DRAYTON – Drayton Entertainment will present a 2020 season packed with classic and contemporary Broadway hits, comedies, iconic dramas, pantos, Canadian fare, and shows that pay homage to iconic artists and eras of music.
“This is an exciting season packed with entertaining shows for theatregoers at every stage of life,” Mustakas said. “It’s also extra special because we are celebrating the 30th anniversary of our flagship venue – the historic Drayton Festival Theatre.”
A number of musical blockbusters are on the playbill, including contemporary hits such as Kinky Boots and A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, beloved classics like 42nd Street, Evita, and The Sound of Music, and the return of the mega-hit musical Rock of Ages.
Kinky Boots
On the heels of last season’s production of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Drayton officials have inserted another feel-good musical – the global sensation Kinky Boots.
Winner of six Tony Awards, London’s Olivier Award and a Grammy, Kinky Boots features an infectious score by pop icon Cyndi Lauper.
The production will open the season at the Hamilton Family Theatre Cambridge from March 11 to April 5, and then run in the summer at the Huron Country Playhouse in Grand Bend from Aug. 20 to Sept. 5.
Based on the Miramax motion picture, Kinky Boots is adapted for the stage by Harvey Fierstein.
Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder
Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and acclaimed as a “knock-’em-dead, uproarious hit,” A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder is an outrageous romp filled with unforgettable music and non-stop laughs, theatre officials state.
Based on a novel by Roy Horniman, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder is a musical comedy, with a book and lyrics by Robert L. Freedman and music and lyrics by Steven Lutvak.
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder will be on stage from May 20 to June 7 at the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse.
42nd Street
Broadway’s Tony Award-winning dance spectacular 42nd Street is of glitz, glamour, dazzling dance and sensational songs like Lullaby of Broadway, We’re in the Money, and the unforgettable title tune. It’s on stage from June 10 to 27 at the Hamilton Family Theatre Cambridge, and from July 2 to 18 at the Huron Country Playhouse in Grand Bend.
Evita
The epic Broadway musical Evita charts the meteoric rise of Argentina’s infamous first lady Eva Perón from her early life of poverty to her ascent as the most powerful woman in South America.
Featuring some of the best loved songs in musical theatre by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice Evita is on stage at the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse from Oct. 14 to Nov. 1.
Sound of Music
The hills will be alive with The Sound of Music as Rodgers and Hammerstein’s treasured musical comes to the Hamilton Family Theatre Cambridge.
The Sound of Music is on stage from Nov. 25 to Dec. 20.
Rock of Ages
After playing to sold-out crowds in Cambridge in 2017, Rock of Ages is back – this time in St. Jacobs, Grand Bend and Penetanguishene.
The hard rockin’ musical is on stage at three venues: July 2 to 18 at St. Jacobs Country Playhouse; July 23 to Aug. 15 at the Huron Country Playhouse and Aug. 20 to Sept. 5 at the King’s Wharf Theatre.
Billy Bishop Goes to War
The Canadian musical memoir Billy Bishop Goes to War will be on stage for three weeks only from April 8 to 26 at the St. Jacobs Schoolhouse Theatre, which will expand its season having traditionally only operated in the fall.
Drayton Entertainment’s 2020 playbill also includes a variety of heartwarming comedies including The Dixie Swim Club and the Canadian play Buying The Farm, as well as the cherished classics Driving Miss Daisy and On Golden Pond.
Full of Southern-fried humour, The Dixie Swim Club will be on stage from June 10 to 27 at the Drayton Festival Theatre, from July 2 to 18 at the King’s Wharf Theatre, from July 23 to Aug. 8 at the Huron Country Playhouse II, and from Aug. 13 to 30 at the Hamilton Family Theatre Cambridge.
Country wit meets city bluster in the rural romantic comedy Buying The Farm on stage at the Drayton Festival Theatre from July 8 to 25.
Winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Alfred Uhry’s Driving Miss Daisy is on stage from July 29 to Aug. 16 at St. Jacobs Country Playhouse.
On Golden Pond
With its heartwarming message about celebrating the everyday moments in life, On Golden Pond is on stage from May 6 to 24 at the Hamilton Family Theatre Cambridge.
A Few Good Men
A Few Good Men launches the season at the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse from March 4 to March 22.
In addition to many Broadway musicals, comedies, and dramas, four entertaining shows will also be included – Fiddler on the Loose, Return To Grace, A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline, and the new wartime revue, We’ll Meet Again.
Fiddler on the Loose
Fiddler on the Loose is on stage from June 10 to 27 at the Huron Country Playhouse, July 2 to 18 at the Hamilton Family Theatre Cambridge, and July 23 to Aug. 15 at the King’s Wharf Theatre.
Return To Grace
Return To Grace is a
hip-swiveling, lip-curling salute to the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
This high-energy homage to a rock ’n’ roll legend opens the 30th Anniversary Season at the Drayton Festival Theatre from May 13 to 30, and then runs in the fall from Oct. 7 to 25 at the Hamilton Family Theatre Cambridge.
A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline will be on stage at the Drayton Festival Theatre from July 29 to August 15, and then at the Huron Country Playhouse II from August 20 to September 5.
We’ll Meet Again is a brand new “sentimental journey” through a hit parade of wartime classics.
We’ll Meet Again is on stage at the St. Jacobs Schoolhouse Theatre from Sept. 22 to Dec. 20.
We’ll Meet Again is created and directed by Artistic Director Alex Mustakas.
Two fun-filled pantos will also be on stage for families to enjoy.
Sleeping Beauty: The Panto
Featuring a dozy princess, feisty fairies, two dashing princes, and a malevolent villainess, Sleeping Beauty: The Panto runs from June 10 to 27 at the King’s Wharf Theatre in Penetanguishene and then July 2 to 18 at the Huron Country Playhouse II in Grand Bend.
Adapted by Caroline Smith, this dreamy panto offers a fresh take on the famed fable.
Follow the Yellow Brick Road to St. Jacobs for the holiday season, because one of the greatest tales ever told is touching down with a brand new twist – Wizard of Oz: The Panto.
Join Dorothy as she takes a surprising new journey over the rainbow and makes her way to Oz with the help of some newfound friends from Nov. 25 to Dec. 27 at St. Jacobs Country Playhouse.
Creative teams and casting will be announced at a later date.
Tickets are on sale this fall to members in early November, followed by groups and subscribers in mid-November and the general public in early December.
For more information about the 2020 Season visit www.draytonentertainment.com.
