The World is a Stage
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The last few months we have taken advantage of the wonderful world of theatre in Toronto.
Have you been paying attention to what has been on stage? We hadn’t been to theatre in the big city for a few years, but we are on a roll now. We started with Donnie and Marie’s Christmas, which as I wrote in a previous article, was fantastic. The actually programme however, was like a little treasure chest filled with all kinds of gems which needed to be seen and admired.
The first was Blythe Spirit, a wonderful old play by the master of rhetoric, Noel Coward, and the diamond perched atop of this marvelous production was Angela Lansbury. Much like a diamond is not necessary to say I love you, Angela was not necessary to make this production a hit, but both she and a diamond set things off beautifully.
We decided to take Mom, who is now 90 years old, to see the show. Mom, like thousands of other people, is slightly addicted to Murder She Wrote, and Angela over the years has become a friend who visits her almost every night of the week. We didn’t get to the production until the last few weeks of the show and yet we didn’t have to worry about getting bad seats because it was at the Princess of Wales Theatre.
Angela Lansbury, the same age as Mom, was a powerhouse on that stage and left the audience wondering what energy drink she takes before the curtain goes up. At the end of the show, a decrepit, elderly lady, who sat in front of us, turned, with eyes glistening with tears of excitement and awe, said to Mom, “Did you ever think we would ever get to see her live?” It truly was a magical production.
The programme for Blythe Spirit lured Peter and I back Toronto with a Sherwood green emerald, The Heart of Robin Hood. After checking out the Mirvish Production website to see if it might be something we would enjoy, we decided to give this adventure a try.
The Heart of Robin Hood captured my heart. It is the best show I have seen in decades. My readers all know I am a long-time theatre techie and often I pay more attention to the design and technical aspects of the show, always trying devise ways that we could the same show on the Playhouse stage. Few shows stump me. Phantom of the Opera was one, and now, The Heart of Robin Hood.
What I wouldn’t give to have a 30’ slightly sloped wall from which the villains and heroes slide down onto the stage and from which drawbridges descend to become the interior of the castle. Like Cirque du Soleil, Robin and the boys descend from the tallest oak trees to the forest floor, which all so came equipped with a pond and pit. Costumes were rarely in the correct time period, the musicians, Parsonfield, wandered the stage, occasionally be chased off by Robin, and the story line incorporated Robin Hood myths and legends. Usually I would have a fit at the discrepancies, but they were purposely built into this imaginative and daring show and they all worked perfectly together.
The Royal Alex is a historical gem and being a historian I am into preserving as much history as possible, but the theater has a torturous balcony. As a theatre techie, I always go for seats as close to front row balcony as I can get, where I can see everything and everyone on the stage. Balconies are called the cheap seats for a reason, so one doesn’t expect as plush or roomy seats as the orchestra level. But never have I had no leg room. For anyone with replaced knees or over five-foot-six, these seats were extremely painful.
In my usual subtle style I contacted Mirvish Productions and offered the suggestion that whether online or by phone, anyone starting to book the balcony should be first reminded that there is no elevator and that if they have prosthetic knees or hips they should not get balcony seats. I didn't expect to hear back from them.
But like good Canadians, they apologized and informed me that if the historic designation can be overcome they would like to revamp the balcony! Joy supreme! They also took their concern one step further and offered two complimentary tickets to their musical Once. But their magnanimity was not over yet as I rudely declined those tickets, and begged to see Robin Hood again. They kindly booked two comfortable orchestra seats to see Robin and the gang. They cared. When was the last time you heard of a big city company that actually cared about their customers?
Ontario needs to say thank you to the Mirvish family, for not only keeping theatre alive in Ontario over the decades, but for raising it to the heights we enjoy today. We are being offered shows from Broadway and the West End of London as well as fantastic show produced by Mirvish Productions, right here in Toronto.
This year’s lineup of shows is fantastic. Disney’s Newsies, Phantom of the Opera, Kinky Boots, Mamma Mia, Titanic The Musical and many more. Check out www.Mirvish.com or call 1-800-461-3333. We don’t realize what a gift we have been given, to be so close to world class theatre.