DANCAP announces 2012 line-up!!!

Aubrey Dan, President of Dancap Productions Inc., announced today the Dancap Productions 2012 Tony Award®-Winning Subscription Series, inspired by the transformative power of the theatre. It looks pretty good and we are so excited for IN THE HEIGHTS to come!!!

The new series features six subscription bonus offerings.

"There is a very special connection between the audience and the performers of live theatre" explains Aubrey Dan, "it can be profoundly affecting, even life affirming."

Dancap Productions continues its commitment to bring transformative Broadway experiences to audiences in Toronto, and across the country. Dancap will be extending its theatrical reach in 2012 with a Montreal presentation of SHREK THE MUSICAL, and a Western Canadian tour of JERSEY BOYS.

"Theatre is a place where people come together to share a once-in-a-lifetime experience," continues Dan. "It is called "live theatre" because every night, it's a different work of art on stage. Come excited to our 2012 subscription series, I know you will leave transformed!"

The 2012 Tony Award®-Winning Dancap Productions' Subscription Series includes:

AMERICAN IDIOT
December 28, 2011 - January 15, 2012
Toronto Centre for the Arts
5040 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M2N 6R8

IN THE HEIGHTS
February 7 - 19, 2012
Toronto Centre for the Arts

SHREK THE MUSICAL
March 20 - April 1, 2012
Toronto Centre for the Arts

WEST SIDE STORY
May 8 - June 3, 2012
Toronto Centre for the Arts

Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
July 3 - 22, 2012
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
145 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M5H 4G1

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET
July 20-29, 2012
Toronto Centre for the Arts

Bonus Shows
PRINCE OF BROADWAY
Summer 2012

A CHRISTMAS STORY, THE MUSICAL!
December 2012
Sony Centre For The Performing Arts
1 Front Street East, Toronto, ON M5E 1B2

Full Subscriptions, Flexi-Subscriptions and PASSport to BroadwayTM can be purchased by clicking the header!

Ask about the Dancap Easy Payment Option!

Preview: 9 to 5

Opening tonight at the Yonge Centre for the Performing Arts is 9 to 5 the new musical comedy based on the film, of the same name. The show, which ran on Broadway last year, has some great music and is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Set in the Rolodex era, the stage production features the film's title song Nine to Five, along with a ton of other original music by the legendary Ms. Dolly Parton. I first fell in love with the show when I heard Stephanie Block perform "Get Out and Stay Out" on YouTube. (The Tony version of the song is below. It is a real diva jam.)

Patricia Resnick, who co-wrote the original screenplay also wrote the stage adaption. It is great to see so many of the original creative team on-board to adapt the film to the stage. Despite 9 to 5's shortish run on broadway, (less than six months) it was a crowd favourite and garnered four Tony nominations in 2009. The show also received fifteen Drama Desk nominations, the most ever for a single production. Justin is taking his mum to see the show tonight, and I am going to see it with a girlfriend tomorrow. Can't wait! Click the header for ticket information.

Web-esodes from [title of show]

In keeping with the original production, the cast of the Toronto premiere production of, [title of show] have crafted some web-esodes for YouTube. Check em out! And be sure to see [title of show] on now at the Yonge Centre for the Performing Arts

Review [title of show]

Right from the first notes, A, D, D, D, D, F#, A, of [title of show], it's clear you are going to be laughing. What is perhaps less clear from the "Untitled Opening Number" is just how moved you will be as well. Seeing Angelwalk Theatre's production of [title of show], on now at the Yonge Centre for the Performing Arts Studio Theatre, is an affirmation that Toronto is a world class theatre city. World class, not only because the production is good and the audience gets it, truly. This show is an affirmation that there are smart producers here who are following interesting contemporary musical theatre, and developing good productions for Toronto audiences.

Written by Hunter Bell, with music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen, who also starred in the original production as themselves, and joined by Heidi Blickenstaff and Susan Blackwell, [title of show] is small in scale, but very demanding. The cast of four, plus "Larry" who plays the keyboard and offers an occasional quip, have nowhere to hide. As Jeff and Hunter, Mark Allan and Justin Bott respectively, have incredible chemistry. An essential for the heroes of the [title of the show] story. Not only do they sound good singing together but you can genuinely believe in their friendship. With just, "four chairs and keyboard," campy music and silly fun, Jeff and Hunter could easily become caricatures in less capable hands. Instead you find yourself rooting for them and believing them, even when their inner divas seem poised to ruin it all.

Joining Bott and Allan as Heidi and Susan are Jayme Armstrong and Shelley Simester. Simester's Susan is spot on, funny and heartfelt. She has great comedic timing, and while she is true to the character she has clearly developed the role herself. Of all the characters in [title of show] Susan is perhaps the easiest to get wrong, or over do. No chance of that in this production.
The role of Heidi, allows Ms. Armstrong to show off her fantastic voice. She sings the stuffing out of, A Way Back to Then, the show stopping ballad. Although some of her acting choices were not as nuanced as others in the cast, she still brings a spark to the role. The Secondary Character, as the ladies jokingly refer to themselves definitely hold their own throughout. Overall the foursome have great energy onstage and you can tell they are having fun.

