I've been stewing on this topic since yesterday and I finally put my finger on an original thought: if Toronto theatre producers want to establish Toronto as a place to go to see theatre, why don't the foster the creation of more original musical theatre, like the regionals do in the USA?
I have to limit the scope of my rant to the larger-scale productions, since there is a good deal of activity on the smaller end of the spectrum ("Off-Broadway"-scale musicals)
Call this an open letter to the Mirvishes, but if the producers are expecting tourist dollars to flow as a result of producing big shows in town, why not stop bringing in rehashes of shows that already have more successful counterparts on Broadway? Why wait until two years after The Producers first opens, when all the sheen and buzz has slid off it, and THEN open it in Toronto? Why continue to build Mirvish subscription seasons based on last season's Broadway shows? As a theatre fan, I can get to downtown Toronto by car in 5 hours, and to Times Square in 8 -- for an extra investment of time, I'd rather see something original.
Large-scale Toronto theatre is dying because the spirit of it is dead. Let them put a NEW musical into the Pantages theatre, instead of a two-year-old Broadway rehash. Let them fight for pre-Broadway tryouts of new properties. Maybe THEN people will think harder about where to spend their vacation time and precious ticket money.
Hmph.
Marc Shaiman, if you're reading -- why not pitch the Mirvishes on letting Toronto host the pre-Broadway run of Catch Me If You Can, hmm?
"There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it." -Oscar Wilde
Updated On: 10/7/04 at 03:16 PM