Modern • Musical • Theatre

Chris Sams’ Triple Threat

December 27, 2013 by Mitchell Marcus
Local News
Once On This Island
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Today is the first say of rehearsals for Once On This Island! A love story for all ages, this Ahrens and Flaherty musical tells the story of Ti Moune, a dark skinned peasant woman who must navigate the forces of love and death when she falls in love with the lighter skinned, upper-class man Daniel. Chris Sams plays Daniel, the conflicted (anti)hero at the centre of the show’s love triangle. Will Daniel choose between his love for Ti Moune, or his duty to love Andrea? And, much more importantly, what did Chris choose as his favorite musicals of all time? More

Producing Notes - We Need a Little Christmas

December 25, 2013 by Mitchell Marcus
Local News
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I can’t explain what I love about Christmas music. I’m Jewish, so it’s certainly not due to any childhood nostalgia for carols around a tree. I think though that whatever part of my brain loves musical theatre is the same part that loves Christmas music. In fact, I think that the two types of music are very closely linked. More

Throwback Thursdays - Juan Chioran on A New Brain

December 19, 2013 by Mitchell Marcus
Flashback Fridays
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Jump back with us to 2009’s A New Brain, William Finn’s autobiographical end of the century musical about a songwriter with creative block who suddenly experiences an attack from an arteriovenous malformation, landing him in hospital and threatening his life. As he proceeds on the journey to wellness through surgery, we are transported through Gordon’t hallucinations, inviting us simultaneously into Finn’s head when he too was hospitalized for the same thing. Juan Chioran played Mr. Bungee, and got to wear the most exciting costume to ever appear in an Acting Up Stage production. More

Thomas Tony Tuesdays - Spring Awakening

December 17, 2013 by Thomas Swayne
Global News
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Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to see Spring Awakening in New York during its original Broadway run but when the show went on tour I made sure to get a ticket at its stop in Toronto. Being a student at the time, I purchased the cheapest ticket available which put me in the last row of the Canon (now Ed Mirvish) theatre. For a show that embraced intimacy with the audience, I felt very disconnected being so far back and was not looking forward to seeing the show at the distance I was. In a lucky turn of events, two people who bought stage seats (as seen in the video, the show’s design included bleacher setting on either side of the stage) did not show up in time and the ushers reached out to the sad folk in the last row to replace them. After literally running through the theatre onto the stage in about three minutes, the lights came down and the show began. More

The Playlist Behind Killer Business - The Musical

December 16, 2013 by Mitchell Marcus
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A couple of weeks ago, we asked the folks behind A Misfortune to create a playlist of some of the songs (both musical theatre and non) which inspired their show. After much feedback, we decided to ask the same of Rob Torr, the composer of Killer Business - The Musical, also having its premier at the Next Stage Theatre Festival in January. Set against the opening of a new musical which is unexpectedly ambushed by the appearance of a less-than-alive victim, Killer Business has everything we love: song, dance and a body count. If you’re a fan of an old-fashioned showtune dosed with a healthy side of whodunnit, we have a feeling that if this musical rocks, it will absolutely be your new favorite show. More

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