Princess Of Wales Theatre

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princess of wales theatre

Hot Date: Sound the Charge to War Horse

OPENS FEBRUARY 10 After his horse is sold to the British Cavalry at the outbreak of World War I, young Albert begins a perilous mission to bring him home in War Horse. This acclaimed play, based on a novel by Michael Morpurgo—and recently turned into a film by Steven Spielberg—is a poignant tale of courage, loyalty and friendship, rounded out by rousing music. The visual showpieces are a set of full-size, incredibly life-like horse puppets, created by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, which gallop and charge on stage. Princess of Wales Theatre, Tuesday to Saturday 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday 1:30 p.m., $45 to $150; call 416-872-1212 or visit here to reserve seats.

Weekend Roundup, December 2 to 4

Friday: Diana Thorneycroft's Group of Seven Awkward Moments is among the images at Gallery TPW's Photorama

Friday, December 2
‘Tis the season to deck the halls with quality artwork. Photography enthusiasts need look no further than 25th anniversary of Gallery TPW’s Photorama show and sale, which has its public opening tonight. Then drop into Gallery 44 for its annual Wall-to-Wall sale, featuring framed and unframed works by Toronto artists.

Inject a bit of spirit into your holiday season with the Soulful Messiah, Quincy Jones’ award-winning R&B rendition of Handel’s classic. At Harbourfront Centre’s Fleck Dance Theatre, Ballet Creole celebrates its 10th year of performing this work with their signature blend of ballet, modern and African-Caribbean dance.

La Bohème’s timeless tale of artists grappling with love, death and paying the bills is well-suited to its new incarnation by theatre company Against the Grain. Puccini’s infamous opera is pulled into the present-day, translated into English and set entirely within the confines of bohemian hangout Tranzac.

There’s more to do after the jump!

Hot Date: Mary Poppins Pops In

The cheery chimney sweep kicks up some dust in Mary Poppins (photo by Joan Marcus)

NOVEMBER 10 TO JANUARY 8 The Broadway magic of Mary Poppins has already enchanted six and a half million people worldwide with its endearing story, unforgettable songs and breathtaking dance numbers. Now Toronto audiences have their chance to see the singing wonder-nanny on stage in this latest offering from Mirvish Productions, which includes tunes such as “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and “Chim Chim Cher-ee.” Rachel Wallace descends with her magic umbrella as the show’s title character, while Canadian Nicolas Dromard takes on the role of Bert, the Cockney jack-of-all-trades. Princess of Wales Theatre, Tuesday to Saturday 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday 2 p.m., $35 to $130; call 416-872-1212 or visit here for tickets.

Hot Date: Chess Strategy in Song

photo by Keith Pattinson

OPENS SEPTEMBER 24 The Queen’s Gambit and Perenyi Attack aren’t the only moves in Chess the Musical, which uses song and dance to tell of an American and a Russian competing for the world chess championship. Their contest is both a backdrop for a burgeoning love triangle and an allegorical symbol of political strain during the Cold War. Set to music by ABBA songwriters Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, with lyrics by Tim Rice, this exciting British production comes to Toronto straight from a sold-out tour of the United Kingdom. Princess of Wales Theatre, $35 to $130; call 416-872-1212 or visit here for showtimes and to purchase tickets.

Weekend Roundup, July 22 to 24

Friday: Les Ballets Persans perform at the Tigran Iranian Festival

Friday, July 22

Get a taste of exotic art, culture and entertainment at the Harbourfront Centre this weekend with the Tigran Iranian Festival. Explore the concept of “Visions of Eternity” through the work of participating artists and writers, and take in live music from the Paradis Orchestra, Rana Farhan, and the Iranian National Choir.

Toronto’s Caribbean Carnival is more than just a parade—celebrate the salacious sights, sounds and flavours of the Caribbean with an elegant night at the event’s Gala. Dress your best for a night of masquerade models, music and exotic food at the elegant Liberty Grand.

“Do It Again” while “Reelin’ In The Years” when Steely Dan hits the stage at the Molson Amphitheater. The American jazz band still has a commanding stage presence with a slew of hits to play, including “My Old School” and “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number”.

Saturday: The Blue Men Group strike up a charging show at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Saturday, July 23

They’re shocking, comedic, and blue—catch the Blue Man Group when they electrify the Princess of Wales Theatre tonight. The multi-media performance with the bald blue men is centered on a large LED curtain and high-resolution screen for a unique theatrical performance.

After starting their regular season on the road, the Toronto Argonauts finally return to the Rogers Centre for their first game of the season. Cheer on the Boatmen as they take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers looking for a win in front of a home crowd.

