Canadian Premiere of Rob Roy - The Musical
Prydwyn Productions ventures into Toronto’s theatre scene with the Canadian premiere of Rob Roy The Musical
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Toronto, ON (December 16, 2008)
Rob Roy The Musical, a new musical based on the legendary Scottish hero from the late 17th and early 18th centuries, will make its Canadian premiere at Toronto’s Elgin Theatre (189 Yonge Street) from March 24 to April 19, 2009. The Opening Night performance is Thursday, March 26 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets to Rob Roy The Musical go on sale December 20.
Rob Roy The Musical celebrates the adventures of one of the best known heroes in Scottish history. Set in Scotland and England during the first half of the 18th Century, Rob Roy The Musical tells the tale of the famous Highlander from his days as a peaceful clan leader through his difficulties with the abrasive Duke of Montrose. Rob Roy MacGregor is branded as an outlaw due to a business transaction which bore all the signs of a set-up. This all took place at a pivotal time in Scottish history, when the Scots hoped to finally break free from England and follow what they believed was their true destiny. Rob Roy in his flight from the law was captured many times yet always managed to escape thus becoming a hero to the Scots.
Rob Roy The Musical is directed by Tony Award™ winner Len Cariou, with book, music and lyrics by David Warrack. George Masswohl stars in the title role, with Stephanie Roth as his wife Mary, and David Dunbar as Rob Roy’s nemesis the Duke of Montrose.
The creative elements include choreography by Phillip Hughes, fight direction by Mark Harapiak, set & props design by Yannik Larivée, lighting design by Renée Brode, sound design by Peter McBoyle, and features costumes by Bonnie Deakin .
Rob Roy The Musical began its life as a 90-minute production at the 2006 Edinburgh Fringe Festival featuring a cast of 12 with 6 musicians. It received rave reviews including The Theatre Record which called it “a richly tuneful musical, very well sung.” The Scotsman hailed the show as “full of emotional resonance,” and Three Weeks in Edinburgh raved, “(a) mature…genuinely moving tale (with a)…touching musical score.”
Director Len Cariou is best known for his portrayal of the title role, opposite Angela Lansbury, in Hal Prince’s original production of Sweeney Todd, for which he was honored with the Tony Award™ for Best Actor. Cariou has been involved with sixteen Broadway productions over a forty-year career as performer or director. In Canada, he performed at the Stratford Festival and directed at the Guthrie Theatre and Citadel Theatre. He was Artistic Director of the Manitoba Theatre Centre 1975-76, and Associate Artistic Director to Michael Langham at the Guthrie. His most recent Canadian directorial credit was Glengarry Glen Ross for MTC’s 50th Anniversary season. Most recently, he played Richard Nixon in the Vancouver Playhouse/Canadian Stage production of Frost Nixon.
David Warrack has produced nearly 60 musicals and plays over the past 32 years. As composer/writer, Warrack has written or collaborated on 71 professionally produced musicals, including some of the longest-running productions in Canadian theatre history. Warrack is one of Canada’s most respected and prolific musicians, with three Dora awards to his credit, and an enviable catalogue of chamber and orchestral works, choral works, songs and piano music. He is the founding musical director of the Canada Pops Orchestra and will lead them in concert at Carnegie Hall in June 2009. He remains one of the most sought after music directors and arrangers in North America.
Rob Roy The Musical is produced by Prydwyn Productions Ltd, a new theatre production company founded by co-producers Bernard Abrams and David Warrack. Bernard Abrams’ producing credits include Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life, the original Broadway production of Dr Seuss’ The Grinch Who Stole Christmas! and the hit Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Executive producers for Rob Roy The Musical are Bernadine and Hugh Cameron, with Mitchell Schmieding serving as Associate Producer in Chicago. For more information visit www.robroythemusical.com .
Tickets to Rob Roy The Musical are $52 to $72 during previews, and $62 to $82 for regular performances. Special family pricing, the ‘Clan Pack’, offers four tickets for $140 for previews, and $180 for regular performances (some restrictions apply). Tickets go on sale Friday, December 20 at 10 a.m. and are available by calling TicketMaster at 416-872-5555, on-line at www.ticketmaster.ca or at the Elgin Theatre box office. Group discounts (10+) are available through THE Group Tix Company 647-438-5559, outside the GTA 1-866-4GRPTIX, www.thegrouptixcompany.com.
The performance schedule for Rob Roy The Musical is as follows: Previews, March 24 at 8 p.m.; March 25 at 2 and 8 p.m. Opening Night is Thursday, March 26 at 8 p.m. Performances run Tuesdays to Saturdays at 8 p.m. with matinees at 2 p.m. on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. There is a specially-priced matinee at 1 p.m. on Wed. Apr. 1, for seniors, vets, and card-carrying members of the military. Details available from TicketMaster or THE Group Tix Company.
