September 2023 - February 2024
Royal Alexandra Theatre
Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived.
From Tudor Queens to Pop Icons, the SIX wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a Euphoric Celebration of 21st century girl power! This new original musical is the global sensation that everyone is losing their head over!
SIX won 23 awards in the 2021/2022 Broadway season, including the Tony Award for Best Original Score (Music and Lyrics) and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical.
The first production of Mirvish’s 2023-24 season is titled “Six.” However, both Lisa and I agreed that it merits a 10 rating. The theatrical musical is presented as a concert with the six members of the cast – each portraying a different wife of King Henry VIII – initially competing for having the toughest marriage to the late English monarch. The cast calls out to the audience to judge who had the most demanding life. By the end of the 80-minute show, they agree that what makes them unique is not their individual tales but the fact that they were all married to the same man. As I mentioned, the show is presented as a concert, and the audience fell in with the theme, loudly cheering after each “wife” presented her musical hard luck story. It was a great start to the season. I'm not surprised it is the only production slated for the Royal Alex this season. It has already been extended once, and I bet it will extended for a full season run.
ANOTHER VIEW: Jordana and Eliza went to see Six today (November 11). Jordana rated it a 7,while Eliza rated it a 9. The songs were very catchy and the choreography was very well done.
So, the final tally is 9/10 for the first play of the season!
September - December 2023
CAA Theatre
In Dreams is the touching and surprisingly funny new musical from the creators of the Broadway and West End smash-hit musical & Juliet.
In Dreams tells the story of a country-rock singer who invites her old bandmates to join her for “the party of a lifetime”, while keeping her true motivations a secret.
Through Roy Orbison’s greatest hits, including I Drove All Night, You Got It, Only The Lonely, Crying, Oh, Pretty Woman, and the title song, this unexpected and moving new musical explores our longing for love and connection.
This season is turning out to be a pretty good one so far, actually an excellent one. This was our second of 2023-24, and we have loved both. Lisa gave In Dreams a 10, while I gave it an 8. It’s not that I liked it less – I actually loved the story and music – but found the subject matter dealing with death a bit depressing. Jordana also gave it a 10. She decided she wanted to see the play, so she bought herself a ticket and met us downtown, where we first went for lunch and dinner at Fran’s after the show. The production utilized the music of Roy Orbison to tell the tale. I never realized how great his music is. A number of the tunes were created in collaboration with such artists as Thomas Petty (Tom), Robert Dylan (Bob) and George Harrison.
At times, people in the audience were clapping along with the songs, especially, Oh, Pretty Woman. If this season keeps up the current pace, it could be the best one in many years.
So, with the three Rosens having seen the play, the average review score comes to 9.3.
October - November 2023
Princess of Wales Theatre
Joy, love, heartache, strength, wisdom, catharsis, LIFE—everything we’ve been waiting to see in a Broadway show— is here in the exhilarating, fearless new musical based on Alanis Morissette’s world-changing music.
I can’t believe we have seen three plays already this season and the last one in 2023. Both Lisa and I gave it a 6/10. The story was interesting but depressing, dealing with rape, drug and alcohol abuse and family problems. I like to escape reality when I go to the theatre, not being reminded of real-life issues. At the show’s end, the last before the company disbands, the actor who plays Jo, Jade McLeod, made an impassioned plea for donations for the actors’ charity. I thought it was a bit tacky, but that’s just me. The actors playing Mary Jane and Frankie were outstanding and really carried the show.
December 2023 - January 2024
Princess of Wales Theatre
It’s big… it’s bright… it’s a brand spanking-new production of ‘the original showbiz musical,’ 42nd STREET!
Jonathan Church (Singin’ In The Rain, The Drifters Girl) directs the iconic song-anddance spectacular featuring a hit parade of toe-tapping songs including “42nd Street,” “We’re In The Money,” “Lullaby of Broadway,” “Shuffle Off To Buffalo” and “I Only Have Eyes For You.”
Choreographed and designed by Olivier Award winners Bill Deamer and Rob Jones, 42nd STREET is a timeless and inspiring showbiz fairy tale that combines breathtaking tap dance routines, backstage intrigue, classic romance and delightful comedy to dazzling effect. It’s simply irresistible!
Fresh off the bus from small-town America, young and beautiful Peggy Sawyer arrives in New York City dreaming of her name in lights. She quickly catches the eye of a big-time director and lands a spot in the chorus line of Broadway’s newest show… and when the leading lady gets injured, Peggy gets her shot at stardom.
We were supposed to attend the first play of the season without rescheduling, but unfortunately, I woke up feeling lousy in the middle of the night. As a result, I decided to sit this one out, and Lisa chose to stay with me. We gave our tickets to Jordana and her friend, Eliza. We didn't get to see the production, so we have no idea how it went. I can't believe this is the start of the second half of the season. In the end, Jordana did give me her opinion on the production.
From Jordana: I got a pleasant surprise this morning. My parents gave Eliza and me their tickets to see 42nd Street. This was my second time seeing the play, the first being 2012 in Stratford. I found this show very good. Eliza rated it a 10, and I rated it an 8.5. It was the show's final performance.
February - March 2024
Princess of Wales Theatre
Discover a whole new world at Disney’s Aladdin, the hit Broadway musical. From the producer of The Lion King comes the timeless story of Aladdin, a thrilling new production filled with unforgettable beauty, magic, comedy and breathtaking spectacle. It’s an extraordinary theatrical event where one lamp and three wishes make the possibilities infinite.
So far, 2024 is not turning out to be a great year - theatre-wise that is. I had decided long ago that I was not interested in attending this production, so we rescheduled it for Family Day, so Jordana could take my ticket. Finally, February 17 arrived and we were ready to go (I was driving Lisa and Jordana to the subway). Then the zipper in Lisa's boot broke. With no winter footwear, she decided she wasn't going to the play. So, Jordana called her friend Eliza and the two of them went downtown. Let's hoping that all is well for our next play, Les Miz, one of my favourite plays.
FROM JORDANA: Wow, Aladdin was amazing!!! It was funny. The special effects,costumes and the music was amazing. It was sold out. Definitely worth seeing again. Eliza rated it an 8,and I rated it a 10.
LES MISERABLES
March - June 2024
Princess of Wales Theatre
Cameron Mackintosh presents the acclaimed production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s Tony Award-winning musical phenomenon, Les Misérables.
Set against the backdrop of 19th century France, Les Misérables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption – a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. This epic and uplifting story has become one of the most celebrated musicals in theatrical history.
The magnificent score of Les Misérables includes the songs “I Dreamed a Dream,” “On My Own,” “Bring Him Home,” “One Day More,” “Master of the House” and many more. Seen by over 130 million people worldwide in 53 countries and 22 languages, Les Misérables is undisputedly one of the world’s most popular musicals.
TINA - THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL
June - July 2024
CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre
An uplifting comeback story like no other, TINA – The Tina Turner Musical is the inspiring journey of a woman who broke barriers and became the Queen of Rock n’ Roll. Set to the pulse-pounding soundtrack of her most beloved hits, this electrifying sensation will send you soaring to the rafters.
One of the world’s best-selling artists of all time, Tina Turner has won 12 Grammy Awards and her live shows have been seen by millions, with more concert tickets sold than any other solo performer in music history.