Dan Chameroy News

If you are in Stratford, Ontario and are looking for a good time, look no further than this season's production of horror comedy rock musical LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. There aren't a whole lot of shows that can call themselves a horror comedy rock musical, but if you frequent these parts…or, you know, have a pulse, chances are you saw one last year too. The success of last season's THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW has sent the message that audiences get a kick out of the subversive escape that this kind of show can offer, and so, Director/Choreographer Donna Feore is serving up another delicious hit in the same vein as ROCKY HORROR (puns intended).

Donna Feore's gritty new take on Billy Elliot the Musical, the Tony Award-winning blockbuster musical from Lee Hall and Elton John, is now on stage at the Stratford Fesitval. The production officially opens on Tuesday, May 28, at the Festival Theatre.

For the past several seasons, Stratford's Festival Theatre stage has been home to classic musical theatre productions with catchy tunes that audiences might find themselves humming long after the company had taken its final bow. This season, the musical living on that stage is a little different. It is not a classic from the golden age of broadway, the music, while moving, is likely not that familiar ear worm that you will wake up singing, and the story is as gritty and high stakes as many of the Shakespearean productions we have seen on that stage in recent years. BILLY ELLIOT officially opened to a raucous standing ovation on Tuesday evening, making it clear that Stratford audiences are more than happy to branch out to something a little different.

The Stratford Festival kicks off its 67th season on Monday with the gala opening of Shakespeare's Othello, followed by five more openings as the week unfolds: Billy Elliot the Musical, Henry VIII, Private Lives, Little Shop of Horrorsand The Merry Wives of Windsor. Artistic

BroadwayWorld has a first look at The Stratford Festival's Little Shop of Horrors. The production is currently in previews and opens on Friday, May 31. 

Donna Feore's gritty new take on Billy Elliot the Musical, the Tony Award-winning blockbuster musical from Lee Hall and Elton John, is now on stage at the Stratford Fesitval. The production officially opens on Tuesday, May 28, at the Festival Theatre.

From the creative team that made history with Stratford's longest-running production, The Rocky Horror Show, comes another cult rock musical, Little Shop of Horrors. Previews begin today at the Avon Theatre and the production opens on Friday, May 31.

Get a first look at Billy Elliot rehearsals at the Stratford Festival below! Dreams don't come easy in the hardscrabble mining town, riven by a bitter national strike, where eleven-year-old Billy lives with his bereaved family. But Billy's discovery of his talent for dance awakens in him a passion that will transform his life and win the hearts of his whole community.

Donna Feore's gritty new take on Billy Elliot the Musical, the Tony Award-winning blockbuster musical from Lee Hall and Elton John, kicks off the Festival's 67th season with its first preview today. The production officially opens on Tuesday, May 28, at the Festival Theatre.

It's the last week to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Toronto Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.

There's just two weeks left to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Toronto Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.

Ross Petty's panto is back and better than ever! THE WIZARD OF OZ at the Elgin Theatre is a loose adaption of the classic story with a modern/environmentally-conscious twist. Ross Petty's panto has become a staple of the Toronto theatre community, entertaining generations of audiences for over 20 years. It's a communal performance experience unlike any other and a holiday tradition you can't miss.

There's just two weeks left to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Toronto Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.

There's just one month left to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Toronto Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.

There's just one month left to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Toronto Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Nominations were reader-submitted and now our readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.

And then there was one... The curtain has fallen on the other 11 productions of the Stratford Festival's 66th season, but THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW is still going strong. Originally set to close on Halloween, the show has been so popular with audiences that it has been extended three times throughout its run and will now close on Sunday December 2. It is officially the longest running show in the history of The Stratford Festival. BWW chatted with several cast members via email and they all expressed gratitude and excitement about the show being extended yet again.

Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino has announced key casting for the 2019 season, including Michael Blake as Othello and Amelia Sargisson as Desdemona in the season opener, Othello, one of Shakespeare's greatest and best-known tragedies.

Stratford Ontario has caught ROCKY HORROR fever with the hit production at the Stratford Festival's Avon Theatre, and BWW had the chance to chat with the performers, the director, and audience members from all walks of life to find out just what magic is at work here!

Saturday night marked the end of Opening Week at the Stratford Festival and there was no better way to wrap up a successful week than with the opening of Donna Feore's thrilling production of Richard O'Brien's THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW. Captivating from beginning to end, and guaranteed to feel fresh and new each time it is performed, audiences are bound to have a thrilling time all season long.

At a press conference held May 31 in the lobby of the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) announced 237 nominations for the 39th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards, which recognize excellence in the performing arts in Toronto.