If you’re looking for musical theatre productions that promise to provide nostalgia and humour but in two completely different ways, join Drury Lane Theatre for the second half of their 2023/2024 season.
Drury Lane Theatre is hosting their 43rd annual Music Hall entitled No Tunes Like Show Tunes beginning February 23, and it promises not to disappoint. A crowd favourite, this musical comedy variety show will feature a compilation of music from television, Hollywood movies, and Broadway, said Rick MacKenzie, director of marketing for Drury Lane.
Show tunes include classics such as ‘Marry the Man Today’ from Guys and Dolls, ‘Do You Hear the People Sing’ from Les Miserables, and ‘This is the Greatest Show’ from The Greatest Showman, to name a few.
“The musical numbers are either going to make you laugh or smile, or pull at your heart strings a little bit, and in the end it really is a feel-good experience,” MacKenzie said.
MacKenzie said this year’s medleys will include popular TV theme songs from shows including “The Flintstones”, “I Love Lucy,” “The Addams Family,” and “Bewitched.” As well, a song that may hit a bit differently than before considering the recent passing of one of its stars, “I’ll Be There For You,” the theme song from “Friends.”
As usual, as The Chairman narrates the show and audiences are encouraged to participate.
“The Chairman always tells stories as he introduces each piece, so in between each number or each medley, he is always doing this monologue shtick, and his humour is groaner material by design and this is where audiences are encouraged to do the booing and cheering,” MacKenzie said.
Beginning May 3, Drury Lane presents First Date, a hilarious look at the experiences of two people trying to find a love connection in the blind dating scene.
MacKenzie said the story follows two singles, Aaron and Casey, who have been set up on a blind date by a mutual friend. Polar opposites, Aaron is a sweet, slightly awkward guy and a blind-date virgin, while Casey is a serial dater who is cool and confident, but whose clock is ticking.
Their hilarious first date is set in a Manhattan restaurant and their opposite personalities and personal quirks aren’t the only fodder for hilarity that ensues. Other surprises occur in the form of other patrons in the restaurants portraying their inner thoughts, their exes, family members and even their future son!
“You’ve got these different characters that Casey and Aaron are thinking about, they’re not articulating them to the other person, but imagine you are having dinner and thoughts are going through your head, you’re not sharing them with the other person but the audience can see them,” MacKenzie said.
Add to this some awkward pauses, Google background checks, some fake emergency phone calls and maybe even some chemistry, MacKenzie said this musical captures the funny adventures of being single and ready to mingle, and the unpredictability of love, connection, and blind dates!
“It allows us to laugh at ourselves a little…and it could be a journey down memory lane for some people,” he said. “Do you remember what it was like when you went on your first date?” “There are a million stories depending on who you are talking to and this just happens to be one of them.”
Music Hall, No Tunes Like Show Tunes runs February 23 - March 17, 8 p.m., with 2 p.m. matinees on February 25, March 3, 10 and 17.
First Date runs from May 3 – 26, 8 p.m., with 2 p.m. matinees on May 5, 12, 19 and 26.
To purchase tickets for either musical, visit them online here, call their box office at 905-637-3979 (and ask about their special offer of two tickets for $68.00), or visit their Facebook page to learn more!
