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The Canadian Premiere of the West End Hit Musical MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS Begins 3/15

By: Mar. 08, 2017
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David Mirvish, Michael Harrison, John Reid and Paul Elliott are delighted to present the Canadian premiere of the new British musical MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS, based on the smash-hit film. Performances begin Wednesday March 22 through April 23 at Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre.

Tracie Bennett reprises her star role as Mrs Henderson and is joined by Peter Polycarpou as Vivian Van Dam, Evelyn Hoskins as Maureen and Matt Slack as the Resident Comedian at the famous Windmill Theatre, and Simon Green (last seen in Toronto as the owner of 'Titanic' at the Princess of Wales Theatre).

This new musical was praised by the London critics during its London season at the Noel Coward Theatre. A cast of 23 bring this amazing story to life.

It's London, 1937, and recently widowed eccentric, Laura Henderson, is looking for a way of spending her time and money when her attention falls on a run down former cinema in Great Windmill Street. Hiring feisty impresario Vivian Van Damm to look after the newly renovated Windmill Theatre, the improbable duo present a bill of non-stop variety acts. But as war looms something more is required to boost morale and box office... When Mrs Henderson comes up with the idea of The Windmill Girls - glamorous young women posing as nude statues - audiences flock. And as the Blitz hits London, The Windmill provides a refuge for all, boasting the spirit-raising slogan "We Never Close".

Based on the film Mrs Henderson Presents - original screenplay by Martin Sherman, the musical has a book and is directed by the multi-award winning Terry Johnson. Lyrics are by the Oscar, Tony and Golden Globe winning Don Black with music by Oscar nominated George Fenton and Simon Chamberlain, who both collaborated on the original film. It is choreographed by Andrew Wright, has set design by Tim Shortall, costume design by Paul Wills, lighting design by Ben Ormerod and sound design by Gareth Owen. Wig, hair and make-up design is by Richard Mawbey, orchestrations are by Larry Blank with musical supervision by Mike Dixon.

Tracie Bennett is a double Olivier Award-winner for her performances in the musicals She Loves Me and Hairspray. She received huge acclaim all over the world for her portrayal of Judy Garland in End Of The Rainbow, and was Tony Award nominated for her lead role in the production, also directed by Terry Johnson. Her West End credits also include the musicals La Cage Aux Folles and LES MISERABLES. Her many television roles include playing Sharon Gaskell in Coronation Street and Sharon in Scott and Bailey.
Peter Polycarpou Film and TV credits include: Seasons 2 and 3 of Tyrant, FOX TV playing Colonel Mahmood; Louis Charalambous in The Lost Honour of Christopher Jeffries (ITV). Chris Theodopoulopoudos in Birds of A Feather (BBCTV/Select TV); Holby City; Yiannis in Sunburn (BBCTV); American Voices (BBCTV); Anything Is Possible (Channel 5 - he directed 5 episodes); Mile High (SKYTV); Capitol City; Rich Tea and Sympathy; Hammer House of Horrors; The Professionals (ITV); Noah in Noah; The Deluge and The Ark for BBCTV/ Discovery screening; The Bill; Planespotting (ITV); Eastenders; Waking The Dead; DCI Petrides in Empathy; Casualty; The Last Days of Lehmann Brothers; The Hustle; Threesome; Evita directed by Alan Parker; Ali Hakim in Oklahoma! directed by Trevor Nunn (BAFTA Winner for RSC) and LB Mayer in De-Lovely. Peter received two Bafta TV Awards for Cleanskin in 2012 and Blue Iguana directed by Hadi Hajaig in 2016. Theatre credits include: The Choir at Glasgow Citizens Theatre; Scenes From 68* Years at The Arcola Theatre and Auda Abu Tayi in Ross for CFT. He starred as Fagin in Oliver! at The Curve, Leicester; Buddy Fidler in Josie Rourke's production of City Of Angels at the Donmar Warehouse; Vernon Hines in The Pajama Game, CFT and Shaftesbury Theatre; The Magistrate at the Royal National Theatre; Sweeney Todd at the Adelphi Theatre; Phil Cavilleri in Love Story at the Duchess Theatre; Scrooge in Bryony Lavery's adaptation of A Christmas Carol with music by Jason Carr at Birmingham Rep. Peter created the role of Daniel Warshovsky in Imagine This at the New London Theatre; Grease; Godspell; Toad Of Toad Hall; The Front Page; Snoopy; You're A Good Man Charlie Brown; Much Ado About Nothing; Anthony And Cleopatra; The Taming OfThe Shrew; Comic Cuts; The Woods; Hiawatha; Emile De Beque in South Pacific; Wuthering Heights; Sexual Perversity in Chicago; They're Playing Our Song and The Happy End at Bridewell Theatre. For the RSC he's appeared in Titus Andronicus; The Jew of Malta; A Question of Geography and The New Inn. Peter was in the original cast of LES MISERABLES at the Palace Theatre, London in 1985; the original John in Miss Saigon at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane and Phantom in The Phantom of The Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre in 1991.

Evelyn Hoskins' theatre credits include: Peter And The Starcatcher, Carrie, Hero's Welcome, This Is My Family , The Boy Who Fell Into A Book, Peter Pan, The Secret Garden, The Light Princess, Microwave, Falklands and Spring Awakening. Television includes The Sound of Music Live, Casualty, Holby City, Doctors. Other work includes: The Hired Man, Christmas with the Stars, Peter Pan and Cool Rider.

