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The 2009-2010 season marks the Twenty-fifth
Anniversary of Toronto’s leader in lyric theatre. Since
1985, Toronto Operetta Theatre has presented a
world of musical entertainment that includes comic operas,
operettas, zarzuelas, opéra bouffe and Broadway musicals. They
come from Cuba, Austria, England, Canada, the U.S., France,
Germany, Spain, Hungary and the Slovak Republic. What they all
share is the joy of melody, wit, romance and glamour!
Founder and General Director Guillermo Silva-Marin
has chosen three works for the Anniversary Season that reflect
the daring repertoire choices of the last twenty-five years. The
centrepiece will be LEO, THE ROYAL CADET,
written by Kingston composer Oscar Telgmann in a re-imagined
version by John Greer, Virgina Reh
and Silva-Marin. The show boasts more than
1,700 performances in Canada and the U.S. since its premiere in
1889. "I felt it was important to showcase a Canadian work in
our Silver Jubilee Season" said Silva-Marin, "and I’m delighted
to get the cadets, dudes and genteel young ladies of Kingston
back onstage!" The cast features Kristen Galer,
Gabrielle Prata, Cory O’Brien
and Robert Longo and will be conducted by
Jeffrey Huard at the St. Lawrence
Centre for the Arts on February 17, 19, 20 & 21
(2pm).
The season opens on Saturday, November 21st (8pm) &
Sunday, November 22nd (2pm) with a Silver
Jubilee Concert featuring 25 TOT stars, 25 memorable
melodies, 25 candles on the cake and of course…25 door prizes!
Following the performance on Nov. 22nd, the President’s
Reception officially launches the 25th Season.
The Austro-Hungarian tradition will be highlighted by Imre
Kalman’s masterpiece, COUNTESS MARITZA. A gem
of operetta’s Silver Age, the sumptuous score rivals that of THE
MERRY WIDOW with its mix of Viennese elegance and Hungarian
passion. Conducted by Derek Bate, the stars are
Lara Ciekiewicz (debut), Elizabeth
DeGrazia and Fred Love. Performances:
December 26, 27 (2pm), 29, 30, 31, January 2 & 3 (2pm).
As the grand finale, Silva-Marin has selected Gilbert and
Sullivan’s all-time favorite, THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE.
Starring Jean Stilwell as the ‘piratical maid
of all work’ the cast includes David Ludwig,
Dale Miller and the debuting Jessica
Cheung. Robert Cooper conducts
performances on April 27, 28, 30, May 1 & 2 (2pm).
Subscription packages are now available with savings of
up to 30 % for TOT FRIENDS. There’s a special
Golden Matinee Series on Sunday afternoons and TOT’s
budget priced FAMILY NIGHT OUT offers
discounts of up to 50% for children and youth under 16 years of
age.
Subscriptions and single tickets (available from September 28th)
can be purchased at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts
Box Office, in person at 27 Front Street East,
by phone at 416-366-7723, toll free at
1-800-708-6754 or online at
www.stlc.com.
The theatre is wheelchair accessible and close to public transit
and parking. All performances begin at 8pm unless otherwise
indicated.
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Twenty-fifth
Anniversary Season
