THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, ANYTHING GOES and More Set for Shaw Festival in 2025

Artistic Director Tim Carroll has revealed the Shaw Festival playbill for next season. Beginning April 9, 2025, the Festival's upcoming season kicks off with a journey back to Narnia in a new adaptation of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The season continues with long-beloved favourites and farces; a thrilling murder mystery or two, a timeless toe-tapping musical, one of Shaw's most satisfyingly funny and unsettling plays; rejuvenated classics, fresh voices, a Canadian premiere and a feast of entertainment in the Spiegeltent.  
“We're really excited to have the chance to continue showcasing all the talents of The Shaw company and the different ways that we bring art to life,” said Artistic Director Tim Carroll. “We've made it a focus this season to engage and interact with our audience a bit more as well, because it's good for the spirit.
 
“With this new season, comes a change to our performance times. All matinees will now start at 1 p.m. and evening shows will now start at 7 p.m., rather than 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. This is in response to a lot of conversations and some quiet research.”

“For decades, our beloved faux-Edwardian Royal George Theatre has needed a rebuild, due to its failing foundation, and that issue cannot be further mitigated. At the conclusion of our 2025 rendition of A Christmas Carol, the George will close its doors on this incarnation,” announced Tim Jennings, The Shaw's executive director. “Working with governments, we hope to be able to rebuild this jewel box theatre with a future of access and sustainability in mind. Our intention is not to change the feel of our Royal George Theatre, rather we hope only to amplify this treasured space with 21st century amenities and technology, allowing it to be accessible to every Shaw patron for many years to come and to improve the overall Shaw experience for patrons and artists alike.”
 
The Shaw Festival's 63rd season begins April 9 and runs until December 21.
 

FESTIVAL THEATRE
 

THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE

Co-Adapted for the stage by Selma Dimitrijevic and Tim Carroll
Based on the novel by C.S. Lewis

Directed by Selma Dimitrijevic

Previews: April 9

Closes: October 4

Step through the wardrobe and enter a magical world of breathtaking battles, mythical creatures and unforgettable characters in a new adaptation of C.S. Lewis's classic story about love, redemption, loyalty and what it takes to be a hero. Guided by the noble lion Aslan, the Pevensie children – Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy – embark on a quest to free Narnia from the White Witch's eternal winter and restore peace to the enchanted land. This production marks the culmination of the Narnia cycle at the Shaw Festival.
 

ANYTHING GOES

Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter
Original Book by P.G. Wodehouse & Guy Bolton and Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse New Book by Timothy Crouse & John Weidman

Directed and choreographed by Kimberley Rampersad
 
Previews: May 2

Closes: October 4

Lovers of tap dance take note. This fresh revival of Cole Porter's timeless tale of romance, intrigue and high-seas hijinks brims with spectacular dance numbers and non-stop laughter. Reno Sweeney, a spirited nightclub singer, navigates love triangles, mistaken identities and comical misunderstandings on a transatlantic voyage aboard the S.S. American. Featuring beloved songs like “It's De-Lovely,” “You're the Top,” and the showstopping title number “Anything Goes.”

ANYTHING GOES is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Tams-Witmark LLC. concordtheatricals.com
 

WAIT UNTIL DARK

By Frederick Knott
Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher
 
Directed by Sanjay Talwar

Previews: June 25

Closes: October 5

In a New York apartment, darkness and light face off in this suspense-filled thriller. Susan, a young woman who recently lost her sight, becomes the target of a ruthless gang of criminals. As darkness falls, she must use all her wits to survive this heart-stopping, high-stakes game of cat and mouse.

WAIT UNTIL DARK is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. concordtheatricals.com
 

ROYAL GEORGE THEATRE

TONS OF MONEY

By Will Evans and Valentine

Directed by Eda Holmes  

Previews: April 11

Closes: October 5
 
To escape the clutches of his creditors, failed inventor Aubrey Allington devises a scheme to fake his own death, then assume the identity of his long-lost cousin – all to inherit tons of money. This madcap, fast-moving farce will have you in stitches from start to finish.
 

MAJOR BARBARA

By Bernard Shaw
 
Directed by Peter Hinton-Davis

Previews: June 1
Closes: October 5
 
Bursting with Shaw's inimitable wit and incisive dialogue, idealism and reality clash in this three- act social satire. Salvation Army officer Barbara Undershaft could not be more different from her estranged, wealthy, arms manufacturer father. As their worlds collide, she finds all her beliefs on wealth, poverty and redemption tested to the breaking point. As provocative as it was in 1907, this play continues to resonate and raise questions about justice, morality and the truth of human nature.

