in the original Canadian cast of Jersey Boys. Now, he's taking on a very different role in Kooman and Dimond's DANI GIRL, opening tonight. Jeff talks to BWW about the challenges associated with the new role, working with Richard Ouzounian and why young people should come see Dani Girl. (more...)

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Dani Girl is a new musical by New York writing duo Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond, and it opens this weekend in Toronto. The show tells the story of a nine year old girl battling terminal cancer, and explores how she uses music and her imagination to handle her disease. BWW sat down to speak with Gabi Epstein (who plays 'Dani') about what the show means to her, the challenges associated with the difficult subject matter, and having Richard Ouzounian as her director. (more...)

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Currently playing Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre is the national tour of THE ADDAMS FAMILY, which features an original story and it's every father's nightmare. Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family. A man her parents have never met. And if that weren't upsetting enough, she confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he's never done before - keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday's "normal" boyfriend and his parents. (more...)

Hugh Jackman, who is back on stage with his record-breaking, one-man show on Broadway, will be a guest on "The Martha Stewart Show" (10 AM on The Hallmark Channel) and "Conan" ( 11 PM on TBS) today, Tuesday, November 1. "Conan" is broadcasting this week from New York's Beacon Theatre. (more...)

Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadway broke The Broadhurst Theatre box office record last week with a gross of $1,210,974. Previous members of the Broadhurst's million dollar club are: 700 Sundays starring Billy Crystal (week ending 5/22/05): $1.061 million; Hamlet starring Jude Law week (week ending 12/6/09): $1.000 million; The Merchant of Venice starring Al Pacino (week ending 1/2/11): $1.175 million. (more...)

Private Lives, the highly anticipated pre-Broadway production of Noel Coward's play, just opened in Toronto on September 25th. Starring Kim Cattrall as Amanda (fresh off her run in the same role on the West End) and Canadian favourite Paul Gross as Elyot, this new production will have a limited run in Toronto before opening on Broadway November 17th at the Music Box Theatre. (more...)

On June 27th Toronto celebrated the 32nd Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards which honour excellence in Canada theatre. BWW was on hand for the complete event, including the VIP reception where nominees mingled with sponsors and patrons, the award show itself and of course, the happening after-party which shut down Front St for most of the night. We are thrilled to bring you exclusive coverage of the entire night. (more...)

Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions in association with Weinstein Live Entertainment - have announced today that there are some new additions to the Toronto cast of BILLY ELLIOT, now in its fifth month at the Canon Theatre. Over the coming weeks, five Canadian actors will join the cast, three in major roles. (more...)

The first winners of the Toronto Theatre Critics' Awards - decided by John Coulbourn (the Toronto Sun), Richard Ouzounian (the Toronto Star), Robert Cushman (the National Post), and Kelly Nestruck (the Globe and Mail) - were announced today. Among the winners were Tony Sheldon, now Tony-nominated for PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT, and SOUTH PACIFIC, which was produced by Lincoln Center Theatre. (more...)

HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING opened on Sunday, March 27, 2011, at Broadway's Al Hirschfeld Theatre. So did the critics fall in love with the 50th Anniversary production of HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING? Let's find out... (more...)

THE BOOK OF MORMON opened Thursday, March 24 at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre. THE BOOK OF MORMON features book, music and lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone. Parker and Stone are the four-time Emmy Award-winning creators of Comedy Central's landmark animated series, "South Park." Tony Award-winner Lopez is co-creator of the long-running hit musical comedy, Avenue Q. The world premiere musical is choreographed by three-time Tony Award-nominee Casey Nicholaw (Monty Python's Spamalot, The Drowsy Chaperone) and directed by Nicholaw and Parker. (more...)

BroadwayWorld.com was the first to report that multiple critics from major newspapers have indeed purchased tickets in recent days to SPIDER-MAN: Turn Off the Dark, and they have come out in force. All but a few papers have filed reviews timed to tonight's performance which was, until the most recent delay, scheduled to be the show's opening night. Here are all the reviews for SPIDER-MAN: Turn Off the Dark to date and we'll keep updating as new ones come in. (more...)

Well, the major critics haven't gone in (yet) but now the Toronto Star is the latest paper to break the gentleman's agreement of holding reviews until after the official opening, an agreement which generally assumes a typical amount of previews. Critic Richard Ouzounian writes that "The only truly amazing thing about Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, is how unequivocally awful it is..." (more...)