North American Premiere
Begins September 2008
The Princess of Wales Theatre - Toronto
See it first. Part of the 2008/09
Mirvish Subscription Series.
THE SOUND OF MUSIC and “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?” Partner to Bring The Iconic Musical to the Stage in Toronto with a Bright New Canadian ‘Maria’ Chosen by the Canadians through a new CBC Television program.
North American Premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Ian’s smash-hit new London production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC.
Performances Begin September 2008 at Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre.
Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Ian and David Mirvish will present the North American Premiere of the Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Ian’s smash-hit new London production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC at Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre beginning in September 2008. It will be the anchor show of the 2008-09 Mirvish Subscription season. The lead role of Maria in the Canadian production will be cast by the public through a national primetime television series that will air on CBC Television in the spring 2008.
Auditions for the television series will begin in February 2008 across Canada and will culminate in an eight-part series to be telecast in the summer of 2008. The people’s choice for Maria will immediately join rehearsals for the stage production. The rest of the production will be cast from the finest theatrical talent Canada has to offer.
The role of Maria, described by many as “the biggest job in show business,” is pivotal to the success of THE SOUND OF MUSIC. It needs a performer with amazing vocal talent, compelling acting abilities and remarkable stage presence that also exudes youth and vitality. A bright new talent brings a whole new dimension to the role, especially if that talent is discovered and chosen by the audience.
This is what happened in the UK with the BBC TV program “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?” The program became the highest-rated of its kind in the broadcaster’s history, and that popularity carried on to the stage production at the legendary London Palladium, setting box office records and creating a bona fide star of Connie Fisher, the young woman who was chosen by the British public to star as Maria.
The stage and television shows’ producers will travel across Canada in the coming months conducting open auditions for the role. Auditions will be open to anyone who feels they can master the role. The producers will house hopeful Marias from all over Canada in one place and put them through a rigorous audition, training and evaluation process. After each show, a panel of judges, and ultimately the voting Canadian viewers, will determine who will win the coveted role.
With music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse (suggested by “The Trapp Family Singers” by Maria Augusta Trapp), THE SOUND OF MUSIC is one of the most beloved musicals of all time. The film adaptation of the original 1959 Broadway production won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture in 1965.
The score for THE SOUND OF MUSIC touches the hearts of all ages and brims over with some of the most memorable songs ever performed on the musical stage including My Favorite Things, Do-Re-Mi, Edelweiss, Climb Ev’ry Mountain, Sixteen Going On Seventeen, The Lonely Goatherd and of course the glorious title song The Sound of Music.
This timeless family classic will be overseen in Canada by director Jeremy Sams, choreographer Arlene Philips and designer Robert Jones, all of who won raves from the London critics for their superb work on the West End production.