Cool down with the sound of the soothing melodies of the Forgotten Romantics at Walter Hall as the Toronto Summer Music Festival continues. The Vienna Piano Trio teams up with Canada’s leading chamber musicians to perform The Suite by Moszkowski, the masterful sextet by Louis Spohr, and the piano quintet by Karl Goldmark.

Sunday: Celebrate The Wiggles' 20th Birthday at Ricoh Colliseum (Photo courtesy of Ben Pharr)

Sunday, July 24

Wiggle on down to the Ricoh Colliseum to join in on The Wiggles’ Big Birthday Tour. The 20th birthday celebration will be packed with action including the four Wiggles, Captain Feathersword, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Henry the Octopus, and Wags the Dog.

Celebrate over 500 artists at Yonge-Dundas Square this Sunday for a day filled with high-spirited performances and art on display for Youth Day 2011. The square will be filled with inspiring music, dance, art, photography, food, and vendors to keep you entertained all day long.

The Big On Bloor Street festival continues on Sunday with stores along the Dufferin and Lansdowne stretch offering special in-store events, sales and menus. Have a taste of the diverse art, culture, and food that this neighbourhood has to offer.

Hugh Jackman Goes from Screen to Stage

Direct from Tinseltown—by way of Australia, London and Broadway—Hugh Jackman brings his all-singing, all-dancing, all-dramatizing act to T.O. from July 5 to 17.

Following a sold-out premiere engagement in San Francisco, Hugh Jackman returns to the city where he filmed his first Hollywood movie, and he’s brought with him song, dance, drama and tales of life in the spotlight—all part of his show, Hugh Jackman in Concert.

The Australian star is a man of many roles, from the aggressive Wolverine in the X-Men series to an ambitious scientist in The Fountain, so it’s only fitting that he would treat his fans to a unique show that reflects an extensive performance history and his varied talents. Jackman’s career has taken him from productions of Beauty and the Beast and Sunset Boulevard in his native land to a critically acclaimed staging of Oklahoma! in London. More recently, Broadway audiences were captivated by his performance as Peter Allen in The Boy from Oz, which earned him a Tony Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical. He’s even garnered praise as a host of both the Oscars
and Tony Awards.

During this 90-minute show, Toronto viewers can expect the same charm, exuberance and derring-do that Jackman has displayed time and again. His hit-filled repertoire, backed by an 18-piece orchestra, includes such musical-theatre classics as “O What a Beautiful Morning,” “As Time Goes By,” “Staying Alive,” and “Over the Rainbow,” plus an extended Billy Bigelow soliloquy from Carousel. The effusive actor also interacts one-on-one with audience members and offers poignant anecdotes about growing up in Australia, family life and a career spent trodding the boards and in front of the camera.

Princess of Wales Theatre (300 King St. W.), Tuesday to Saturday 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 2 p.m., $49 to $130; call 416-872-1212 or click here to purchase tickets.

The Lion King Has Returned

photo by Joan Marcus

APRIL 19 TO JUNE 12 Get ready—or should we say “Be Prepared”—to prowl the pride lands as the beloved Disney musical The Lion King roars into Toronto for a limited engagement.

Based on the 1994 animated film of the same name, this enthralling stage show follows an exiled cub named Simba, who must undertake a journey of self-discovery in order to avenge the death of his father. The coming-of-age tale is set to the songs of Tim Rice and Elton John—with additional music by Hans Zimmer, Lebo M and Mark Mancina—including the memorable “Hakuna Matata” and “The Circle of Life.” But what really marks The Lion King as one of modern musical theatre’s most breathtaking achievements are its dazzling sets, colourful costumes, complex choreography and novel use of puppets. Against such backdrops as an elephant graveyard and a wildebeest stampede, actors embody giraffes, gazelles, hyenas and many other animals to bring the Serengeti’s menagerie to vivid life.

photo by Joan Marcus

These elements conspire to ensure the groundbreaking stage show remains enormously popular with audiences around the world. Among its accolades are six 1998 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and status as one of the longest-running shows in Broadway history. More than a decade removed from its debut, the New York City production continues to draw sell-out crowds. (In Toronto, The Lion King’s original run began in 1999 and lasted almost four years.) Its success also earned director Julie Taymor a permanent place on theatre’s A-list. Innovative and inspiring, The Lion King is a not-to-be-missed theatrical event that’s bound to have the entire city singing the songs of the savannah.

Princess of Wales Theatre (300 King St. W.), Tuesday to Friday 7:30 p.m., Saturday
2 and 7:30 p.m., Sunday 1 and 6:30 p.m., $25 to $120; call 416-872-1212 or click here
to purchase tickets.

