Welcome to MTC's 2009/10 season!
Don't miss a moment of MTC's 2009/10 season, featuring the ‘potently romantic’ murder mystery Strong Poison; the hit Broadway musical comedy The Drowsy Chaperone; the holiday classic It’s a Wonderful Life; the heartwarming favourite Steel Magnolias and more!
Strong Poison
Based on the classic mystery by Dorothy L. Sayers
Adapted for the Stage by Frances Limoncelli
Directed by Steven Schipper
Starring Greg Ellwand as Lord Peter Wimsey
October 22 - November 14, 2009 (Preview Oct. 21)
“A sleek, witty romantic romp.” – Chicago Reader
Adapted from the 1931 novel by Dorothy Sayers, Strong Poison opens during the trial of Harriet Vane, a mystery novelist accused of murdering her ex-lover. In a case that could be straight out of one of her own books, Vane’s proclaimed innocence is believed by no one other than the dashing Lord Peter Wimsey, an amateur sleuth and supporter of feminist ideals. Will Lord Peter track down the real killer in time and win the heart of the free-thinking Harriet? Or will the evidence be as hard to secure as the hand of a best-selling author? A whodunit that would stump even Sherlock Holmes, Strong Poison will keep you guessing until the last minute.
EXTRA
Click here to visit the Dorothy Sayers fan club.
It’s a Wonderful Life
A Radio Play by Philip Grecian
Based on the film by Frank Capra
Directed by Robb Paterson
Starring Mike Shara
November 26 - December 19, 2009 (Preview Nov. 25)
“The perfect way to see It's A Wonderful Life again, for the very first time” – Toronto Sun
Turn back the clock and set the dial for a dose of holiday nostalgia. An inventive re-imagining of a traditional favourite, It's a Wonderful Life: A Radio Play is cleverly re-created as a 1940s live radio broadcast, in which a cast of talented actors brings the classic tale of George Bailey’s journey of self-worth to captivating life, complete with sound effects, music and commercials. The whole family will want to revisit this vibrant celebration of simple goodwill and community cheer.
EXTRA
Mike Shara (seen here in The Importance of Being Earnest with Susan Clark)
will return to MTC as George in It's a Wonderful Life. Photo by Bruce Monk.
The Drowsy Chaperone
Music and Lyrics by Lisa Lambert & Greg Morrison
Book by Bob Martin & Don McKellar
Directed by Steven Schipper
January 7 - 30, 2010 (Previews Jan. 5 & 6)
"An evening of happy hilarity and dizzy delight." – Sunday ExpressIt all begins when a die-hard, modern-day musical theatre fan – the Man in the Chair – drops the needle on his favourite album, a 1928 smash musical called The Drowsy Chaperone. As he listens to the rare cast recording, his apartment is magically transformed into the show itself in all its roaring glory. With the Man in the Chair as guide, we are introduced to the hilarious story of a pampered Broadway star on the eve of her wedding to an oil tycoon. Her desperate producer needs to keep the bride from retiring into domesticity, and solicits the help of a Latin lothario to seduce her before the nuptials can take place. Will her chaperone stay awake long enough to prevent disaster? And why are the bumbling gangsters disguised as pastry chefs?
This toe-tapping tribute to the Jazz Age and the golden era of musicals won five Tony Awards on Broadway. Now it will win your heart.
A co-production with Theatre Calgary www.theatrecalgary.com
EXTRA
Read an interview with co-creator Don McKellar:
Ironic Canadians Hit Broadway, Don McKellar on The Drowsy Chaperone
Click here for the interview.
Mother Courage and her Children
By Bertolt Brecht
In a new version by Peter Hinton
With songs by Bertolt Brecht, Paul Dessau and Kurt Weil in new arrangements by Allen Cole
Directed By Peter Hinton
With Tanja Jacobs as Mother Courage
February 11 – March 6, 2010 (Preview Feb. 10)
“If ever a time was ripe for a revival of Mother Courage and Her Children, Brecht's epic play of war and profit, it would seem to be now.”– New York Times
One of the great dramatic creations of the modern stage, Mother Courage and Her Children is both a corrosive comedy and a profound statement against war. The play follows the worldly-wise Mother Courage who trails the armies during a war in Europe, shadowing the destruction as she sells provisions from her wagon to whomever will grease her palm. But the war exacts a price – as war always does – and Mother Courage’s soaring profits are tempered by searing loss. In this epic masterpiece, Brecht pits human virtue against the business of war.
A co-production with Canada’s National Arts Centre [Ottawa] www.nac-cna.ca
EXTRA
Zoe Caldwell starred in MTC’s internationally acclaimed production
of Mother Courage, directed by John Hirsch, during the 1964-65 season.
Educating Rita
By Willy Russell
Directed by Steven Schipper
March 18 - April 10, 2010 (Preview Mar. 17)
“A marvelous play, painfully funny and passionately serious."– Sunday Times Sometimes students end up being the best teachers. Frank is a tutor of English whose disillusioned outlook on life drives him to the bottle. Rita is a hairdresser, hungry to find some meaning to life. With Frank as her tutor Rita’s education begins. And the more she loves to learn, the more he learns to love.
EXTRA
Educating Rita delighted and inspired audiences throughout Manitoba and Northwest Ontario as the 2007 MTC Regional Tour.
