Toronto gets commercial staging of BOYGROOVE

THE THEATRE AT 56 BLUE JAYS WAY

BOYGROOVE

An All-Access Pass to the World of Boy Bands!

Performances Begin April 21, 2006

TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE AT www.boygroove.ca

 

 

The Temptations.  The Monkees.  Menudo.  New Kids on the Block.  BoyGroove.  Through all their ups and downs, highs and lows, successes and failures, Boy Bands are here to stay!

 Canadian playwrights Chris Craddock and Aaron Macri have taken the classic story of the rise and fall of a squeaky clean boy band and fashioned a ferocious parody that both fans and foes will love!  In the vein of This is Spinal Tap and Fubar The Original Banger Classic, BoyGroove is a live mockumentary of the boy band phenomenon.

 BoyGroove chronicles the rise and fall of the world's most famous boy band; their friendships, their triumphs and their scandals.  From the villainy of the homophobic rapper 'Hypetastic' to the crusading virtue of Andrew; from the reality shows populated by on-again-off-again Kevin and Chelsey, to Jon's dreams of space travel; BoyGroove is all witty dialogue, pop songs and power ballads, and a concert performance that will leave you wanting to call-in requests and dedications.

 Original director Kenneth Brown and 2005 cast members Andrew Bursey (Andrew the sensitive one), Jon Paterson (Jon the bad boy), Scott Walters (Lance the gifted one) and Matt Alden (Kevin the leader) reunite for BoyGroove's first commercial production.

 Winner of a 2005 Just For Laughs Comedy Award in Montreal, BoyGroove played to rave reviews and won 'Best of the Fest' at every Fringe Festival it played in North America in 2005.   Despite the heavy criticism some boy bands have received, BoyGroove has wowed the media!

 "I FEAR I MAY BE TURNING INTO A 13-YEAR-OLD GIRL.  How else to account for my wanting to scream and whistle when the four cute boys of the band BoyGroove do their singing, dancing, pouting thing?  How else to account for my wanting to go back and see this show yet a third time? I just love these boys." Jerry Wasserman, Vancouver Province

 "WHERE DO I SIGN UP FOR THE BOYGROOVE FAN CLUB? This show, which takes the mickey out of the boy-band phenomenon, is without a doubt the most entertaining piece I saw at the Victoria Fringe. The songs are so catchy and the choreography is so hot that I was practicing them at the ferry terminal on the way home. All four actors are singin', dancin', witty wonders." Colin Thomas, Georgia Straight

"THE BACKSTREET BOYS ARE BACK with a new album just as BoyGroove returns to the fringe festival. Coincidence? I think not. Given BoyGroove's success on the North American fringe circuit, it's hard to tell who's riding whose coattails. These brash boy-band spoofers are as tight as the real thing, complete with hilariously cheesy stereotypical posings, impressive four-part harmonizing and catchy pop tunes." 

Kevin Prokosh, Winnipeg Free Press

 

"DON'T MISS THIS HILARIOUS MUSICAL COMEDY. The perfectly cheesy choreography combined with the lyrics and humorous banter will have you wishing for a backstage pass at the end of the show."

Brent Dawes, Montreal Gazette

 

"A BOY BAND IS FORMED, rockets to the heights and then dissolves in this splendidly entertaining, high- energy production about the moves in the rock world both onstage and behind the scenes.  It's propelled equally by Chris Craddock's script, Aaron Macri's jumping tunes, Ken Brown's fluid direction and a first-rate ensemble: Andrew Bursey, Jon Paterson, Scott Walters and Matt  Alden." Jon Kaplan, NOW

 

"THE NEXT THING BIG THING HAS FINALLY ARRIVED.  Ever since The Drowsy Chaperone made the leap in 1999, eager eyes scan the Fringe each summer for the breakout show with a real commercial future. Well, say hello to BoyGroove.  This zappy, happy deconstruction of the boy-band phenomenon is one of the most enjoyable shows I've ever seen at the Fringe and it would only take the slightest bit of reworking to move comfortably into a midsized house for a nice commercial run."

Richard Ouzounian, Toronto Star

 

56 Blue Jays Way, former home to The Second City, Tim Sims Playhouse and Tony 'n Tina's Wedding will reopen as a multi-use theatrical venue with the premiere of BoyGroove.  With the recent spate of alternative theatre spaces closing, the renewal of 56 Blue Jays Way, in the heart of the entertainment district, is welcome news.  Under the management of Jeffrey Latimer, producer of the long-running Forever Plaid (the original boy band) at the New Yorker Theatre, and the first to bring such phenomena as STOMP and Forever Tango to Toronto, the newly renovated 56 Blue Jays Way, an urban-cabaret theatre, will continue its tradition of producing and presenting ground-breaking theatre, comedy and musical entertainment.  "I have seen BoyGroove in a number of cities and I am very excited to host this premiere in The Theatre at 56 Blue Jays Way," enthuses Latimer.

 

Michael Rubinoff and Derrick Chua

in association with BoyGroove Entertainment Inc. Present

BOYGROOVE

Book by Chris Craddock • Music and Lyrics by Aaron Macri

Directed by Kenneth Brown

Starring Andrew Bursey as Andrew the sensitive one, Scott Walters as Lance the gifted one,

Jon Paterson as Jon the bad boy and Matt Alden as Kevin the leader

Friday, April 21, 2006 - Sunday, June 4, 2006

Opening Night - Wednesday, April 26, 2006

The Theatre at 56 Blue Jays Way

Tuesday-Friday @ 8pm, Saturday @ 4pm & 8pm, Sunday @ 2pm

Ticket Prices $20-$36 plus applicable taxes and service charges

All tickets $20 on Sunday @2pm

Tickets Now available at www.boygroove.ca

For more information or to order over the phone call 416.971.5656 or toll free at 1.877.971.5656