Photo Coverage: The 2013 Dora Awards - Ceremony and After PartyJune 26, 2013The 2013 Dora Awards took place in Toronto on Monday June 25th at The St Lawrence Centre for the Arts. To accommodate demand, the Bluma theatre was also opened up for guests and the awards were live-streamed via 'Doratron'. As in previous years, there was a glamorous VIP ceremony pre-show followed by a post show street party that closed down Front Street. A record number of Doras were given out, with Young People's Theatre's CINDERELLA the runaway hit of the evening with seven awards. BWW is thrilled readers photos from the evening.
Photo Coverage: The 2013 Dora Awards Red Carpet and VIP ReceptionJune 26, 2013The 2013 Dora Awards took place in Toronto on Monday June 25th at The St Lawrence Centre for the Arts. To accommodate demand, the Bluma theatre was also opened up for guests and the awards were live-streamed via 'Doratron'. As in previous years, there was a glamorous VIP ceremony pre-show followed by a post show street party that closed down Front Street. A record number of Doras were given out, with Young People's Theatre's CINDERELLA the runaway hit of the evening with seven awards. BWW is thrilled readers photos from the evening.
Photo Coverage: Michael Hughes and Callandra Dendias in DEFYING GRAVITYJune 21, 2013This past Tuesday 2013 Bistro Award winner Michael Hughes was reunited on stage with one of his best friend's (Mamma Mia's Callandra Dendias) for a very special cabaret which paid tribute to the music of Academy Award Winner Stephen Schwartz (with some Disney thrown in for good measure). Joining this dynamite duo were special guests Kritty Uranowski, John Connolly, Lindsey Frazier, Joel Cumber and Mark Selby on the piano. BWW has photos from the special night.
Photo Coverage: Joni Mitchell at LUMINATOJune 19, 2013Joni Mitchell played a rare concert this past Wednesday night in Toronto as part of the Luminato Festival. The 70 year old singer/songwriter was being honoured in an evening filled with musical luminaries performing her classic songs. Originally scheduled to only do a reading after the pre-arranged performances, Joni delighted the audience by performing three songs in addition to telling some incredible stories.
BWW Interviews: Tony LePage on New Air Supply Musical LOST IN LOVEJune 16, 2013Musical Theatre and 80s rock are about to collide once again as a new project gets off the ground this Tuesday in New York City. Lost in Love is a modern day retelling of Shakespeare's classic Midsummer's Night's Dream set to the music of Air Supply and starring Constantine Maroulis and Kate Rockwell. Featuring sixteen Air Supply songs and new Music and Lyrics by Graham Russell, the show is an attempt to merge two mediums and introduce a new audience to the joy of live musical theatre. BWW spoke with Tony LePage (who is co-writing the book with Justin Matthew Sargent) on the project and how he balances it with starring in Rock of Ages.
Photo Coverage: Everything is Beautiful at the MAD HOT BALLETJune 15, 2013The National Ballet of Canada's annual gala fundraiser took place this past Wednesday, raising $1 million for the company. Hosted by the CBC's Jian Ghomeshi, the Carmen inspired evening entitled MAD HOT BALLET brought together some of Toronto's best dressed arts lovers and proved to be a magical evening. BWW was on hand to bring readers photos from the incredible night.
BWW Interviews: Steffi Didomenicantonio Tackles Natalie in NEXT TO NORMALJune 12, 2013Clearwater Theatre's production of Next to Normal received rave reviews last year and is back again at Tarragon Theatre for a limited run this week. The Tony and Pulitizer Prize winning show tells the story of a family struggling to cope with issues surrounding mental illness, and packs a hefty emotional wallop. With some fantastic tunes and a heartfelt story, this is an eye opening musical likely to make you laugh and cry. Joining the cast this time around are Steffi DiDomenicantonio, Marty Burt and David Coomber. Today BWW is speaking with Steffi D about her experience playing Natalie, meeting Alice Ripley and more.
BWW Interviews: David Coomber Chats Clearwater Theatre's NEXT TO NORMALJune 12, 2013Clearwater Theatre's production of Next to Normal received rave reviews last year and is back again at Tarragon Theatre for a limited run this week. The Tony and Pulitizer Prize winning show tells the story of a family struggling to cope with issues surrounding mental illness, and packs a hefty emotional wallop. With some fantastic tunes and a heartfelt story, this is an eye opening musical likely to make you laugh and cry. Joining the cast this time around are Steffi DiDomenicantonio, Marty Burt and David Coomber. BWW sat down and spoke with David about the challenges associated with joining a 'remount' production, and about how he handles the sensitive nature of the material.
