There's beauty everywhere

This fence looks out on a horrible horrible parking lot.

The heading is the title of a song  from MGM's "Ziegfeld Follies" (1946)
It's pretty rank but campily fascinating . When  Kathryn Grayson was told she would sing it to close the film she went straight to Arthur Freed, the producer, threw the music on his desk and said, "This is a terrible song. It's vulgar, trite and sentimental. I refuse to sing it"  Mr Freed calmly replied,  "Miss Grayson, I wrote that song."  There was a long pause before she picked up the music and said in a small voice, "Well you ought to be ashamed of yourself" and walked out. Of course, she sings it beautifully.  tt

More haunted Toronto

Have seen this building before. It's in Wellington St and I think Tony Perkins and his Mum live here. It's marvellous to gaze at and give yourself a chill. Did that curtain move?  tt

A head of its time

19 Followers

 World    You can see how popular the blog has become!   We welcome Trevor Ashley to the fold. Mr Ashley is currently playing Edna Turnblad in the Melbourne production of " Hairspray" at the Princess Theatre.  So there's another cock in a frock! (And he rocks!)

                                         Trevor on the right with his co-star Jaz Flowers

The List

THE LIST is a first play by Quebec playwright Jennifer Tremblay. A monologue performed by the wonderful Allegra Fulton, it is a riveting portrait of a orderly woman plagued with guilt because of one ill-judged decision. Running little more than an hour, it is compelling theatre in its final week at the Berkeley Street Theatre.
Interestingly, Allegra Fulton was raised in Sydney and Barcelona as her parents...playwright, poet and novelist Gloria Montero and filmmaker David Fulton ...were born in Australia. Fulton's most acclaimed role has been in FRIDA K., a play written for her by her mother.

 

Return to Honest Ed's

Finally I was given a day off from PRISCILLA so I seized my chance to visit the fabled Honest Ed's

to see its wonders with my own eyes. Imagine my excitement to discover I was amongst my OWN PEOPLE! Performers who blew into town over the years with some moth-eaten bus and truck company, bled the town dry of its wine, women and song and then beat a hasty retreat back to Summer Stock.

Scott Merrill was the original Mack the Knife opposite Lotte Lenya in the long running Off-Broadway production of THE THREEENNY OPERA. He reprised the role in Toronto opposite Gypsy Rose Lee. 

Barbara Bostock as Gladys in the National Company of THE PAJAMA GAME. She went on to a successful career as a television actress.

Stritch frightened the locals as Annie Oakley.

One of my all time favourites, the magnificent Mimi Hines replaced Streisand in FUNNY GIRL on Broadway but played Toronto in THE PRISONER OF SECOND AVENUE with Shelley Berman.

Scarlett O'Hara's sister can tap! Evelyn Keyes in the National Company of NO NO NANETTE.

George Chakiris looking too pretty for words. This may have been when he was touring as Bobby in COMPANY.

Paula Laurence (ahem-I believe my spelling is correct!) had the distinction of being fired from the Broadway cast of  SOMETHING FOR THE BOYS for upstaging Ethel Merman.

The great Dorothy Loudon, who played Toronto in LUV.

Canada's own Ross Petty was SWEENEY TODD in the National Company opposite June Havoc.

The eternal understudy and replacement, Iva Withers is still feisty in her 90s. She covered Tammy Grimes in THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN and HIGH SPIRITS (she later played Elvira in Dallas with Agnes Moorehead as Mme. Arcati), replaced Vivian Blaine in GUYS & DOLLS and Janet Blair in SOUTH PACIFIC and played Laurie in OKLAHOMA! and Julie Jordan in CAROUSEL on Broadway...wait for it...on the same DAY!!!! 

Rae Allen rose from the chorus of THE PAJAMA GAME to become one of America's most respected actresses and acting teachers. She created the role of Gloria Thorpe in DAMN YANKEES ("Shoeless Joe From Hannibal, Mo.")

This was my favourite find in the whole store. Ed Mirvish produced a musical version of HARVEY in 1968 starring Donald O'Connor and Patricia Routledge. SAY HELLO TO HARVEY was a massive flop but this painting, a part of the set, lives on.

Thank you, Honest Ed!

P.S. For more star-spotting, TT has updated the previous blog entry called TORONTO'S STYLE STORE with more pics from today's excursion.

Autumn Frolic Toronto Nov 2010

Sheldon's first real day off since the opening. We went for a walk and shopped and here are some flashes of the crisp sunny day

Bernadette's mother was in the cafe where we had brekky.

A cafe on Harbord

These carved pumpkins went for two blocks on Harbord

Guess who    

Sign hangs over over half the intersection of Harbord and Spadina

That's yer lot