Toronto's production of Sunset Boulevard will close August 18, to make way for for the new Lynn Ahrens/ Stephen Flaherty musical, Ragtime.

In a remarkable show of support for a new musical, producer Garth Drabinsky of Livent Ltd. has moved up the opening date of Ragtime to Dec. 9 1996 (previews begin Nov. 19) at the Ford Centre For The Performing Arts in Toronto, where it will stay for 16 weeks only, before coming to Broadway. That will put the opening just prior to the deadline for the 1997 Tony Awards.

Ragtime was scheduled to have begun previews in January 1997 with a possible move in the fall.

Livent Inc. Chairman & CEO Garth Drabinsky announced that Livent's musical production of Ragtime will have it's world premiere at Toronto's Ford Centre for the Performing Arts. Previews begin Tuesday Nov 19. and the official opening night is Monday December 9, 1996.

Tickets go on sale to the general public Monday June 10 at the box office, at all Ticketmaster locations or by calling Livent direct at (416) 872-2222. Advance ticket sales are available from June 3-9 for American Express 'Front of the line' sales by calling (416) 345-8992. Recently, Ragtime completed a six week workshop schedule in Toronto that concluded May 15. They culminated in several private performances to invited audiences, including leaders in theatre from New York who travelled to Toronto to scrutinize the work in progress. The positive response was overwhelming. No press were invited to these special performances.

Sunset Boulevard will re-open this November at the Ford Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia.