Toronto theatres are announcing their new seasons. Here are the big takeaways and major surprises

As theatre companies continue to announce their upcoming seasons, here’s a breakdown of the biggest takeaways and major surprises from these lineups. 

Mirvish

The Lineup: “Hell’s Kitchen,” “The Karate Kid: The Musical,” “Operation Mincemeat,” “13 Going on 30: The Musical,” “The Mousetrap,” “Inside the Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald” and “Salesman in China”

Analysis: Whether intentional or not, this upcoming Mirvish mainstage season seems like a significant pivot away from the U.S. touring market, with the majority of productions being either local or originating from the UK. Even of the two tours from down south, “Operation Mincemeat” and “Hell’s Kitchen,” the former is a British musical. The question looming over this season, however, is whether “The Karate Kid” will even make it to Toronto. The UK tour that we’re supposed to receive is selling abysmally. There are hopes that it will eventually open on the West End, but let’s see if it can transfer to Toronto in the fall. As well, after the success of their previous docu-concert “Inside American Pie” in last year’s Off-Mirvish season, I’m thrilled to see the PEI-based company Harmony House back at Mirvish with “The Edmund Fitzgerald” next spring. But can what is essentially a concert production fill one of Toronto’s larger theatres? 

Most Promising Show: I saw “Operation Mincemeat” on Broadway, and it’s my favourite British musical of the past decade: a wickedly funny, exceptionally moving and perfectly executed musical comedy about a Second World War deception mission that thwarted Hitler’s invasion of Sicily. 

Off-Mirvish

The Lineup: “Our Little Secret: A True New Musical,” “Goblin:Christmas Carol,” “Prima Facie,” “Jackpot Twins” and “The Wrong Bashir”

Analysis: Kudos to Mirvish for really leaning into new Canadian works with this lineup: two of the shows are world premieres (“Goblin:Christmas Carol” and “Jackpot Twins”), another two recently debuted in the past five years (“Our Little Secret” and “The Wrong Bashir”), while all five feature Canadian casts. But this season has a lot of question marks written all over it. While Off-Mirvish programming has always been less commercial than the Mirvish mainstage lineup, that feels especially true this season. I’ve heard positive things about Noam Tomaschoff’s Fringe show “Our Little Secret,” but I’m curious to see whether this one-man musical can effectively fill the 700-seat CAA Theatre. As for “Jackpot Twins,” it sure has an all-star cast, headlined by Seana McKenna and Nora McLellan. But this debut play by Philip Riccio (best known for his work as a director and actor) does feel — pardon the pun — like a big gamble. 

Most Promising Show: Spontaneous Theatre is one of this country’s most exciting small theatre companies, and their Goblin-inspired twists on classic tales have all been hits. I have high hopes their latest creation, “Goblin:Christmas Carol,” will be the same. 

Soulpepper

The Lineup: “Spring Awakening,” “De Profundis: Oscar Wilde in Jail,” “Parfumerie,” “The Thrill of Hope: A Holiday Concert,” “Last Waltz,” “The Rez Sisters,” “The Zoo Story,” “Machinal,” “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,” “Design for Living” and “Closing Time”

Analysis: Paolo Santalucia, Soulpepper’s new artistic director, has said he’s “keenly interested” in reinterpretation and adaptation. That’s most certainly reflected in his inaugural season with the company, with new takes on classic shows like Edward Albee’s “The Zoo Story” and Tomson Highway’s seminal play “The Rez Sisters.” This programming shift is certainly welcome after recent years, when Soulpepper’s programming had become almost indistinguishable from companies like Crow’s Theatre and Canadian Stage. What’s most surprising, though, is that there are only two Soulpepper-Crow’s co-productions this upcoming season (“All’s Well” and Noël Coward’s “Design for Living”), down from the four co-productions this year, which is the first year of the companies’ three-year strategic partnership. Given that Santalucia previously was Crow’s associate artistic director, I assumed the partnership would only deepen following his move to Soulpepper.

