Casting Announced for Toronto's Sound Of Music
Broadway Star Burke Moses and Elicia MacKenzie Lead Cast of 51.
Aug 26, 2008
Burke Moses originated the role of Gaston in Beauty and the Beast on Broadway, and has since played Fred in the revival of Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate. Elicia MacKenzie won the reality show How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? over thousands of other actresses. A fairly new performer, MacKenzie is a recent graduate of the Capilano College musical theatre program in British Columbia. The runner-up in the competition, Janna Polzin, will play Maria twice a week.
The company, directed by Jeremy Sams, includes Noëlla Huet as the Mother Abbess; Stratford Festival vet Keith Dinicol as Max; Shaw Festival, Stratford and Toronto theatre alumnus Blythe Wilson as the Baroness; Megan Nuttall as Liesl; Jeff Irving as Rolf; Jennie Such as Sister Sophia; Mary-Ellen Mahoney as Sister Margaretta; Jayne Lewis as Sister Berte; John Robinson as Admiral von Schreiber; Denise Oucharek as Frau Zeller; James Kall as Franz; Deborah Overes as Frau Schweiger; Brigitte Robinson as Frau Schmidt; and Warren Kimmel as Herr Zeller.
The von Trapp children, who are double-cast, each performing four shows per week, consist of (oldest to youngest): Frederich, played by Spencer Walker and Simeon Vivian; Louisa, played by Emily Hawton and Michaela Snoyer; Kurt, played by Michael Murphy and Matthew Tissi; Brigitta, played by Libby Adams and Ana Golja; Marta, played by Camden Angelis and Addison Holley; and Gretl, played by Mia Vanwyck-Smart and Amariah Faulkner.
The ensemble includes Marianne Bindig, Josée Boudreau, Patrick Cook, Ian Farthing, Stephen Findlay, Neil Foster, Nigel Hamer, Megan Latham, Doug MacLeod, Janet Martin, Frayne McCarthy, Anwyn Musico, Ann O'Kane, Imali Perera, Louie Rosetti, Ted Simonett, Ashley Taylor, Deborah Tennant, Carrie Wiebe, Denise Williams, Andrea Wingelaar and Seana-Lee Wood.
Performances of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic begin Oct. 3 at Toronto's Princess of Wales Theatre, with an opening on Oct. 15. The run is scheduled to be open-ended.
The production is a remount of the hit London revival. The production will be lead by the same, award-winning creative team - director Jeremy Sams, choreographer Arlene Philips and designer Robert Jones.
The Sound of Music, with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse (suggested by The Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp), is one of the most popular musicals of all time. The film starring Julie Andrews won the Best Picture Academy Award in 1965. The show features the title song, My Favorite Things, How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?, Edelweiss, Climb Ev'ry Mountain, Sixteen Going On Seventeen, The Lonely Goatherd and Do-Re-Mi.
For ticket information, visit Mirvish.com.
