AIN'T TOO PROUD

October/November 2018
Princess of Wales Theatre

Ain’t Too Proud is the electrifying new musical about the life and times of The Temptations, the greatest R&B group of all time (Billboard Magazine 2017). They were five young guys on the streets of Detroit when they were discovered by Berry Gordy, who signed them to his legendary record label. After 24 attempts, they finally had a hit and the rest is history — how they met, how they rose, the groundbreaking heights they hit, and how personal and political conflicts threatened to tear the group apart as the United States fell into civil unrest.

Now that was a great way to start our 7th season at Mirvish. The play was a bit like The Jersey Boys and Beautiful in that it used an artist’s music in part to tell a story. In this case it was the Temptations. I didn’t realize all the great music they were responsible for over the years. It was also interesting to see the overlap with parts of Motown the Musical, which we saw in 2015.
I rate this play a nine, for the simple reason that I rarely give a production a perfect score. I think only Beautiful – The Carol King Story, Le Miz and Come from Away are worthy of a 10. Lisa though did give it a top score. As a result, we finish the first play of the season with a 9.5 ranking. This is the final play of the year Lisa and I are seeing together, as we have opted to share our tickets with Jordana for the final two shows of 2018.

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

November 2018/January 2019
Princess of Wales Theatre

Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl’s amazing tale, is now Toronto’s golden ticket! It’s the perfect recipe for a delectable treat: songs from the original film, including Pure Imagination, The Candy Man, and I’ve Got a Golden Ticket, alongside a toe-tapping and ear-tickling new score from the songwriters of Hairspray. Willy Wonka is opening his marvelous and mysterious chocolate factory...to a lucky few. That includes Charlie Bucket, whose bland life is about to burst with colour and confection beyond his wildest dreams. He and four other golden ticket winners will embark on a mesmerizing joyride through a world of pure imagination. Now’s your chance to experience the wonders of Wonka like never before – get ready for Oompa-Loompas, incredible inventions, the great glass elevator, and more, more, more at this everlasting showstopper!

Although the second play in the series, it was the third production this year. Actually, I did not even see it, choosing to sit this one out. I drove Lisa to the subway and Jordana came in from Oakville and the two of them went to see the play. Both loved it, giving it a 9/10.

SCHOOL OF ROCK

November 2018/January 2019
Ed Mirvish Theatre

School Of Rock is a New York Times Critics’ Pick and “an inspiring jolt of energy, joy and mad skillz!” (Entertainment Weekly). Based on the hit film, this hilarious new musical follows Dewey Finn, a wannabe rock star posing as a substitute teacher who turns a class of straight-A students into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, mind-blowing rock band. This high-octane smash features 14 new songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber, all the original songs from the movie and musical theater’s first-ever kids rock band playing their instruments live on stage.

Does three go before two? I guess today it does because Jordana and I went to see the third play of the season at the Ed Mirvish Theatre, jumping ahead of the season’s second production, which Lisa and Jordana are going to see in about two weeks. Today’s performance was pretty good, cute actually. The best parts were with the kids who were outstanding. The play is based on a movie starring Jack Black, who is just a bit over the top. That, in my mind made it hard for the actor who played his role in the play to measure up. Still he was not terrible. Overall, I rate this play 7/10 while Jordana gave it an 8/10, so we wound up with a final score of 7.5.

THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG

January/February 2019
Ed Mirvish Theatre

What would happen if Sherlock Holmes and Monty Python had an illegitimate Broadway baby? You’d get The Play That Goes Wrong, Broadway & London’s award-winning smash comedy! Called “a gut-busting hit” (The New York Times) and “the funniest play broadway has ever seen” (HuffPost), this classic murder mystery is chock-full of mishaps and madcap mania delivering “a riotous explosion of comedy” (Daily Beast).

Comedy is so hard to create and is so subjective. Maybe that's why most of the audience seemed to be laughing throughout the first production of 2019, while Lisa and I sat through it, occasionally chuckling. There were a few funny parts, but it went on much too long. The two hour production could have been cut to 90 minutes and the intermission eliminated quite easily (in my opinion). I get it that this was a farce, but it was farce taken to the extreme. The best character was Max, who reminded me of the air-traffic controller in Airplane.
I gave this show a 5 out of 10, while Lisa gave it a 3, for an average 4 out of 10. Definitely not a great way to start the new year.

