Dan Brambilla, CEO of the Sony Centre For The Performing Arts, proudly announced details of the 2010-2011 season today. Following two years of renovations and restorations the Sony Centre For The Performing Arts will re-open its doors on Friday, October 1, 2010, exactly fifty years to the date of the first opening night performance, October 1, 1960.
"As we embark on our 50th Anniversary Season, the Sony Centre For The Performing Arts is poised to play a central role in the cultural experience of Torontonians. Our 2010-2011 season reflects the face of Toronto in the 21st century which is wonderfully different from when the theatre first opened in 1960. Today's Toronto is the only city of its kind in the world - home to hundreds of different cultures and spoken languages. Our unique brand therefore is to be Toronto's theatre for the people - all people -
The spectacular season continues with The Merchants of Bollywood, a theatrical song and dance extravaganza featuring a cast of 40 performers from the Film City of Mumbai, 3,800 lavish costumes and 2,000 pieces of jewellery worth in excess of one million dollars. Running November 4 to 14, The Merchants of Bollywood showcases all the glitz, glamour, song, dance and romance that defines "Bollywood".
The Sony Centre continues its holiday tradition with Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical, offering a magical event for the entire family to enjoy from December 17 to January 2. The classic holiday tale comes to life on stage, featuring the hit songs "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" and "Welcome Christmas" from the original animated television production. The Grinch discovers there's more to Christmas then he bargained for in this heartwarming holiday musical. Magnificent sets and costumes inspired by Dr. Seuss' original illustrations transport audiences to the whimsical world of Whoville. This critically-acclaimed production was originally created by 3-time Tony Award®winning director Jack O'Brien and has played in Los Angeles and Chicago. Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical has broken box office attendance records for two consecutive years on Broadway during its limited holiday engagements at the ST. James (2007) and Hilton (2006) theaters in New York City.
In their first Toronto appearance since 1989, the iconic Mariinksy (formerly the Kirov) Ballet returns to the Sony Centre on March 1 to 6 to perform their signature ballet, Swan Lake: the most popular ballet ever created. Celebrated for their impeccable style and flawless technique, the Mariinsky (Kirov) Ballet under artistic director Valery Gergiev shines in a unique production of this beautiful and beloved story. Swan Lake, set to Tchaikovsky's classic score played by a live orchestra, is brought vividly to life by the exceptional artistry of a company renowned - since 1783 - for classical purity and grace. Breakin' Convention, the critically acclaimed International Festival of Hip Hop Dance Theatre, has become a major happening in the hip hop dance calendar since it first began in 2004 at London's most prestigious dance house, Sadler's Wells Theatre. The festival presents crews from every street corner of the globe, and has included highly influential artists like the Electric Boogaloos, Korean B-Boy champions Project Soul and Canada's own Rubberbandance Group. The artistic director and host of Breakin' Convention is pioneering hip hop theatre artist Jonzi D. The Sony Centre will host Canada's first Breakin' Convention on May 7, 2011.Musical Performances
The 2010-2011 season boasts a full spectrum of musical offerings beginning on October 21 with the incomparable Liza Minnelli in concert with her quartet, accompanied by Billy Stritch and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.
Family Fun
Franklin the Turtle returns to the stage on October 23 with a brand new live musical theatre production, Franklin and the Adventures of the Noble Knights. This action-packed live show features original songs, spectacular costumes, and thrilling effects including a fire-breathing dragon, two riddle-loving gargoyles, and a wild-winged beast.
On December 4, Caillou - friend to millions of preschoolers worldwide - takes a fun romp through a winter wonderland in Caillou's Greatest Skate of All. Inspired by some of Canada's most iconic pastimes including hockey and ice skating, this charming live theatre production is filled with original sing-a-long songs, thrilling rollerblade displays and lots of audience participation.
The Sony Centre presents two groundbreaking animated productions that introduce children of all ages to the world's great classical music performed live by the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.
BarbieTM at the Symphony, which will be presented November 26 and 27, combines the best BarbieTM "Princess" movies with the world's most loved classical music scores. This series of CGI animated films features BarbieTM singing and dancing to ballet sequences choreographed by Peter Martins of the renowned New York City Ballet. Released in over 30 languages, these popular films have introduced millions of children to ballets such as The Nutcracker and Swan Lake and the timeless music to which they are set. Warner Bros. presents Bugs Bunny at the Symphony conducted by George Daugherty is a spectacular fusion of classic Warner Bros. cartoons projected on the big screen, accompanied by their exhilarating original Carl Stalling scores played LIVE by the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony on April 9. Celebrating 20 years of Bugs Bunny on the concert stage, this brand new anniversary concert of Looney Tunes and live orchestra includes the show-stopping cartoons "What's Opera, Doc?" and "The Rabbit of Seville" - two Looney Tunes classics that top virtually every published list of "The World's Funniest Cartoons" anywhere - and "Shake Your Powderpuff", the first-ever Looney Tune which parodied the symphony orchestra world and laid the ground work for decades of classical music spoofs to come. The concert also features classics like Tweety and Sylvester's "Tweet and Lovely" and Pepe Le Pew in "A Scent of The Matterhorn", plus special guests Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Tom and Jerry, Porky Pig, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, and Scooby-Doo. 2010-2011 season schedule at a glanceiD: October 1 at 6:30 pm, October 2, 7, 8, 9, 2010 at 8 pm and October 3, 2010 at 2 pmThe Canadian Tenors & Friends: A Christmas To Remember: December 2, 2010 at 8 pm
Caillou's Greatest Skate of All: December 4, 2010 at 1 pm
Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical: December 17, 2010 to January 2, 2011
Mariinsky (Kirov) Ballet Swan Lake: March 1 to 5, 2011 at 8 pm and March 5, 6, 2011 at 2 pm
Kodo Drummers of Japan: March 11, 2011 at 8 pm
"1964"...The Tribute: March 24, 2011 at 8 pm
Warner Bros. presents Bugs Bunny at the Symphony: April 9, 2011 at 2 pm and 7 pm
Breakin' Convention: May 7, 2011 at 8 pm
Videos