Bloom's Day: Canadian Staging of The Producers Opens Dec. 11
By Kenneth Jones
11 Dec 2003
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Seán Cullen as Max Bialystock and Michael Therriault as Leo Bloom in the Toronto production of The Producers
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| photo by Cylla von Tiedemann | The Broadway smash, The Producers, makes its north-of-the-border debut, opening Dec. 11 after previews since Nov. 21 at the Canon Theatre in Toronto.
The Canadian company is settling in for what's expected to the be a long open-ended run. Bialystock and Bloom, the corrupt titular impresarios, are played by Seán Cullen and Michael Therriault, respectively.
The all-Canadian cast also features Juan Chioran as Roger DeBris, Paul O'Sullivan as Franz Liebkind, Sarah Cornell as Ulla and Brandon McGibbon as Carmen Ghia. Cornell played Ulla on Broadway in recent months.
Director-choreographer Susan Stroman, who has been creating a new ballet for New York City Ballet, made appearances in Toronto during the rehearsal and preview period, a spokesperson said.
The Mel Brooks musical won 12 Tony Awards in 2001, including Best Musical.
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The Toronto ensemble includes Steve Ross, Jonathan Monro, Jamie McKnight, Sean Hauk, Geoffrey Tyler, Stewart Adam McKensy, Steven Cota, Eliza Jane Scott, Debbie Collins, Kristen Peace, Erin Mackie, Janet Zenik, Julia Juhas, Brittany Gray, Sophie Hunter, Rachel Crowther, Denis Lambert, Michael Smolash, Glen Kerr, Heidi Fox Lange and Alison Palmer.
Seán Cullen has been touring and performing as a comedian for the past 15 years. Cullen burst onto the scene in 1988 as a member of Corky and the Juice Pigs and toured the world with the group, becoming fixtures and winning awards at many comedy festivals. In 1998 he wrote and mounted his own one-man show called Wood, Cheese and Children which went on to become a special in CTV's "Comedy NOW!" series and was nominated for a Gemini Award. Cullen has an extensive television career, appearing on shows such as "The Ellen Show" with Ellen Degeneres and "Payne" with John Larroquette and "The Late Late Show" with Craig Kilborn. He hosted NBC's "Late Friday," appeared on "Premium Blend" and the half-hour special, "Comedy Central Presents... Seán Cullen." He has also appeared on such Canadian television hits as "The Associates," "This Hour Has 22 Minutes," "Made in Canada" and "Air Farce." Cullen has released a CD titled "Seán Cullen Live!"
Michael Therriault recently finished his seventh season at the Stratford Festival of Canada playing Yock Bauman in Quiet In The Land, Boult in The Adventures Of Pericles, and Jehan in The Hunchback Of Notre Dame. Other credits with The Stratford Festival include Henry VI: Revenge In France and Henry VI: Revolt In England; Richard III; The Two Noble Kinsmen; Twelfth Night; The Seagull; Henry V; Lord Alfred Douglas in the one man show Oscar Remembered (directed by William Hutt); Fiddler on the Roof; As You Like It; The Tempest; A Midsummer Night's Dream; The Alchemist; The Miser (also at City Center in New York); Much Ado About Nothing (also at City Center); Julius Caesar; Filumena; and Camelot.
Therriault was a member of the inaugural season of The Stratford Festival's Conservatory for Classical Theatre Training.
Juan Chioran's credits range from the Soulpepper production of Present Laughter to his award winning performance in Kiss of the Spider Woman. He received a Carbonell Award for Best Actor and a Dora nomination for Best Actor in a Musical for the national tour of Kiss of the Spider Woman. Chioran has several seasons at The Stratford Festival under his belt, performing in Hamlet, Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It, Dracula and Man of La Mancha.
He is a Gemini Award-winning actor whose recent television work includes guest-starring roles on the series " "Monk," "Wild Card" and "Soul Food." He recently appeared in Disney's "Cheetah Girls" and ABC's "The Music Man."
Cornell's credits include Lorri in Control/Alt/Delete (Edutainment Company), Madeline Munroe in Tony and Tina's Wedding (Second City) and Hortense in The Boyfriend for Theatre Sheridan, where she received the Second City Encouragement Award for Comedic Excellence.
With a Tony Award-winning book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan, Tony Award-winning music and lyrics by Mel Brooks and direction and choreography by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman, The Producers swept the 2001 Tony Awards, receiving the most in Broadway history, including Best Musical, Best Scenic Design (Peter Kaczorowski), Best Orchestrations (Doug Besterman), Best Choreography and Best Direction of a Musical (Susan Stroman).
The Canon Theatre (formerly the Pantages) is at 244 Victoria Street, Toronto. For ticket information, call (416) 872-1212 or (800) 461-3333, or visit www.mirvish.com.
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With the resident Canadian staging of The Producers, the show now has four North American companies — including Broadway (currently at the St. James) and the two national tours (one currently in residence in Los Angeles, starring Martin Short and Jason Alexander, one in Detroit).
Visit www.producersontour.com.
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