Hot Date: Mrs. Brown Leaves Audiences Laughing

Brendan O'Carroll as Mrs. Brown

MARCH 8 TO 19 Irish comedian Brendan O’Carroll’s elderly Agnes Brown, one of the funniest theatrical characters in recent memory, returns to Toronto just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. Good Mourning Mrs. Brown sees Grandad Brown fretting about what will happen after his death. Mrs. Brown and her mischievous sons join forces to plan an early funeral for the family patriarch, in which much hijinx and hilarity ensues. Princess of Wales Theatre, Tuesday to Saturday 8 p.m., Saturday 2 p.m., $25 to $75; call 416-872-1212 or click here for tickets.

You Are Here: Entertainment District

Day or night, the glow of marquee lights and cheering spectators ensures Toronto’s central hot spot is full of life. From the first pitch on the ball diamond to the final curtain call, this area’s top attractions, theatres and stadiums—not to mention restaurants, bars and clubs—are the city’s crowning glory.

View You Are Here: Entertainment District in a larger map

TREAD LIGHTLY Spread across 13 blocks, Canada’s Walk of Fame is a tribute in granite to the country’s finest. More than 120 Canadians have been honoured since 1998, including actors William Shatner and Mike Myers, directors David Cronenberg and Ivan Reitman, singers Joni Mitchell and Diana Krall, and comedian Eugene Levy.

Princess of Wales Theatre

FIT FOR ROYALTY Named in part for the late Princess Diana, the horseshoe-shaped Princess of Wales Theatre is an example of superior craftsmanship: Venetian terrazzo floors, mahogany from Africa adorning the arches and handrails, glass and tile mosaics, and more than 10,000 square feet of murals by American artist Frank Stella covering the ceiling, proscenium arch, lounges and lobbies. Over the years, Tony Award–winning productions such as The Lion King, The Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon have played here to rousing applause. Next month the curtain rises on Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical.

A CENTURY OF SHOWS The oldest continuously operating theatre in North America, the Royal Alexandra Theatre is as known for its beaux-arts style architecture as it is for the esteemed names who have taken to its stage: Édith Piaf, Orson Welles and Martin Short have all made audiences laugh, cry and burst into thunderous applause. The venue itself is impressively appointed with Italian marble, carved walnut and cherrywood, gilded plaster and crystal chandeliers. Presently, the 1980s hair-metal love story Rock of Ages is bringing down the house.

Roy Thomson Hall

APPEALING TO THE EARS The unique, curvilinear glass exterior of Roy Thomson Hall makes it an oft-photographed site. But the home of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra is more than just a pretty facade. Renovations in 2002 made it one of the city’s most acoustically stellar concert halls. The TSO kicks off its 89th season with Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony no. 2 on September 23. Soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian, mezzo-soprano Susan Platts and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir help bring the piece to life.

SYMBOL IN THE SKY The CN Tower may have lost the title of world’s tallest free-standing structure, but it remains the pinnacle of this city’s unique skyline. At a commanding 553.33 metres tall, this communication tower—built by the Canadian National Railway in 1972—offers aerial views from several vantage points. The SkyPod presides over an unparalleled view at 447 metres, while upscale restaurant 360 dishes up a revolving panorama at 351 metres.

SPORTS CENTRAL Adjacent to the CN Tower is another iconic element of Toronto’s downtown landscape. The multi-purpose Rogers Centre is home to Major League Baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays and the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts, and was the world’s first stadium with a retractable roof. In addition to cheering sports fans, music lovers also pack the field for raucous concerts by such bands as Bon Jovi and the Jonas Brothers. Take a one-hour guided tour to see a luxury suite, press box and the Blue Jays Hall of Fame.

Hot Date: Blonde Ambition

Photo by Joan Marcus

JULY 7 TO AUGUST 8 Go to the head of the class with Elle Woods in Legally Blonde The Musical. In this screen-to-stage adaptation of the movie that starred Hollywood sweetheart Reese Witherspoon as the sassy sorority girl, Elle does what no Delta Nu sister has done before—study. After getting dumped by her boyfriend, Elle, with her stylish sidekick chihuahua Bruiser in tow, heads to Harvard Law School. Amidst sequins, bows, summonses, and cheeky melodies like “Bend and Snap,” Elle learns the importance of being true to herself. Princess of Wales Theatre, Tuesday through Saturday 8 p.m., Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday 2 p.m., $28 to $124; call 416-872-1212 or click here for further details and tickets.