Ed Mirvish is the undisputed patriarch of Toronto’s theatre scene. In the early 1960s he had a vision to turn Toronto’s King Street into Canada’s Broadway. He started by buying the Royal Alexandra Theatre, a building that was scheduled for demolition. He created a scene around the theatre with restaurants and bars, brought in all the best shows and laid the groundwork for his goal to turn Toronto into a hotbed of English-speaking theatre. By his death in 2007, he had made his dream a reality. He built another theatre on King Street (the Princess of Wales) and bought the iconic Pantages Theatre next door to us.

In 2011, the Pantages Theatre was renamed the Ed Mirvish Theatre, and here’s what’s playing there this spring:

The Play That Goes Wrong — Now until February 10th

This comedy is billed as a mix of Sherlock Holmes and Monty Python. It’s a play within a play, full of slapstick, sight gags and sharp dialogue. It was a smash in London and New York and now it’s a smash here.

Jukebox Hero: The Musical — February 20th to 24th
Capitalizing on the current trend of turning rock albums into plays, this one puts the music of Foreigner into a classic coming-of-age story. If arena rock is your jam, this is your ticket. Interestingly, this play was written by the creative team behind music-driven films The Commitments and Across The Universe.

Jersey Boys — March 5th to 17th
A look into the lives of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons: how they started, how they hit it big and what happened when they did. This show’s a Tony Award^®-winning play and an international sensation. If you’re a fan of ‘60s music or Italian-American culture, you’ll love this play.

The Lightening Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical — March 19th to 24th
Greek mythology takes the stage in this Disney-adapted story of a boy who discovers his Olympic-sized powers and goes on journey to find Zeus’s lightening bolt. Some call it a play for pre-teens, but anyone who sees it will leave lightening-struck with happiness.