Broadway's Back at the Toronto Centre for the Arts
When the beautiful 1,800-seat theatre opened in October 1993 with Hal Prince's glittering revival of Show Boat, both the theatre and the production received rave reviews.
Garth Drabinsky's Livent Corporation had an agreement to manage the space, and the theatre was the site of the world premieres of Ragtime and Fosse, prior to their Tony Award-winning Broadway runs. Livent had a number of other properties in development including Parade, Seussical, and Sweet Smell of Success, when the company collapsed in 1999 amidst allegations of accounting irregularities.
The theatre complex, now known as the Toronto Centre for the Arts (TCA), was acquired by the city of Toronto after amalgamation, but aside from a few limited engagements and one-night concerts, the main stage space has been largely unused.
This did not escape the attention of Dan, whose Dancap productions needed a theatre to house their planned series of Broadway touring productions. It took many months of negotiations to come to terms with the city, and Dancap's first season has been housed mainly at the downtown Elgin and Winter Garden theatres
This week, Dancap and the TCA reached a mutually beneficial, long-term agreement for the 1,800-seat main stage. Although terms of the transaction were not disclosed, the TCA management did say that this agreement does not affect the 1,032-seat George Weston Recital Hall or the 200-seat Studio Theatre, which has been home to Encore Entertainment productions these past few years. Encore Entertainment presentation of Beau Jest is now under way.
"The main stage is luxurious and spacious with not one bad seat in the house," Dan says, "it has the perfect theatrical ambiance."
The company's first show to be presented in the venue will be the acclaimed new production of Lerner and Loewe's My Fair Lady from May 8 to 31.
"My Fair Lady is one of those timeless and classic musicals that everyone will want to see again and again," Dan says. "It has continued to remain relevant and entertaining over the decades."
Jersey Boys will follow, running from Aug. 21 to Oct. 5. Winner of the 2006 Tony Award for best musical, Jersey Boys tells the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.
For theatergoers who want to avoid the potential hassles of rushing through a meal to make an opening curtain, The Toronto Centre for the Arts will now be including Dancap Prix Fixe meals.
The spacious and bright 5,000 square foot piano lounge will be transformed to serve guests in a manner that one would experience at high end dining establishments offering meals that are affordable.
Tickets for My Fair Lady and Jersey Boys are available through Dancap's website www.dancaptickets.com or by calling Ticketmaster at 416-872-1111.
