DANCER: A MUSICAL IN TEN FURLONGS Will Return to Toronto This Fall

Oh What A Ride! Productions in association with Crow's Theatre, has announced that the runaway audience favourite of the 2023 Fringe Festival, DANCER (A Musical in Ten Furlongs), will make its return this fall.

The exhilarating original show arrives with a new, large-scale production from the original creative team of Jim Betts (Book & Lyrics), Marek Norman (Composer), Mark Camilleri (Music Director), Stacey Tookey (Director & Choreographer), and dancer Keanu Uchida as Northern Dancer.

The incredible true story of thoroughbred Northern Dancer – who defied all the odds to become the first Canadian horse to win the prestigious Kentucky Derby in 1964 – hits Toronto's Terminal Theatre (in Queen's Quay Terminal) stage beginning October 6th and running to November 1st, 2026.

DANCER won audience and critical accolades during its run at the Fringe Festival, for its infectious music, moving storytelling, and innovative approach to representing horses onstage – not through costumes or puppetry – but with a completely original, contemporary choreographic language created by internationally acclaimed and Emmy nominated choreographer Stacey Tookey. Tookey is known around the world for her distinctive work on So You Think You Can Dance (Canada and US), as well as her collaborations with major artists including Celine Dion, Bette Midler, and Michael Bublé.

Bringing the story to life on stage, the company for the fall production includes returning cast members Barbara Barsky (Gypsy/Arts Club, Sunset Boulevard/Livent) as Winnie Taylor, Sterling Jarvis (The Book of Mormon/Broadway, The Lion King/Mirvish) as Bill Brevard, and Sam Rosenthal (Caroline or Change/Musical Stage Company) as Daryl, joined by Tyler Murree as E.P. Taylor (Les Misérables/Broadway). At the heart of this exemplary company is dancer Keanu Uchida, who wordlessly brings the character and passion of Northern Dancer to life through movement.

DANCER is the brainchild of multi-award-winning Toronto theatre veteran Jim Betts who wrote the Book & Lyrics for the show and acts as Executive Producer. He was drawn to the story as an artist who has always prioritized homegrown storytelling. “I have always had an affinity for telling distinctly Canadian stories and stories about Canadian heroes,” says Betts. “The story of Northern Dancer is that great ‘little guy versus the world' story that I think is something audiences always respond to – we all want to believe that even if we aren't fast enough, or tall enough, or rich enough, that we can still succeed. It is a type of story that we need sometimes to help us believe in ourselves.”

Inspired by the name of the horse, Betts and Norman came up with the innovative concept of how to represent the animals on stage: with organic human movement that leans into the often-used metaphor comparing the grace, power, and physical control of dancers to that of thoroughbreds. They turned to Canadian dancer and choreographer Stacey Tookey, who very quickly signed on to complete the creative team with Music Director Mark Camilleri joining for the Fringe production. Dancer Keanu Uchida has also been a key part of the group since an early workshop.

The result of their collaboration is a rousing musical based on an iconic piece of Canadian history, with the energy of a musical, and a totally unique and innovative movement language that marries traditional musical theatre choreography for the human characters, alongside stunning contemporary choreography animating the horses.

DANCER was developed by the creative team over a period of ten years through a series of workshops which culminated in the project winning the Fringe Festival Adams Prize for Musical Theatre in 2023 (also earning the show a Fringe slot), which led to the unprecedented production of a 25-person cast musical being produced at the Toronto Fringe Festival.

Now the originating creative team has come back together for the first full-scale run of the show, along with set and projection design by Julia Kim, costume design by Alessia Urbani, lighting design by Chris Malkowski, and sound design by Aaron Hannah.

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