by Terry Johnson and Don Black (Mirvish). An eccentric UK socialite invests in and transforms London’s Windmill Theatre in 1937 in this biographical musical based on the 2005 screenplay by Martin Sherman. Opens Mar 15 and runs to Apr 23, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mats Wed, Sat-Sun 2 pm. $38-$139.
MINI REVIEW
In this musical set just before WWII and based on a true story, an eccentric wealthy widow (Tracie Bennett) purchases a floundering London theatre, hires an impresario (Peter Polycarpou), and together they guide it to profitability by staging glamorous showgirls in nude tableaux. The storyline is predictable and the score suffers from sameness, but the songs capture the feeling of the era and the acting is strong. The most memorable scenes include elegant nudity, with the feathers, clamshells and poses delivering an inspired reminder of bygone days.
NNN (Debbie Fein-Goldbach)
Phone: 416-872-1212
Location - Royal Alexandra Theatre