From a new adaptation of a classic “Narnia” story to a revival of the beloved Cole Porter high-seas musical “Anything Goes,” there’s no shortage of offerings at this year’s Shaw Festival. The repertory theatre company in Niagara-on-the-Lake is presenting 10 mainstage productions for its 63rd season, which runs through December. Here’s a comprehensive guide of what to see — and skip — this year.
This roundup will be updated throughout the season as more shows open.
Gnit
This play by the American dramatist Will Eno is billed as a “faithful, unfaithful and wilfully American reading” of the Henrik Ibsen classic “Peer Gynt,” about a restless young man who abandons his bride-to-be and sets off in search of his true self, only to turn bitter and disillusioned. The two-act work flirts with surrealism and realism and, like its original, is filled with wry humour and deep existentialism. Artistic director Tim Carroll directs this production, staged in-the-round and featuring Qasim Khan as the titular anti-hero. Until Oct. 4 at the Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre.
Wait Until Dark
This psychological thriller premiered on Broadway in 1966 and was later turned into a classic film starring Audrey Hepburn. It follows a woman who is blind and finds herself targeted by a gang of criminals after her husband unwittingly takes possession of a drug-laced doll. With her husband absent, she’s forced to outsmart her assailants by relying solely on her gumption and the help of her cunning young neighbour. This revival, directed by Sanjay Talwar and starring Sochi Fried, uses Jeffrey Hatcher’s new adaptation of the play, which sets the action in the middle of the Second World War. Until Oct. 5 at the Festival Theatre.
Major Barbara
The sole Shavian work programmed in the Shaw Festival lineup this year, this social satire follows a Salvation Army officer and her estranged father. A provocative and witty comedy of ideas, Shaw’s play explores timeless themes of poverty, religion and war. Canadian director Peter Hinton-Davis leads this lean, modern revival, featuring festival regulars André Morin and Gabriella Sundar Singh, the latter starring as the title character. Until Oct. 5 at the Royal George Theatre.
Anything Goes
When you think of classic Broadway, “Anything Goes” ought to spring to mind. Cole Porter’s musical romp on the high seas, which premiered on the Great White Way in 1934 starring Ethel Merman, is filled with standards like “You’re the Top,” “It’s De-Lovely” and its tap-dancing title number. Associate artistic director Kimberley Rampersad is directing and choreographing this revival, featuring Canadian Broadway alum Mary Antonini as Reno Sweeney, a nightclub singer and former evangelist who finds love and a boatload of hijinks aboard the S.S. American. Until Oct. 4 at the Festival Theatre.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Co-adapted for the stage by Selma Dimitrijevic and Tim Carroll, this new production of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” marks the Shaw Festival’s final foray into the land of Narnia after “The Magician’s Nephew” (2018), “The Horse and His Boy” (2019) and “Prince Caspian” (2023). Based on the first novel in C.S. Lewis’s “The Chronicles of Narnia” series, the play with music follows four siblings who discover a magical kingdom thrown into perpetual winter by an evil witch. Dimitrijevic directs this production, which stars Jeff Irving, Alexandra Gratton, Dieter Lische-Parkes and Kristi Frank as the Pevensie children. Until Oct. 4 at the Festival Theatre.
Tons of Money
A man who’s deep in debt finds out that he’s the recipient of a significant inheritance. How can he pocket the moolah without paying back his pesky creditors? Such is the premise of “Tons of Money,” a century-old British farce by Will Evans and Valentine (the pen name of Archibald Thomas Pechey). Director Eda Holmes, a name many Shaw Festival regulars will instantly recognize, helms this production with a starry ensemble cast that includes Mike Nadajewski, Julia Course, Marla McLean and Qasim Khan. Until Oct. 5 at the Royal George Theatre.
Shows opening later this season
“Murder-on-the-Lake”: Rebecca Northan and Bruce Horak, the pair behind the highly successful production of “Goblin:Macbeth,” are heading to the Shaw Festival with their latest work, “Murder-on-the-Lake,” a new whodunit drama that relies on audience participation. From July 26 to Oct. 4 at the Royal George Theatre.
“Blues for an Alabama Sky”: Set during the twilight of the Harlem Renaissance, Pearl Cleage’s play follows a singer who falls in love with a stranger from Alabama. Rampersad will direct this five-person play, featuring Virgilia Griffith and Allan Louis. From Aug. 2 to Oct. 4 at the Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre
“A Christmas Carol”: Carroll’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ heartwarming story has quickly become a Shaw Festival holiday tradition. This remount will mark the final production at the historic Royal George Theatre before it’s torn down and rebuilt. From Nov. 1 to Dec. 21 at the Royal George Theatre.
“White Christmas”: Irving Berlin’s holiday musical, based on the 1954 film of the same name, is back at the Shaw Festival later this year for a six-week run. Kate Hennig is to direct this show about a pair of Second World War vets who fall in love with the duo behind a sister act. From Nov. 7 to Dec. 21 at the Festival Theatre.
