Cylla von Tiedemann News

ROMEO AND JULIET opened at the Stratford Festival on Thursday night. Director, Scott Wentworth's production takes the Festival Theatre stage by storm and is captivating from start to finish. This is the third production of ROMEO AND JULIET that this reviewer has had the privilege of seeing at the Festival, and it is without a doubt, my favourite.

Gilbert and Sullivan's HMS PINAFORE is gracing the Stratford Festival stage for the first time in 25 years and only the fourth time in the history of the festival. Mounted at the Avon Theatre, directed by Lezlie Wade, and choreographed by Kerry Gage, this production possesses the perfect balance of fun, ridiculousness and sentiment. The music is gorgeous, the company is brilliant and as a whole, it is simply delightful.

The Stratford Festival's production of GUYS AND DOLLS opened on Tuesday night at the Festival Theatre and it is sure to be a hit. The performances, the glorious music, the set and lighting design, and the choreography all hit the right note and allow for a fantastic production to be enjoyed by all.

The 65th season of the Stratford Festival officially opened on Monday night with a production of William Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT. Director, Martha Henry has assembled a fabulous group of players and they do not disappoint. Just the thought of Geraint Wyn Davies, Tom Rooney, and Brent Carver sharing comedic scenes together had me rushing to the Festival Theatre to see this play. All three are as fantastic as one could hope for, but everyone else is equally as enchanting in their roles as well.

Adapting a beloved children's classic to Broadway is so fraught with landmines that it's a wonder people even attempt it since it seems like there's no way to possibly make something as fantastic as the original.  Good thing Denis Kelly (Book) and Tim Minchin (Music & Lyrics) are braver and more creative than most because they managed to create something that is both brand new and also incredibly faithful to the original.  Roald Dahl, author of the book Matilda, has such a unique voice and bizarre ways to torture the children in his stories, usually by placing them at the mercy of moronic adults, that one worries anything based on his work coming out post 2010 would be sanitized and inoffensive to the point of being a pale shadow of the original.  Well, MATILDA: THE MUSICAL has all the pigtail tossing and forced feeding one requires from the Matilda story, along with some fantastically cheeky songs, and excellent performances all around.

'Welcome to my home, well it's not actually my home but for tonight it is' says Asha Jain at the top of A Brimful of Asha. Asha and her son Ravi are inviting us to share an evening with them to tell us a story about Asha's desire for her son to marry a nice Indian girl and settle down. They've even brought samosas.

Ntozake Shange's poetry is in very capable hands with Soulpepper Theatre Company's captivating production of FOR COLORED GIRLS…(for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf). Described as a 'choreopoem', the work is a spirited unity of written word and dance. The text alone is provocative and beautifully rhythmic, but Djanet Sears' production elevates the work with choreography that accentuates the power of the words. A true ensemble piece, FOR COLORED GIRLS is an homage to the unique journey we are all on, and the healing power in sharing your voice.

MATILDA is a great story with great characters, so it only makes sense that a musical would be its next iteration. Though the show closed on Broadway on January 1, 2017, the national tour still goes strong and now appears at the Dr. Philips Center.

There is something magical, and just a little bit naughty, in the air at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts this week. Starting tonight and running through Sunday, May 14th, the national tour of MATILDA THE MUSICAL sets up shop in Orlando. With a book by Dennis Kelly and music and lyrics by Tim Minchin, the Tony-winning production ran for nearly four years on Broadway, closing this past January.

Young People's Theatre concludes its 2016/17 Season with the world premiere of Munschtime! featuring stories of the internationally renowned Canadian author Robert Munsch. The protagonists in all of Munsch's tales learn how their actions affect others, and about their own place in their communities.

MATILDA THE MUSICAL, opens at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts April 25 for a limited two week run through May 7, 2017. Tickets to MATILDA THE MUSICAL are on sale now. Check out photos from the show below!

Tickets go on sale today, April 11, for the US debut for SOULPEPPER, Toronto's largest and most celebrated theatre company, in a four-week engagement Off-Broadway at The Pershing Square Signature Center, 480 West 42nd Street in New York City, it was announced by Albert Schultz, SOULPEPPER's Founding Artistic Director.

The Broadway-bound, world premiere engagement of SOUSATZKA, with book by Craig Lucas, music by David Shire, and lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr., based on the original novel 'Madame Sousatzka' by Bernice Rubens, opens tonight in Toronto. Directed by Adrian Noble and choreographed by Graciela Daniele, the production stars Victoria Clark, Montego Glover, Judy Kaye and Jordan Barrow.

Producer Garth Drabinsky, who has admitted to and served time in Canada for his part in a fraud at the now-defunct Livent production company, has just begun hearings with the Ontario Securities Commission.

TIME Magazine's #1 Show of the Year, MATILDA THE MUSICAL, opens at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts April 25 for a limited two week run through May 7, 2017. Tickets to MATILDA THE MUSICAL will go on sale Friday, February 24, 2017 at 10:00 a.m.

Disney Theatrical Productions proudly announces that Adam Jacobs, who originated the title role in Aladdin on Broadway, will play the iconic role in the show's eagerly-anticipated North American tour.

SOUSATZKA may be Broadway-bound, but first it stops in Toronto for a strictly limited engagement through April 9, 2017. The cast is in rehearsal today and BroadwayWorld will be giving you an exciting inside look! Tune in for our Facebook Live broadcast here!

MATILDA - THE MUSICAL, overall, is genuinely a fun time. It's a cheeky, kid-friendly (and, really, kid-catering) stage musical that has plenty for both kids and their parents to enjoy together. Featuring lively songs by Tim Michin and a witty, yet easily digestible book by Dennis Kelly, MATILDA - THE MUSICAL celebrates how one adorable, truly likable kid ---who, sure, may seem a little odd and different---can overcome a troubled environment and still come out the other side a remarkably self-assured, open-minded, and kind-hearted young lady who can fully distinguish right from wrong---while having a bit of naughty fun along the way. The national touring company of the just recently closed Broadway musical adaptation of Roald Dahl's beloved children's novel continues through January 29 in Costa Mesa.

Fans of The Crown on Netflix will love The Audience. In fact, they share the same writer (Peter Morgan wrote the Netflix series and is the playwright) though the projects are separated by a few years of development. In fact, some of the dialogue from the Netflix show is clearly lifted from the play.

Disney Theatrical Productions proudly announces that Adam Jacobs, who originated the title role in Aladdin on Broadway, will play the iconic role in the show's eagerly-anticipated North American tour.