Steel Magnolias
By Robert Harling
Directed by Robb Paterson
April 22 - May 15, 2010 (Preview Apr. 21)"…a skillfully crafted, lovingly evoked picture of eccentricity in the small-town South…” – Drama-Logue
Set in Truvy's beauty salon in Chinquapin, Louisiana, where all the ladies who are "anybody" come to have their hair done, Steel Magnolias is a beautiful, bittersweet comedy about the relationship between six indomitable Southern women. With hilarious repartee and not a few acerbic but revealing verbal collisions, these remarkable women share each other’s strengths and loyalty and enjoy a friendship that spans the boundaries of age and status – all with perfectly styled hair!
EXTRA
The movie version of Steel Magnolias featured a powerhouse of Hollywood leading ladies including Julia Roberts, Sally Field, Olympia Dukakis, Shirley MacLaine, Dolly Parton and Daryl Hannah.
Directed by Brian Quirt
October 8 - 24, 2009 (Preview Oct. 7)
“Lenny was a dear teenage friend of mine who taught me everything I needed to know about guitar. I have had a great life in music because of his influence. I feel his presence every time I play. He was a sweet soul, a real gentle guy and musically he was not of this world. His ideas, concepts, discipline and playing were way ahead of their time. I am thrilled that a play is being done on the brilliant star that shone as Lenny Breau and also the tragedy that took him away from us.” – Randy Bachman of The Guess Who
A Winnipeg legend, Lenny Breau was a brilliant guitar innovator whose life was entwined with four decades of Canadian and American musical history. In his tragically brief time he revolutionized the approach to the guitar and today his influence is still keenly felt, stretching from country to rock to flamenco and especially jazz. 5 O’Clock Bells navigates Lenny’s dance with genius and the childlike innocence that left him vulnerable to dark forces. Like the strings on his guitar, the voices of those closest to him harmonize to reveal the conditions which shaped his life and hint at agents in his death. Lenny was found dead in a Los Angeles pool in 1984. His murder remains unsolved.
A Sleeping Dog Theatre production www.sleepingdog.ca
Based on the original co-production with the Great Canadian Theatre Company www.gctc.ca
EXTRA
Canada's lost guitar genius surfaces in 5 O'Clock Bells, written and performed by Pierre Brault.
East of Berlin
By Hannah Moscovitch
Directed by Alisa Palmer
November 19 – December 5, 2009 (Preview Nov. 18)
“[Moscovitch’s] examination of the relationship between the children of victims of the Holocaust and the children of those who victimized them is astonishingly complex – as well as sexy, funny and suspenseful – words you don't expect to hear describing a show like this.”– The Toronto Star
Can a son atone for his father’s sins? Rudi, the son of a German ex-patriot, has grown up in Paraguay blissfully ignorant of his father’s past. When he discovers the awful truth, he flees his family and attempts to invent a new life, until the past catches up with him. East of Berlin tells the stirring and compelling story of a young man bracing himself for a fateful encounter with his estranged father.
A Tarragon Theatre production www.tarragontheatre.com
EXTRA
Brendan Gall, Paul Dunn and Diana Donnelly in the Tarragon Theatre production of East of Berlin. Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann.
Top Girls
By Caryl Churchill
January 21 – February 6, 2010 (Preview Jan. 20)
"One of the top ten plays of the 20th century." – The GuardianMarlene is a successful businesswoman who has just been appointed head of the firm. She celebrates by throwing a dinner party with a fantastic guest list – an array of history’s ‘top girls’. Crossing cultures, generations and politics, the women’s conversation reveals the choices and sacrifices each has made in pursuit of her life goals. As the play follows Marlene’s daily routine, it becomes clear that she too has paid a price for her success. Caryl Churchill’s bold and ingenious work offers one of theatre's most honest portraits of what it means to be a woman in the modern world.
EXTRA
Top Girls is Manitoba Theatre Centre’s contribution to ChurchillFest, the 10th annual Master Playwright Festival.
World Premiere
By Robert Lewis Vaughan
Directed by Steven Schipper
February 18 – March 6, 2010 (Preview Feb. 17)
“Who talks back to muggers with guns? Granola Chicks from New Hampshire, that’s who.” – Perry
What if you're at a turning point in your life and you're only 13? Beaten but not broken, Perry leaves an unstable family life to walk the perilous line as a teenage runaway. As he searches for a sense of home, Perry connects with other wounded souls – from a fellow runaway to the flawed but well-meaning family who takes him in. From a spot in Madison Square Park in New York City, Perry takes us on a captivating adventure that is at once heartbreaking, surprising and full of promise.
EXTRA
Robert Vaughan is the Director of Professional Rights for Dramatists Play Service, a position formerly held by John Patrick Shanley, author of Doubt, A Parable.
Tempting Providence - Regional Tour
By Robert Chafe
Directed by Jillian Keiley
January 30 – March 6, 2010
The true story of the Florence Nightingale of the North
Nurse Myra Bennett arrived in Daniel’s Harbour, Newfoundland in the spring of 1921. She signed on to work in the community for two years. She stayed for more than 50. The play explores the heart of a hero who struggles with isolation and loneliness, as much as she battles the odds to achieve medical miracles. Throughout her storied career, Nurse Bennett delivered more than 700 babies, extracted 5,000 teeth, set broken limbs and performed kitchen table operations by lamplight. Along the way, she also fell in love…
EXTRA
The 2010 MTC Regional Tour production of Tempting Providence is the same acclaimed production that amazed Winnipeg audiences at PTE.
Photos at top of page:
(Left): Mike Shara in Canadian Stage Company's production of It's a Wonderful LIfe. Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann.
(Middle): Pierre Brault in 5 O'Clock Bells. Photo by Christina Riley.