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What's On Mirvish - August 2026
We may be coming to the end of summer, but we’ve got lots for you to take a chance on this month and throughout the upcoming autumn season.
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Honey, I'm still free; take a chance on me” |
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– "Take a Chance on Me" by Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus from MAMMA MIA! (1999) |
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Dear Theatre Lovers,
We may be coming to the end of summer, but we’ve got lots for you to take a chance on this month and throughout the upcoming autumn season. |
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| CÉLINE DION RAVES ABOUT MAMMA MIA!'S SOPHIE | ||||||||||||||
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MAMMA MIA! | NOW THRU AUG 30 Princess of Wales Theatre | 300 King Street West, Toronto |
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MAMMA MIA!, the global sensation that first premiered in North America in Toronto, has returned for a 4-week engagement. This touring production features a thrilling cast of new talent. Among them is Juliette M. Ojeda, who plays Sophie, the young woman in search of her father whose story the musical tells.
When you see Juliette in this production you will instantly recognize that you are watching a major new talent who is destined to become a superstar. (You read it here first!) From Miami and of Cuban heritage, Juliette has always sung, often in the shower. It was second nature to her. When it was time to go to college, she studied musical theatre at the prestigious Boston Conservatory at Berklee. But she had only completed two of the program's four years when she was cast in season 24 of NBC’s The Voice. She made such an impression that she was cast in the smash-hit Broadway musical The Notebook. In summer 2023, just before she was cast in The Voice, she posted a video on TikTok of herself singing the 1997 Céline Dion classic, My Heart Will Go On — no doubt the song that has had more interpretations than any other, and that has probably been covered for countless social media posts. It was very casual and just for fun — recording herself in a bathroom mirror, using a hairbrush as a microphone. She made the video mostly for herself, because she loves singing and she loves that song — the exuberance of it, the chest-beating passion of it, the high, high notes it offers. Juliette's posts had always been semi-private. In fact, to make sure others did not discover them she chose the handle @thatonecubangirl. But in February 2026, during her lunch hour while she was in rehearsals to play Sophie, she received an Instagram reel of Céline Dion watching her 2023 video. |
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Céline is charmed by Juliette’s singing. "She's got a hairbrush," she says. Then Céline starts to sing along with Juliette. |
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Céline’s video went viral, reposted by millions of others. Juliette was floored by Céline’s response and the kindness and authenticity of her words. She said she couldn’t concentrate on rehearsals that afternoon. But the next day she was completely focused on playing Sophie perfectly.
Juliette made her debut in MAMMA MIA! in March of this year in Fort Meyers, FL, and she’s been loving travelling the continent and performing Sophie, a character she adores. And she’s especially happy to be singing ABBA’s timeless songs. Now, Juliette is finally performing in Céline’s home country. If you’re reading this, Céline, the show is at the Princess of Wales Theatre until August 30. We hope to see you there! |
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| NEW CAST MEMBERS FOR THE SECRET CHORD | ||||||||||||||
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THE SECRET CHORD | NOW THRU AUG 16 CAA Theatre | 651 Yonge Street, Toronto |
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Now in its final two weeks, The Secret Chord: A Leonard Cohen Experience welcomes two new cast members.
Emily Schultz takes over from Divine Brown as one of the five featured actor/singers. (Divine Brown leaves to perform in a new production, Revolutionary Women in Blues, playing August 13 to 23 at Soulpepper Theatre.) The show is in good hands with Emily. The Toronto-based singer-songwrighter is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, touring globally from Austrailia to Ireland to the US and beyond. We are glad to have her in the company. The show also welcomes Michael Torontow takes over as Understudy from Joanna Majoko. You’ll remember Michael as Cal from our Canadian production of Titaníque, and also Link Larkin in the Toronto production of Hairspray. The Secret Chord has received rave reviews from critics and has been playing to ecstatic audience responses. You only have until August 16 to catch it at the CAA Theatre. You shouldn’t miss it! |
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| THE GREAT GATSBY BRINGS THE GLAMOUR AND DRAMA OF THE ROARING 20s | ||||||||||||||
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THE GREAT GATSBY | NOW THRU AUG 23 CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre | 244 Victoria Street, Toronto |
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The CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre (originally called the Pantages) first opened in 1920, the beginning of a decade that would dazzle the world. Following a global pandemic that killed more than 50 million, the decade saw the entire world celebrate a new era like they’ve never partied before. It was an age of new freedoms, art, music, and dance. The movies became the dominant form of mass entertainment, and radio brought the world into everyone’s home. There was easy money from a stock market that kept soaring. Even women dared to speak up for their rights, demanding the vote that they should have always had.
It looked like the good times would never end. But they did and what followed was a new reckoning for the wild living that has had for 10 dazzling years. The Great Gatsby, based on one of the defining books of the decade, is a new smash-hit Broadway musical that brings all the drama of the times to Toronto. At the first few performances of its Canadian premiere engagement, the party is as much in the audience as it is on stage. You’re invited to join the party too. But it’s only here until August 23. Tickets are going fast. Get yours now. |
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| EXPERIENCE MORE THEATRE IN 2026/27! | ||||||||||||||
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Did you know that there’s an unexpected reason to become a Season Subscriber? Researchers in the UK found that arts engagement slows aging by up to a full biological year. This recent research study found that people who regularly engage with the arts age more slowly at the biological level. Not metaphorically. Not poetically. Literally: their DNA shows a slower pace of aging. The effect is comparable to physical exercise — meaning a night at the theatre is doing more for your health than you think!
So why not take advantage of this longevity hack? Experience all 5 Off-Mirvish or 7 Main season shows with packages starting as low as $259 per person! Being a subscriber is especially important this year: you’ll also receive earlier priority access to Spirited Away when tickets go on sale for this international blockbuster in October. And there’s even more ahead. We have several exciting productions to announce for the 2026/27 season, and subscribers are always the first to hear the news. |
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| A MONTH OF THEATRE ANNIVERSARIES | ||||||||||||||
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This August we celebrate two big anniversaries!
On August 26, the Royal Alexandra Theatre turns 119 years old. The Grand Dame of King Street, which was built to be the most beautiful theatre on the continent, opened on this day in 1907. It brought elegance and majesty to a new neighbourhood that had previously been the park-like grounds of Upper Canada College, which had moved to its present location on Avenue Road north of St. Clair. On August 28, the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre celebrates its 106th anniversary. Built in 1920 as the Pantages, its 3,000 seats made it the largest theatre in the country and one of the largest in the British Commonwealth. Over its many years of entertaining Torontonians. First, it was a vaudeville theatre (one of its very first performers was Archibald Alec, who changed his name to Cary Grant when he moved to Hollywood). When talking pictures were introduced in 1929, it became the Imperial. Then in 1973, it was sliced up into six smaller cinemas and called the Imperial Six. |
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| LONDON IS CALLING! | JAN 31 – FEB 7, 2027 | ||||||||||||||
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Spend a week in London’s West End seeing the latest shows and enjoying all that one of the world’s greatest cities has to offer.
Each February, we organize a trip for Mirvish theatregoers to visit what is undoubted the English-language capital of theatre. We see four shows together and discuss each the morning after. We stay at a the Claremont Charing Cross, a legacy hotel designed by the same architect who designed the Royal Opera House and located at the crossroads of London. On the playbill this year are: |
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| This trip is limited to 48 people. Learn more below. | ||||||||||||||
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 2026/27 MAIN THEATRE SEASON |
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 2026/27 OFF-MIRVISH THEATRE SEASON |
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