THE LAST SHIP

February/March 2019
Princess of Wales Theatre

In a rare theatrical engagement, the multiple Grammy Award® winner and superstar Sting will star in The Last Ship, his heartfelt and empowering new musical in an exclusive production created for Toronto alone! Featuring original music and lyrics by Sting as well as a few of his best-loved songs — Island of Souls, All This Time and When We Dance — The Last Ship is set in the shipbuilding community in Tyne and Wear, UK, and tells the story of a young man who returns home after seventeen years at sea. The tensions between past and future flare in both his family and his town. He finds that the local shipyard, around which the community has always revolved, is closing and no one knows what will come next, only that a half-built ship towers over the terraces of working-class homes. With the engine fired and pistons in motion, picket lines are drawn as the foreman and his wife fight to hold their community together in the face of the gathering storm.
Let’s start by summing up The Last Ship in a short descriptor…WOW!
I can’t believe that this production was not in the original line-up for the 2018-19 season. Instead, it was a last minute addition when The Girl From the North Country could not be brought to Toronto. That play will now be part of the 2019-2020 season.
Anyway, back to this show. It was perfect. The storyline was very timely, dealing with government cutbacks and company-wide layoffs. The characters were fully developed and interesting and then there was the music. With Sting creating both the music and lyrics, what could be bad? In addition, he was also very good as one of the play’s characters.
Without hesitation, both Lisa and I gave The Last Ship a 10.

DEAR EVAN HANSEN

Begins March 2019
Royal Alexandra Theatre

A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he’s always wanted: a chance to finally fit in. Both deeply personal and profoundly contemporary, Dear Evan Hansen is a new musical, with award-winning music and lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul (La La Land and The Greatest Showman), about life and the way we live it. Dear Evan Hansen has struck a remarkable cord with audiences and critics everywhere. The New York Times calls it “a gorgeous new musical for anyone with a beating heart.” And NBC Nightly News calls this bold new musical “an anthem resonating on Broadway and beyond.”

Dear Evan Hansen,
I know you were very popular at the Tony Awards and the audience seemed to love you, but I would not recommend you to anyone who was feeling down. Seriously, I understand you had a mental illness, but you were not a nice person once you became “normal.” In fact, you are a jerk and not someone who my family or I would want to hang out with. It’s a bit sad that they can make a play out of depression, lying, cheating and swearing. I mean, what’s next on the agenda? Sad to say but both Lisa and I only gave you 7 out of 10. Jordana was more generous, with a 7.5, giving us an everage rounded score of 7.2. While Come from Away lifted the spirits, you had the opposite effect.
Signed,
Me

WAITRESS

July/August 2019
Ed Mirvish Theatre

Brought to life by a groundbreaking all-female creative team, this irresistible new hit features original music and lyrics by 6-time Grammy® nominee Sara Bareilles (Brave, Love Song), a book by acclaimed screenwriter Jessie Nelson (I Am Sam), choreography by Lorin Latarro (Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Waiting for Godot) and direction by Tony Award® winner Diane Paulus (Hair, Pippin, Finding Neverland). “It’s an empowering musical of the highest order!” raves the Chicago Tribune. Inspired by Adrienne Shelly’s beloved film, Waitress tells the story of Jenna – a waitress and expert pie maker, Jenna dreams of a way out of her small town and loveless marriage. A baking contest in a nearby county and the town’s new doctor may offer her a chance at a fresh start, while her fellow waitresses offer their own recipes for happiness. But Jenna must summon the strength and courage to rebuild her own life.

That, my friends, is the end of the 2018-2019 Mirvish season. Some of the plays we loved, some we liked and some, well would not have chosen if we had the choice. Still, it was a good season. Jordana went to see the play the same day - on the August Civic Weekend - and she gave it an 8/10, while Lisa gave it a 9/10. I guess I would give it and 8.5/10, which winds up as our find score for this production.

So, our final scoring for 2018-2019 season is 7.96/10.