Feature: SPELLBOUND by The 7 Wonders Theatre

Popular culture has brought us pop-up restaurants, pop-up stores, pop-up galleries, and other kinds of short-lived unique events and flash in the pan experiences. Within the Montreal theatre community, we tend not to see a ton of local pop-up one-night-only shows, but rather established mainstage runs lasting anywhere from several days to several weeks. It was a neat surprise to discover that The 7 Wonders Theatre has done an annual pop-up musical revue for the past three years. Their latest offering, Spellbound, hit the stage on Saturday September 22nd for just two performances at Mainline Theatre.

The 7 Wonders Theatre is ironically comprised of nine amateur performers and a musical director, most of whom are soloists with the Lyric Theatre Singers. "We were a group of friends who loved to sing and perform and were always brainstorming and thinking of creative ideas. We decided to start the company as a fun, creative outlet," explains Stage Director, Choreographer, and Featured Performer, Laurie-Anne Jean-Baptiste. The troupe members all have day-jobs, but gather together in their spare time to collectively produce a musical showcase to challenge themselves to learn the various aspects of what it takes to put on a show.

"Some of the repertoire is chosen by myself as Director," says Jean-Baptiste, "but it is also a collaborative effort. The performers make suggestions and I try to make sure that we pick songs that fit our theme for the year and gel well together for an interesting program." Spellbound's vocal selections included well-known favourites from Pippin, Les Misérables, Grease, Cabaret, and Follies, while successfully introducing patrons to lesser-known pieces from Title of Show, Grand Hotel, Ordinary Days, and Something Rotten!, among others. All in all a nice but understated presentation of solos and small group numbers with repertoire from 1960's to present day Broadway, as well as a smattering of songs from TV and film. The performers engaged nicely with the audience members, both in their ballads and up tempo numbers, but could have benefited from a cabaret-style venue as opposed to the black box theatre.

Find out more about The 7 Wonders Theatre on their Facebook page. Stay tuned for other pop-up musical theatre coming this fall, such as Full Circle Productions' Six Degrees of Broadway Separation and WISTA's Show Off, but don't blink or you'll miss it!

2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats

Best New Musical - Top 3

1. The Lost Boys

31.7% of votes

2. Schmigadoon!

24.6% of votes

3. Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

22.1% of votes

Vote Now! View Live Stats