Most Promising Show: I’m most intrigued by Sophie Treadwell’s 1928 expressionist drama “Machinal,” a play about female rage and repression, inspired by the true story of a woman who was executed for murdering her husband. Marie Farsi, the mastermind behind the “Fifteen Dogs” stage adaptation, is set to direct. 

Crow’s Theatre 

The Lineup: “A Fine Balance,” “Measure for Measure,” “Macbeth,” “All’s Well,” “A German Life,” “Fall on Your Knees: Part 1 & 2,” “The Fishermen,” “The Ghosts of Mariupol,” “We Swear” and “Laura Secord’s Thing”

Analysis: Crow’s Theatre is in a bit of an artistic rut. While the company has found moderate success in its smaller Studio Theatre and with co-productions at other venues (like that extraordinary Canadian premiere of “A Strange Loop”), it’s been more than two years since I’ve been truly wowed by a show at Crow’s marquee mainstage, the Guloien Theatre. Next season, however, looks promising, with a heavy focus on Shakespeare (“Macbeth” and “Measure for Measure”) and literary adaptations (“A Fine Balance,” “All’s Well,” “Fall on Your Knees” and “The Fishermen”). It’s also lovely to see the mix of talent in the lineup, with established artists like Fiona Reid and Maev Beaty alongside up-and-comers like William Dao and Brad Gira. 

Most Promising Show: Christopher Morris’s “The Ghosts of Mariupol,” a new play about art in the face of war, set against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, should be high on every theatregoer’s watch list for the 2026-27 season. 

Canadian Stage

The Lineup: “Twelfth Night,” “Wine in the Wilderness,” “Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet),” “Rogers v. Rogers,” “Cinderella,” “Sex in the ‘80s,” “Cabaret,” “Raised by Women” and “Creditors”

Analysis: With this upcoming lineup, headlined by a new revival of Kander and Ebb’s “Cabaret,” it seems like Canadian Stage is finally back in the business of musical theatre after a years-long hiatus. That’s a welcome sign, especially considering the dearth of local, non-touring musical productions in Toronto. And “Cabaret,” a musical about a society sleepwalking into fascism, also couldn’t arrive at a better moment. But the rest of this new season is more mixed. Some may call it eclectic; I say it’s a hodgepodge: an obligatory Shakespeare production, a holiday panto, a few new plays coupled with some revivals. I’ve been concerned in recent years that Canadian Stage is stretching itself too thin with this broad array of programming, even coming at the expense of a clear artistic vision. With this latest season announcement, it seems the company is only staying the course. 

Most Promising Show: Director Jordan Laffrenier made a statement last year with his barn-burning production of “Slave Play,” so I’m curious what he does with “Wine in the Wilderness,” a rarely revived gem by the American playwright Alice Childress. 

Tarragon Theatre

The Lineup: “Prophetess,” “Monks,” “The Night Logan Woke Up,” “Call Me By My Cousin’s Name,” “The Shoplifters,” “You’re Still Here,” “Definition” and “Yaga”

Analysis: This is one heck of a lineup and comes on the heels of what has been, so far, an incredibly strong season for Tarragon. The hottest ticket, no doubt, will be the new revival of Kat Sandler’s “Yaga,” a dark, fairy tale thriller now being adapted into a new Crave television series, featuring “Heated Rivalry” star Hudson Williams. But there are other gems in this season, too. It’s wonderful, for instance, to see Canadian playwright Morris Panych back at Tarragon with the Toronto premiere of his comedy “The Shoplifters,” which he will also direct. I also can’t wait to finally see “Monks,” a critically acclaimed clown comedy which I somehow managed to miss at both the Toronto Fringe Festival and the Theatre Centre. 

Most Promising Show: “Cockroach,” playwright Ho Ka Kei’s last collaboration with Tarragon artistic director Mike Payette, was a doozy. Their latest, “Prophetess,” about a professor haunted by spiders, sounds equally compelling.