Issue #233: November 15, 2009

• Another Canadian joins the cast of Billy Elliot the Musical.  North Bay native Liam Redhead will share the lead role with Tony Award winner and Montrealer David Alvarez.  Redhead beat out 1,500 potential “Billy’s” who auditioned across North America.  Perhaps Liam’s National Ballet School experience helped land the role.

• Torontonian Alison Pill takes on the classic role of Annie Sullivan in the upcoming revival of The Miracle Worker.  Previews will begin Feb. 12 at the Circle in the Square Theatrer  In the role of Helen Keller will be the young vet Abigail Breslin.  When the original Broadway production was staged in 1959 it had Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke playing the leads launching both women into the film version two years later for which they each won an Academy Award.

• Eric Bogosian, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, makes his Broadway debut in January in the Manhattan Theater Club’s production of Time Stands Still.

• The annual celebration of musical revivals, Encores! returns to the City Center on April 8.   Sutton Foster headlines the cast of this year’s musical Anyone Can Whistle.

• Fiddler On the Roof’s Chaim Topol has bowed out of the Toronto engagement, which opens December 8, due to a shoulder injury.  Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein will step into the role, which earned him accolades when the musical was revived on Broadway a few years ago.

• I took in a brilliant road production of August: Osage County recently.  The Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play was in Toronto for a brief two weeks, however I’m sure it made an impact on those who were lucky enough to get a ticket.  Estelle Parsons was terrific... she commanded the stage for most of the 3 ½ hours.  The entire cast was strong with each actor portraying their character to a tee.   Don’t be put off by the length of the play... from the opening scene it moves like an out of control train.  If this wonderful piece of theatre is visiting your city... run to get a ticket.