Boys, which will play Oct. 20-Nov. 29 at Canada's Royal Alexandra Theatre, replaces the previously announced production of Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
In a statement producer David Mirvish said, "We had initially announced The Boys in the Photograph to play the 2008-09 subscription season, but had to drop it from the season when we could not find an appropriate venue for this new musical. It was to have been co-produced with the Manitoba Theatre Centre (MTC), which has been an excellent producing partner of ours for many years. MTC carried on with their production and we recently saw it in Winnipeg in a show featuring an all-Canadian cast, directed by Ben Elton.
"This new production is immensely impressive. The show has just ended its Winnipeg run, having had a great engagement, playing to capacity crowds who stood and cheered at the end of every performance. As soon as we saw it we knew we had to find a way to bring it to Toronto.
"Andrew Lloyd Webber visited MTC and agreed with our assessment; he too was anxious for the production to come to Toronto and agreed to postpone his Joseph to a future season. And as the Royal Alexandra Theatre is now available, we also had the perfect venue for this intimate but powerful new work. It's all come together so quickly, as is sometimes the case with shows that are meant to be. We couldn't be more delighted to have this production in the season."
The Boys in the Photograph, according to press notes, "tells the story of ordinary people in extraordinary times. Set in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, this coming-of-age story is about a group of young men and women who are involved with a local soccer team at the start of a 30-year civil war. Some are drawn into the conflict, while others stand aside wanting only to be allowed to live and love in peace." The cast is headed by Tony Le Page as John Kelly, Erica Peck as Mary McGuire and Richard McMillan as Father O'Donnell. The ensemble cast features Kathryn Ballantine, Matthew Bradley, Caleb Cosman, Tracy Dawson, Tom Delbello, Kelly Fletcher, Jacquelyn French, Jeff Giles, Richard Harte, Allie Hughes, David Hurwitz, Joanna Keats, Cody Scott Lancaster, Brandon McGibbon, Adrienne Merrell, Shawn Meunier, Matt Murray, Carson Nattrass, Laura Olafson, Ange Pagano, Kristen Peace and Justin Stadnyk.
The creative team includes book and lyrics writer and director Ben Elton, music director Bob Foster, choreographer and assistant director Tracey Flye, set and costume Designer Brian Perchaluk, lighting designer Michael J. Whitfield and sound designer John Bent Jr.
To purchase subscriptions, call (416) 593-4225 or (800) 771-3933 or visit www.mirvish.com.
