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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Broadway comes to town for Boys in the Photograph

By: Jen Skerritt

1/05/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Enlarge Image

Steven Schipper beams during an exciting opening night.

Broadway bigwigs descended on the Manitoba Theatre Centre Thursday night for the world premiere of The Boys in The Photograph.

Producers from Toronto and New York were among those that mingled and sipped cocktails before the opening performance, generating buzz that the production might be shown in other cities.

Enlarge Image

Andrew Leigh, the former producer of the Old Vic in London, clutches his world premiere ticket. (PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)

The hype surrounding the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Ben Elton musical has producers hoping for a smash hit akin to Lloyd Webber's Cats or The Phantom of the Opera. The musical was initially titled The Beautiful Game, which ran in London for 11 months in 2000. Lloyd Webber and Elton redeveloped the piece with new songs and an upbeat new ending.

Elton was excited before stepping into the theatre at curtain call, and said he'd be surprised if the show doesn't generate some interest.

He said the stakes are always high in the theatre world, and he's already proud of the Canadian crew he's worked with for the last seven weeks.

"At the very least, we'll be very proud of what we achieved in Winnipeg," he said, before rushing into the theatre.

The musical is set in 1969-72 in a crumbling neighbourhood of Belfast, Northern Ireland where local soccer lads play on ill-kept fields. In the big scene, Irish soccer players and their girlfriends wonder if they have a choice to flee the deepening strife in Belfast.

MTC artistic director Steven Schipper admitted it was a big night and said the production is "a gift" from Lloyd Webber, Elton, Mirvish Productions, and everyone in Manitoba who has helped fund and cultivate MTC.

"What I love about it is people are laughing and then they're crying," Schipper said. "You can't help but be moved."

Toronto impresario David Mirvish said he was enthused when he first saw a rehearsal Wednesday, admitting he became emotional at the end of the performance.

Mirvish believes the show has a real future, and that producers from other cities will come calling.

"I think there's a lot riding on this performance and the performances the next few days, because Andrew Lloyd Webber will see it (tonight)," Mirvish added. "I'm very pleased with what we have, I think we have a show that could be done in Toronto, in other cities, and I think there's an interest to do that.

"Now, we'll see what the critics have to say."

Prior to the opening, Andrew Leigh's face lit up when he saw MTC co-founder John Hirsch's name on his ticket stub.

Leigh, the former producer of the Old Vic in London, was a personal friend of Hirsch and said he used to call him "Hershey bar."

"This is a real treat and I'm very excited," said Leigh, who flew in from New York for the performance.

Leigh said he saw the original production of The Beautiful Game in London, and expects the revamped version will be well-received.

"There's always potential," he said. "That's show business."

jen.skerritt@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 1, 2009 A9

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