As Drury Lane Theatre continues its 50th anniversary celebration, two special productions will mark the fall season.
With classic shows Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn and Beauty & The Beast on the horizon, Vice President – Director of Marketing Rick MacKenzie sees some incredible stage shows in store for audiences.
“People know Holiday Inn for the movie, but the musical is quite different. Both Holiday Inn and Beauty & The Beast have dance as an important part, and they’re both themed around Christmas. It should be a lot of fun,” he said.
The Burlington Music Theatre will host Holiday Inn from November 1st to 24th, and the Irving Berlin show follows a man who leaves behind show business to settle down at a farmhouse in Connecticut. However, he can’t seem to leave show business behind, and that becomes apparent when he meets talented school teacher Linda.
From December 6th to 15th, the classic Christmas Pantomime Beauty & The Beast will hit the stage. A show that has seen a Disney animated adaptation, a live-action film and countless iterations will be a showstopper for all. The show is for all ages and is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
MacKenzie has seen the talented cast and can’t wait for the new season to get started.
“I sat in on some Holiday Inn rehearsals. Michael MacLennan, our director put aside five hours for a Sunday rehearsal to do a difficult piece. The cast was right on the money after three hours. People are coming in off-book, know the music and are ready to go,” he said.
It’s been an interesting road for the theatre. It began in 1974 and moved into its current venue in 1984. Over the course of its tenure, over 150 musicals have been performed. They began as the Burlington Light Opera Society, and rebranded to Drury Lane six years later.
“We have shifted and morphed over time and gone to more broadway than Gilbert & Sullivan. We remain proud of how we started,” he said.
Outside their regular programming, they remain invested in the community and regularly do fundraisers, youth competitions and other content. The youth competition in June features 20 competitors in three age groups, with winners receiving honouraria and prizes.
Drury Lane Plus and Charity Thursdays are also special fundraising events.
“Plus is a series of social fundraising events. We didn’t have the resources to volunteer and build out more productions, so the criteria for a show was to be turnkey. There’s half a day to load in and get set up. Then there are performances that generate revenue,” said MacKenzie.
Charity Thursdays currently see money from benefit performances go to support youth in the performing arts, including Shepherd Private Coaching, Aspects of Dance, and Burlington Student Theatre.
With diversified criteria and a reading committee dedicated to finding musicals of interest, MacKenzie is confident in the fall picks.
“We really can’t wait for people to see what’s in store, and I think they’ll be really delighted by Holiday Inn and Beauty & The Beast,” he said.
To learn more about Drury Lane or get tickets, visit them online.