Matt Slack started his career as a comedian/Pontins Holiday Camp "Bluecoat". He turned professional after winning a major UK talent show, Stairway to the Stars in 1995. Since then he has headlined in theatre variety shows, performed in the West End and made appearances in both TV and film. Matt made the move into musical theatre when h was asked to play the leading role of Roddy in Boogie Nights - 70's musical. This included a UK tour and then to the Artscape Theatre in Capetown South Africa. He then joined the cast of the multi award-winning musical Blood Brothers on the UK tour and made his London debut in this show at the Phoenix. In 2010, Matt was cast in the comedy musical Hot Flush, starring alongside Lesley Joseph. His roll as 'The Man' involved playing all seventeen male characters to great comedic effect and rave reviews. He was asked to return to the role in the spring of 2014 for another sell out UK tour. Matt made his TV debut as co-presenter and resident comic on Westcountry TV's Club 22:45, appeared as PC Gregg Preston in BBC's Eastenders, The Captain of the Red Guard for BBC drama seriesThe Musketeers, and in ITV's Law and Order UK. Other film and TV credits include: The Raven starring John Cusack, The Rise of the Krays, The Monster, Obsessions Dark Secrets series three, Discovery Channel, and Dr Xargle for CITV. He played himself in The Power Game, Westcountry TV, and also as himself in Gok Does Panto on Channel 4. Pantomime has played a major part in Matt's career. 2016/17 was his eighteenth panto for Qdos, the world's biggest pantomime producers and his fitfh consecutive year at the prestigious Birmingham Hippodrome. He is now recognised as one of the country's leading pantomime comics!

Simon Green returns to Toronto where he has previously played Bruce Ismay in Titanic at the Princess of Wales in 2015 and Tony in The Boyfriend at the Royal Alexandra in 1984. Most recently he played Bernadette in Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert on the UK national tour, Amsterdam, Tel Aviv and Auckland. Other London credits include three Sondheim original West End productions: Sunday In The Park With George, Passion Young Ben in Follies, also Sondheim At 80 - BBC Proms and The Phantom Of The Opera 25th Anniversary production both at Royal Albert Hall, Titanic, Knight Of The Burning Pestle, Lumiere in Disney's Beauty And The Beast, Whizzer in March Of The Falsettos, Elegies For Angels, Punks And Raging Queens, Coriolanus, Elmer Gantry, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Lady Be Good, Tony in The Boyfriend, Tin Man in The Wizard Of Oz and Frank Schultz in Showboat. Simon has played many leading roles in many major regional theatres, including M.Andre in the national tour of Cameron Mackintosh's new production of The Phantom Of The Opera and Henry Carr in Travesties. Recent screen credits include: Kingsman - The Secret Service, Mr Selfridge, 24 - Live Another Day. Together with his longtime musical director and arranger, David Shrubsole, Simon has performed cabaret in many of London's major cabaret venues and, in New York, at Feinstein's, The Metropolitan Room and Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall. Also at 59E59 Theaters with Coward At Christmas, Travelling Light (Drama Desk Award nomination - Outstanding Musical Revue), So, This Then Is Life and their 2016 sold-out show Life Is For Living. They have recorded two CDs, Take Me To The World and A Changing World - The Words And Music Of Noel Coward.

Terry Johnson's work has been performed worldwide. He is the recipient of a dozen major theatre awards including: the Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical 2010, the Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival and Critics' Circle Best Musical 2009 for La Cage Aux Folles. He won the Olivier Awards for Best Comedy of 1994 and of 1999, Playwright of the Year 1995, Critics' Circle Best New Play 1995, two Evening Standard Theatre Awards, and Writers' Guild Best Play in 1995 and 1996. In recent years, his West End productions have included End of the Rainbow, Whipping It Up, Dead Funny, Hysteria, The Graduate and Entertaining Mr Sloane as well as Rain Man, The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, La Cage Aux Folles, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Memory Of Water, Elton John's Glasses and Hitchcock Blonde. In Chicago, he directed John Malkovich in The Libertine, which was nominated for five Jeff Awards. For the National Theatre, he wrote and directed Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick and The London Cuckolds.

Don Black's stage musicals include Billy, Tell Me On A Sunday, Aspects Of Love, and Sunset Boulevard, for which he won two Tony Awards. His film lyrics include The Italian Job and Born Free and his popular hit songs include Michael Jackson's Ben and Lulu's To Sir With Love. He has written a quintet of James Bond theme songs: Thunderball, Diamonds Are Forever, The Man With The Golden Gun, Surrender from Tomorrow Never Dies and The World Is Not Enough. He has won a multitude of Awards including an Oscar, six Ivor Novello Awards and a Golden Globe. George Fenton's many film scores include the original film of Mrs Henderson Presents, Gandhi, Cry Freedom, Dangerous Liaisons and The Wind That Shakes The Barley, and his music for television includes the series The Jewel In The Crown, The Blue Planet and Planet Earth. Simon Chamberlain was the original Music Director on the film Mrs Henderson Presents.

MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS

March 15 - April 23

Royal Alexandra Theatre

$38 - $139

Performance Schedule:

Tuesday to Saturday 8PM

Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday 2PM

(Added matinee on Thursday March 16th)

Online www.mirvish.com

By Phone 416-872-1212 or 1-800-461-3333

Groups of 10 or more 416-593-4142 or 1-800-724-6420



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