Ed Mirvish Theatre
Although construction of the theatre was commissioned by Famous Players founder Nathan L. Nathanson, Pantages managed and booked performances for the venue.[6] By 1929, Pantages was involved in a highly publicized legal battle, in which he was charged with the rape of a 17-year-old actress named Eunice Pringle.The Supreme Court of Ontario dismissed Famous Players' application of an injunction blocking Cineplex Odeon's lease on June 2, 1986.[10] Since Cineplex Odeon lacked an entrance on Yonge Street, the company considered gutting their half of the building and creating a new multiplex cinema.However, Cineplex Odeon quickly dropped these plans to preserve the grand lobby, staircase, and other parts of the existing interior.After Famous Players complained about a fire risk posed by the renovations made by Cineplex Odeon, Toronto building commissioner Michael Nixon imposed a stay on all activities in the theatre on December 7, 1987; the next day, however, District Court Judge Drew Hudson said renovations and planned opening could go ahead with the approval of the Toronto Fire Department.However, on the theater's planned premiere night, December 10, 1987, approximately 500 people, mainly Cineplex Odeon employees and stockbrokers, saw dozens of workmen file In and out of the lobby with electrical equipment and tools, bricklayers scrambling up scaffolding on the outside of the building with buckets of wet cement and a number of city officials, policemen and lawyers marching back and forth from the theatre to a parking lot in Victoria Street.Eventually, an inspection from the Toronto Fire Marshal John Bateman forced the shuttering of the theatre, declaring "it's not ready.[13] After the opening, Famous Players then filed to have its portion of the former Imperial Six theater demolished; the request was denied by the Toronto Historical Board, which wanted it preserved.[15] Ousted from Cineplex Odeon, Garth Drabinsky and Myron Gottlieb retained control of the theatre's property and created their own theatrical production company, Livent.The theatre's first legitimate live theatrical production was the Canadian premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical The Phantom of the Opera.After finding what were considered "serious accounting irregularities", Drabinsky and Gottlieb were suspended and Livent was forced to file for bankruptcy protection.[20] After unsuccessfully attempting to run a theatrical subscription series at the theatre, Mirvish Productions entered into a lease agreement with Live Nation in 2001.A key part of the agreement was that the deal gave Mirvish Productions the right of first negotiation should the theatre ever be put up for sale.[23] On January 24, 2008, Key Brand Entertainment, owned by British theatre producer John Gore, announced that it had acquired all of Live Nation's North American theatrical assets.[30] In February 2017, plans were announced to relocate the iconic signage of Honest Ed's—a former downtown department store that Mirvish had also owned—to the façade at the 244 Victoria St. entrance of the theatre, pending approval from the City of Toronto and further restoration of the sign.[31] On February 11, 2020, the Canadian premiere of the popular Lin-Manuel Miranda musical Hamilton opened at the Ed Mirvish Theatre.
TorontoOntarioCoordinatesMirvish ProductionsCapacityThomas W. LambYonge–Dundas Square vaudeville performancesAlexander PantagesEd MirvishCanadian Automobile AssociationFamous Playersvaudevillemotion pictureSick AbedHigh and DizzyOn the High SeasEunice PringleThe GodfatherprosceniumDavid CrombieJames Bond Cineplex OdeonGarth DrabinskySupreme Court of Ontario Wall StreetMichael DouglasCharlie SheenToronto Fire DepartmentToronto Historical BoardDie HardBruce WillisLiventBroadwayAndrew Lloyd WebberThe Phantom of the OperaColm WilkinsonRebecca CainePaul StanleyClear Channel EntertainmentLive NationBroadway Across CanadaBroadway Across Americaright of first negotiationnaming rightsCanon Inc. Saturday Night FeverKey Brand EntertainmentJohn GorePanasonic TheatreAubrey DanDancap ProductionsHonest Ed'sLin-Manuel Miranda HamiltonCOVID-19 pandemicCAA TheatreJ. Kelly NestruckGlobe and MailHarry Potter and the Cursed ChildCity of Toronto Heritage Property InventoryOntario Heritage Act The Phantom of the Opera Dame Edna Cinderella CabaretSaturday Night FeverArturo BrachettiContactChicagoJesus Christ SuperstarThe ProducersWickedMovin' OutMartin ShortSpamalotA Chorus LineChitty Chitty Bang BangThe Color PurpleSpring AwakeningRiverdanceFiddler on the RoofLittle House on the Prairie GreaseA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the ForumBilly Elliot the MusicalSister ActJekyll & HydeThe Wizard of OzAladdinJersey BoysNewsiesCinderellaGas LightThe Judas KissMatildaThe BodyguardSchool of RockThe Play That Goes WrongWaitressThe Band's VisitAnastasiaHamiltonIn Dreams To Kill a MockingbirdAin't Too ProudNational Ballet of UkraineHadestown Life of Pi Mamma Mia Moulin Rouge! Just for One DayToronto StarCityNews TorontoGovernment of OntarioElgin and Winter Garden TheatresFactory TheatreFour Seasons CentreMeridian Arts CentreMeridian HallPrincess of Wales TheatreQueen Elizabeth TheatreRandolph TheatreRoyal Alexandra TheatreSt. Lawrence Centre for the ArtsTarragon Theatre