With only two weeks of rehearsal it is not a surprise that some moments in the show lacked polish, but frankly that is what makes [title of show] endearing rather than nauseating. There were a few botched lines and signs of vocal fatigue, but they did not detract from the experience. Director/Choreographer Tim French, has done an excellent job with his interpretation of the script. The choreography in particular is charming with out being too much. This is a show by and about theatre geeks, so a few jazz hands and shimmies are essential, but French keeps it from going overboard. When we met Mr. French he told us that his goal was to avoid simply re-staging the Broadway production, while maintain the shows original intention. We'd say he has succeeded.

[title of show] might seem a difficult choice for Angelwalk's second season debut, because the show is so decidedly about New York, and the fairly insular theatre community there. Inside jokes about obscure musicals and longtime Broadway personalities abound, but through it all [title of show] remains a show about making a show. It is the creative process, how you deal with success and failure and ultimately about commitment to work hard for your art. It is a fantastically witty show, and this production has really showcased [title of show]'s big heart. We look forward to seeing what Angelwalk Theatre comes up with next.

[title of show] runs at the Studio Theatre until October 10th. Don't miss this one! Click the header for more info. And to read other reviews of [title of show] click here.

Preview: [Title of Show]

Yesterday, EAP had the pleasure to interview the cast and creative for Angelwalk Theatre's production of [Title of Show]. We had planned to reproduce an edited version of that interview here, but technical difficulties intervened and the audio recording of the interview was lost. Thankfully the cast was video recording, so some of it may make it into one of their webisodes, for the show. Instead, we decided to write an extended preview piece about [Title of Show] and this production.

As EAP readers will know, we have been strong supporters of [Title of Show]. Our own Justin Haley saw one of the final Broadway performances, and remembers it as one of his most moving theatre experience. A show about creating a show, written by Hunter Bell with music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen, [Title of Show] documents the process of writing and creating a musical. It is sharp, witty and really well written. But, it wasn't a likely Broadway bound work and didn't have a legacy run. It did however develop a cult following, both before and after Its time on the Great White Way. Therefore, it isn't a surprise that an up-and-coming, savvy production team has brought it to Toronto.

Starring Mark Allen as Jeff, Justin Bott as Hunter, Jayme Armstrong as Heidi, Shelley Simester as Susan and Musical Director Anthony Bastianon as Larry, this veteran cast really has their work cut out for them. Not only is the material dense and sophisticated but with a rehearsal time of only a few weeks there is a lot of pressure on these guys to deliver. When we sat down with them yesterday we wanted to find out how the process has been so far and what they are most excited about.

None of the cast members or director Tim French had seen [Title of Show] prior to getting involved with Angelwalk's production. Although some of them were familiar with the original cast recording. We asked them if that, or the fact that they were playing characters based on real people, was a challenge for them. And while they acknowledged that playing actual people was something they had considered, ultimately the characters had to be there own or the show wouldn't feel true. And as Jayme Armstrong pointed out the script is written in such a real way that it would be difficult not to play it naturally.

We had a good laugh with them about all of [Title of Show]'s obscure inside theatre jokes, asking them if they were familiar with all of the refrences. They told us that in many ways it would be impossible to know all of the refrences made in [Title of Show]. But that didn't worry them when it comes to the audiences' appreciation for the production. Mark pointed out the universal nature and relatability of the script, saying that even when the inside jokes don't land it is the heart of the piece that shines through. And Jayme added that ultimately the show is about the creative process, which is something theatre-goers will aprreciate. Theatre geeks will love it for all the refrences and inside jokes but the audience will love it because [Title of Show] exposes the world of theatre like never before. And it does so with great music, humor and pannache.

As for working together, the cast, directed by Tim French, seem to be gelling. Considering how small the theatre community is in Canada, it isn't a surprise that many of them have worked together before, and undoubtably have inside jokes of their own. But we were surprised by their responses when asked how working with such a small cast has affected the experience. For Shelley Simester it wasn't a big depature, "as a six foot tall woman," she doesn't usually get cast as the ingenue and has often worked with smaller casts. Music Director Anthony Bastianon, went even further saying that smaller productions are commonplace in the regional theatre world in Canada, for very practical reasons. Cost being first among them. But with a small cast comes certain challenges, Justin Bott pointed out that being one of four puts an enormous amount of pressure on each actor to really know the material and understand it well. And Jayme added that with a show of this size there just isn't the kind of down time in rehearsal for review. It is a heck of a lot of work for these guys just to get all of the script and music under their belts. Not to mention developing characters and chemistry with one another. But Mr. Bastianon is not worried about the music. He says these guys sound amazing together.

As for working at the Studio Theatre at the Yonge Centre for the Performing Arts, Director Tim French felt strongly that the space really suited this show. As he put it, "the audience is right there," and with a show as intimate as [Title of Show] that will only enhance the theatre-going expierence. And, he pointed out, the Studio space is much more in keeping with the original production done for the New York Musical Theatre Festival or NYMF, than say a 1,000 seat house on Broadway.

In closing, we asked Mr. French how he felt this production might be similar or different to the one originally produced in New York. He told us that he had purposeley avoided watching footage of any of the actual production that is online because he wanted Angelwalk's production to be entirely Its own. But, he said, "As a director my job is to understand the intentions of the writer(s) and be true to that," rather than to create a show that visually looks the same. "Ultimately," French said, "if we have done our jobs right, that is what will feel the same about this production and the original."

[Title of Show] runs from September 24, to October 13th at the Studio Theatre at the Yonge Centre for the Performing Arts. For tickets and more information regarding the Toronto Premiere of [Title of Show] please click the header!

LM & JH