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.