'We Will Rock You' resumes performances in Toronto
By: Mark Andrew Lawrence Jul. 16, 2008
The all-Canadian cast of We Will Rock You returns. Starring Yvan Pedneault as Galileo, Erica Peck as Scaramouche, Alana Bridgewater as the Killer Queen, Adam Brazier as Khashoggi, Jack Langedijk as Pop, Sterling Jarvis as Duff, Valerie Stanois as OzandDanny Balkwill as Burton. The ensemble includes Breanne Arrigo, Jordan Cable, Peter Deiwick, Kelly Fletcher, Brittany Gray, Kristen Sehn, Darren Voros, Scott Walters and Cleopatra Williams.
Set 300 years in the future, in a time when live music is banned on earth, We Will Rock You is about the rebellious kids, fighting against the all-powerful Globalsoft Corporation that controls their lives and feeds them a diet of synthesized pop. Could the young Galileo and Scaramouche be the heroes needed who will help them "break free" of their chains to rediscover themselves and live music?
With Brian May and Roger Taylor as Music Supervisors, We Will Rock You is written and directed by Ben Elton and features 32 of Queen'sgreatest hits.
Produced by David Mirvish and The Kimsa Group, in association with Queen Theatrical Productions, Phil McIntyre Entertainment and Tribeca Theatrical Productions, We Will Rock You reflects the scale and spectacle that marked Queen's live performances and earned the band its pinnacle position in rock history.
Winner of the 2007 Dora Award-winner for Best Musical, the Toronto production of We Will Rock You has been an audience favourite, receiving standing ovations at each and every performance. Originally scheduled to play seven weeks, the show was quickly extended again and again. We Will Rock You played 61 weeks at the Canon Theatre, was seen by more than 700,000 people, generated an estimated economic spin-off to the city of $180 million and provided employment to more than 300 Canadian artists, technicians and theatre support staff.
We Will Rock You 's transfer to the more intimate Panasonic Theatre (700 seats compared ot the Canon Theatre's 2,300 seats) will offer a new, up-close and personal way for audiences to experience this popular show.
As director Ben Elton explains it: "This more intimate venue is the perfect place for those who love their rock music live. The audience will be closer to the band and closer to the action. So come watch the tonsils rattle and the guitarists sweat as our young rebel heroes save Rock all over again."
The site of the Panasonic Theatre has a long history in Toronto entertainment. Originally a private residence, built in 1911, it became a theatre - a cinema, called "The Victory" - in 1919. It changed its name in 1934 to "The Embassy" and, in the years since, has been known as "The Astor", "The Showcase" and "The Festival" (as which it was the premier venue of the Toronto International Film Festival in the 1970s). The Festival became a legitimate theatre in 1993 when it was renovated, renamed "The New Yorker Theatre" and re-opened with the off-Broadway production of Forever Plaid.
In 2004/2005, the original building was demolished (only its facade preserved) and rebuilt, from the ground up, as a new, state-of-the-art live theatre and concert venue. It re-opened as "The Panasonic Theatre" in June, 2005. A variety of shows have played the theatre since then, including Blue Man Group, Menopause Out Loud and Traces.
WE WILL ROCK YOU, a much larger and more complicated show, will take the Panasonic Theatre to a new level. To accommodate the show's sound, lighting and scenic demands, the stage has been expanded and powerful new equipment has been added to the building.
We Will Rock You begins July 16, 2008 at the Panasonic Theatre – 651 Yonge Street.
Performance Schedule: Wednesday – Saturday 8:00 PM, Saturday and Sunday 2:00 PM, and selected Wednesday Matinees at 2:00 PM
Tickets $25 - $85, $25 Lottery Front Row SeatsFor Performances Until August 31, 2008 call TicketKing at: 416-872-1212 or 1-800-461-3333. Online Sales: www.mirvish.com
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