The Boys Meet the Critics

Click the links to read what Toronto has to say.

Andrew Lloyd Webber Working With The Cast of The Boys In The Photograph

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Bono Loves The Boys In The Photograph

“As song writers new to the theatre, we have a lot to learn from Andrew Lloyd Webber, Ben Elton is so sharp – I’m interested in anything he does. This is a Canadian company telling an Irish tale by British writers on a theme that unites the whole world. Stories like this need to be told and told in the popular theatre.”

-Bono

(Left to Righ- Bob Foster, Brandon McGibbon, Cadace Maxwell, Matt Murray, Joanna Keats, Allie Hughes, Cody Scott Lancaster,Jacquelyn French, Richard Harte, David Hurwitz, Ben Elton, Caleb Cosman, Tony LePage, Tracey Flye, Shawn Meunier, Laura Olafson, Bono,  Carson Nattrass,  Carson Nattrass, Justin Stadnyk, Erica Peck, Tom Delbello, Kathryn Ballantine, Tracy Dawson, Jeff Giles, Adrienne Merrell, Richard McMillan, Kelly Fletcher, Christy Adamson, Kelly Fletcher, Ange Pagano and Trevor Covelli.)

For more information, click on the source.

The Royal Alexandra Theatre

The Royal Alexandra Theatre is 101; North America’s oldest theatre which continuously produces shows.  There has been over three thousand productions since 1907 when it was envisioned by Cawthra Mulock and designed by John M. Lyle.  Mulock was born into a prominent Ontario family.  While he was still a teenager, over two million dollars were left to him by a great aunt.  He was considered ‘the boy millionaire’ but did not inherit a penny until his 21st birthday when he began to receive installments of the money.  He attended Upper Canada College and the University of Toronto before venturing out into the world of business and philanthropy.  He was a socialite and one of Toronto’s first capitalists.  His theatre was royally named by Edward VII after his  wife, Danish princess Alexandra and it stands today as one of Canada’s National Historic Monuments.

Edwin Mirvish bought the Royal Alex in 1963 and put it under extreme renovations to restore it’s original beauty.  It was his first theatre of many during his long career.  Honest Ed Mirvish, as he was known, produced many great shows at the Royal Alex before 1986 when he handed the estate over to his son David, who continues to  watch over the Mirvish theatre world to this very day. Shows such as Dirty Dancing,The Boy Friend, Mama Mia!, Hair, Godspell and Rent have graced the royal stage including many Canadian classics such as Spring Thaw and My Fur Lady.

The Royal Alex is located at 260 King St. West, just one block away from the Princess of Wales. It sits just around the corner from Toronto’s famous Roy Thompson Hall, the Rogers Centre and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.  The inside of the theatre is a specticle of gold and red, seating 1500 in two beautiful balconies.  The Royal Alex is one of four theatres owned by Mirvish along with The Princess of Wales, The Canon and The Panasonic, all located in downtown Toronto, Ontario.

Laura Olafson

This redheaded beauty has been involved with live theatre since she was a wee lassie!  Laura Olafson attended Grant MacEwan College and graduated with honors from their Theatre Arts Program. While in school she played the role of Carla Albanese in Nine and it remains in her heart as one of her most memorable college experiences. She also had the priveledge of creating/performing in “Darkness and Light” with one of her mentors, Kenneth W. Brown. She quickly made her way onto both Edmonton and Winnipeg stages after graduating in 2006.  Olafson considers herself to be one of the lucky ones, having worked steadily upon graduation.

Olafson’s favourite role thus far in her career is Dot/Marie in Sunday In The Park With George because, “The gift of Sondheim is the greatest gift a singer can get!”  Impersonations are her forte and she can truly capture some of Broadway’s biggest names: Ethel, Barbara, Liza and Julie. Laura also had the pleasure of performing the role of Dolly Parton in The Queens of Country at The Mayfield Dinner Theatre in 2007. She is always the life of the party and constantly has a smile on.

The Boys In The Photograph is Laura Olafson’s first appearance on the Manitoba Theatre Centre stage.  She has also played The Woman in Death of a Salesman opposite Ron Lea with WJT, Shelley in Bat Boy: The Musical at the Edmonton International Fringe Festival last summer, Hope Cladwell in Urinetown for Dry Cold Productions and Charlotte Sowerberry in Oliver! with the Citadel. Laura had the rare opportunity to perform the title role of Lizzie Dawn in the original musical The Enchantment with Theatre Yes! The Mayfield Dinner Theatre in Edmonton Alberta has worked with Olafson on many occasions. This fall, Laura Olafson will be returning to The Mayfield Dinner Theatre to perform in a new production of Nashville Icons, a show that she helped create a hit two seasons ago!

In the future, Laura is trying to remain open for anything. She considers spending more time in school, learning as much about her craft as she can.  Laura would love to sing in a band again, and has a secret passion for directing. Olafson clearly recognizes the need for performers to not only be triple threats, but to be able to be as versatile as possible.

“There will never be a time when I stop wanting to grow as an artist. You have to be more than a triple threat, you have to be able to create your own work, and explore new things, it’s inevitable.”

Olafson also works at a group home in Winnipeg, supporting individuals with developmental disabilities. She is just as passionate about caring for people as she is about performing.  She is taking a lot of time off, however, to be one of three local Winnipeggers in the hit new musical, The Boys In The Photograph. An opportunity of which she is extremely proud!

Reviews And Articles 
Click The Images

The Men Behind the Musical
Ben Elton dishes on working with Andrew Lloyd Webber on the revamped (and renamed) The Boys in the Photograph
By Barb Stewart
An exclusive interview with Ben Elton regarding the last ten years of his life, creating and re-working this musical.  Featured in UPTOWN magazing, a local Winnipeg paper where a photograph of Tracy Dawson (Christine) and Brandon McGibbon (Del) grace the front page on April 30, 2009; opening night.  

Takin’ it to the ‘Peg
Why is Ben Elton, British tabloid celebrity,premeiring his new Andrew Lloyd Webber musical at the Manitoba Theatre Centre
By Patrick White 
Published for the Globe and Mail on April 24, 2009, this article takes a deeper look into the inner workings behind the business aspect of Ben Elton’s journey with The Boys In The Photograph.

Musical Gets Yellow Card for Heavy Hand
By Kevin Prokosh
The Winnipeg Free Press published this article for May 2, 2009 as a theatrical review.   It takes a look at The Boys in The Photograph in a rather blunt, heavy handed manner.

Broadway Comes To Town For Boys In The Photograph
By Jen Skerritt
This article, also published by the Winnipeg Free Press takes a deeper look into the goings on during opening night featuring interviews with Ben Elton (Director), Stephen Schipper (Manitoba Theatre Centre Artistic Director), Andrew Leigh (former producer of the Old Vic in London) and David Mirvish (Toronto Producer).