MURDER-ON-THE-LAKE

A Spontaneous Theatre Creation
By Rebecca Northan and Bruce Horak
 
Directed by Rebecca Northan

Previews: July 26
Closes: October 4

A shocking murder has rocked the tranquil town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, and the dastardly crime can only be solved with the assistance of a great detective – randomly chosen from the audience. This fresh new spin on the whodunit will have the entire theatre deducing who had the means, motive and opportunity from the moment the curtain rises. A different show and endgame at every performance. Brought to you by the creators of the 2023 smash hit, The Game of Love and Chance.

Jackie Maxwell STUDIO THEATRE

GNIT

By Will Eno

Directed by Tim Carroll
 
Previews: June 19
Closes: October 4

A rollicking and very cautionary tale about how the opposite of love is laziness, from the author of the 2017 smash hit Middletown. Peter Gnit, a funny-enough but so-so specimen of humanity, embarks on a lifetime of bad decisions in search of his True Self, an ideal which is disintegrating even as he searches for it. An existential comedy, Gnit is a faithful, unfaithful and willfully American reading of Henrik Ibsen's Peer Gynt, a 19th-century Norwegian play which is famous for all the wrong reasons.

GNIT is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. concordtheatricals.com

BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY

By Pearl Cleage

Directed by Kimberley Rampersad

Previews: August 2

Closes: October 4
 
Angel, a struggling singer who has recently been fired from her gig at the Cotton Club, and her friends grapple with love, loss and ambition. Set in the 1930s, this exhilarating drama throws five richly drawn characters into a dynamic story that captures the glamour and true essence of Harlem during its transformative Jazz era. A Canadian premiere.
 
Mature Content
 
BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service imprint. dramatists.com

SPIEGELTENT

DEAR LIAR

By Jerome Kilty
Adapted from the correspondence between Bernard Shaw and Mrs. Patrick Campbell

Bernard Shaw was besotted with – and infuriated by – the great actress Stella Tanner, better known by her stage name, Mrs. Patrick Campbell. This witty and moving two-hander follows their long-lasting relationship through the letters they wrote to one another and some of the scenes that Shaw wrote for his Stella. Two renowned artists find, lose and find each other again through duelling wits, hidden longings and the shared pain of a lifetime in the theatre.
 
Previews: May 18
Closes: September 27

DEAR LIAR is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. concordtheatricals.com
 
Cabarets, concerts, singing and dancing and laughter and more in 2025!
Details to be announced at a later date.  

HOLIDAY SEASON

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

By Charles Dickens
Adapted and originally directed by Tim Carroll

Directed by Tim Carroll

Royal George Theatre

Previews: November 1
Closes: December 21
 
Ebenezer Scrooge returns! The Shaw's charming annual production of the beloved classic A Christmas Carol will once again warm the cockles of even the most frigid of hearts and remind audiences what the holidays are really all about.

Irving Berlin's WHITE CHRISTMAS

Based on the Paramount Pictures Film
Written For the Screen by Norman Krasna, Norman Panama and Melvin Frank
MUSIC AND LYRICS BY Irving Berlin
BOOK BY David Ives and Paul Blake
Original stage production directed by Walter Bobbie
Orchestrations by Larry Blank
Vocal and Dance Arrangements by Bruce Pomahac
 
Directed by Kate Hennig

Festival Theatre

Previews: November 7
Closes: December 21
 
Back by popular demand! Irving Berlin's heartwarming holiday musical returns to The Shaw's Festival Theatre. Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, former soldiers turned successful song-and-dance duo, follow sister act Betty and Judy Haynes to Pine Tree, Vermont. Together they put on a Christmas show to save the charming, but nearly bankrupt, Vermont Inn. Based on the uplifting, timeless film of the same name, this delightful adaptation features well-known songs like “Blue Skies,” “I Love a Piano,” “How Deep Is the Ocean” and the beloved title song, “White Christmas.”

Irving Berlin'S WHITE CHRISTMAS is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. concordtheatricals.com
 
More details about the Shaw Festival's upcoming 2025 season, casts and creative team will be announced in the coming weeks. For the latest updates, visit shawfest.com. Dates listed are subject to change.

Tickets to the 2025 season go on sale beginning November 2 for Friends of The Shaw and December 7 for the general public. Orders can be placed through the Box Office at 1-800-511- SHAW (7429) or online at shawfest.com. Patrons wishing to get front-of-the-line access to tickets can call 1-800-657-1106 x 2556 or visit shawfest.com to become Friends of The Shaw.

About the Shaw Festival

Inspired by the spirit of Bernard Shaw, the Shaw Festival creates unforgettable theatrical encounters. The Shaw Festival is a place where people who are curious about the world gather to share the unique experience of live theatre and to create a deeper human connection with the artists, the beauty and abundance of Niagara and with each other. For more information, please visit shawfest.com

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