BWW Reviews: The Script Tease ProjectJune 10, 2013The National Theatre of the World is kicking off their first year as Soulpepper Artists in Residence with THE SCRIPT TEASE PROJECT, a week long engagement where they improv plays based on the first two pages of scripts written by famous playwrights. Made up of Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus, The National Theatre of the World delights with their unique blend of improv, comedy and theatre coupled with current events and first rate audience engagement.
Summer Stages: Toronto's Summer Theatre OfferingsJune 14, 2013Summer in Toronto offers an exciting range of theatrical productions, festivals and events to keep people from all avenues of life entertained. Outside of the city we have the world renowned Stratford and Shaw Festivals, and within Toronto we are blessed with a wide range of summer festivals showcasing theatre, music, art and food. This is in addition to all the wonderful productions we are accustomed to year round.
BWW Reviews: TOMMY's Talented Cast Rocks the Stratford FestivalJune 2, 2013The Stratford Festival's production of TOMMY was arguably one of the most highly anticipated shows of this season. It marks Des McAnuff's return to the festival and to the 'rock musical' genre, and also marks the twentieth anniversary of the original production. With a cast of some of Canada's best and brightest, the show promised to blow the roof off the Avon Theatre and wow the audience with new sights and sounds.
BWW Reviews: Stratford's ROMEO AND JULIET Goes Back to BasicsMay 28, 2013The Stratford Festival kicked off it's 61st season with a 'original principles' version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, starring Daniel Briere and Sara Topham and directed by Tim Carroll. BWW was on hand to review the first show of the season.
2013 Toronto Theatre Critics' Awards Announced - TERMINUS and More!May 23, 2013TERMINUS wins big at this year's Toronto Theatre Critics' Awards, which were announced today (awards to be given out at a later date). The awards are determined by Toronto critics who represent five of the city's newspapers: The Globe and Mail (J. Kelly Nestruck); The Grid (Martin Morrow); NOW (Glenn Sumi); The National Post (Robert Cushman); and the Toronto Star (Richard Ouzounian).
BWW Interviews: Randy Graff to Present Master Class in TorontoMay 20, 2013Randy Graff, who originated the role of Fantine in Les Miserables on Broadway, is coming to Toronto to conduct an exciting master class this December. Known for her story-telling through song, Randy will focus on teaching that unique ability to her students. She sat down with BWW to talk about her career, the benefits of the master class and her Les Miserables experience.
BWW Reviews: THE BOOK OF MORMONMay 5, 2013The Book of Mormon opened in Toronto last Thursday, kicking off a sold-out six week run at The Princess of Wales Theatre. Arguably the most hyped show of the year, Toronto audiences have been clamouring to get tickets to this Tony Award Winning production. BWW was on hand opening night to see if the show does in fact live up to the hype, and we are happy to report that the Mormons are indeed a crowd pleasing bunch.
Photo Coverage: William Finn Q&A at Acting Up Stage's FALSETTOSApril 28, 2013Acting Up Stage opened their newest production this past Thursday, a new version of Falsettos that is being produced with The Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company. The show was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1992, and took home the prize for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score. On Friday night, writer William Finn joined Toronto Star theatre critic Richard Ouzounian for a special post-performance Q&A, where the two discussed the evolution of Falsettos as well as Finn's life and other works. BWW is thrilled to bring its readers photos from the event.
BWW Interviews: The Women of FalsettosApril 25, 2013Falsettos is a Tony Award winning musical which explores complicated issues surrounding family and love amidst the backdrop of the emergence of the HIV/AIDS crisis in New York City. It is the latest offering in Acting Up Stage's exciting season, and opens tonight at Daniel's Spectrum (formerly the Regent Park Arts Centre).
BWW sat down and spoke with the three ladies of the production, Sara-Jeanne Hosie, Glynis Ranney and Sarah Gibbons about what the experience has been like so far, and about how relevant they feel the material is today:
STAGE TUBE: HIT THAT JIVE JACKApril 15, 2013Toronto's own Kelly Holiff is doing a very special fundraiser at the end of April called 'Hit That Jive Jack', which benefits The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. Kelly is a Toronto based performance who has had leading roles in RENT, Hairspray, Beauty and the Beast and more. She is headlining this concert which will feature vocal classics in a wide variety of styles and highlight some very special guests which showcase the best of the best of Canadian musical theatre talent. This very special event will take place on April 28th at the Capital Event Theatre, and BWW is thrilled to bring its readers this video of Kelly doing what she does best!