Toronto Theater Life
Toronto theater life has been very strong thanks to a number of famous shows that have passed through the city over the past 20 years.
In fact, Toronto is the third largest theater centre in the English-speaking world and we have had many great shows appear for extended runs. Here are a list of major Toronto theater venues and my experiences at some of them! Elgin & Winter Garden Theatre
189 Yonge Street, Toronto Ontario, Canada (416) 314-2901
Built in 1913 near the bottom of Yonge Street, the Elgin & Winter Garden Theatre was declared a national historic site in 1982 and is the only double-decker theatre ever built in Canada. The lower-level Elgin theatre holds 1,561 people and the upper level Winter Garden holds 992. Famous People Players Dinner Theatre
110 Sudbury St, Toronto Ontario Canada, tel. (416) 532-1137
Opened in 1974 and located west of the main downtown area of Toronto, this dinner theater offers a black light show with puppets and actors with colorful costumes performing on stage. It’s hard to explain what the show is like so you should check out their website for more information and pictures!
Four Seasons Centre For The Performing Arts
145 Queen Street West, Toronto Ontario, Canada (416) 363-6671
Opened in 2006, this beautiful new building is located downtown at the corner of Queen Street and University Avenue and is the new home of the Canadian Opera Company and the National Ballet of Canada. Hummingbird Centre
1 Front Street East, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (416) 393-7469
Opened in 1960 as The O’Keefe Centre, The Hummingbird Centre has hosted many major performers over the years and both the National Ballet of Canada and Canadian Opera Company called it home at one time. Among other things, The Hummingbird Centre is known locally for its annual presentation of the The Nutcracker Suite at Christmas, which I attended in December 2005. Roy Thomson Hall
60 Simcoe St, Toronto Ontario Canada, (416) 872-4255
Built to replace the legendary Massey Hall, this theater opened in 1982 and seats 2,812. I’ve seen several live concerts here and the acoustics are fantastic. The Canon Theatre
244 Victoria St, Toronto Ontario Canada, (800) 461-3333
Formerly known as The Pantages, this Toronto theater opened in 1920. The theater went through various incarnations and in 1989 was reopened after significant work was completed in order that the theater could host Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical The Phantom of the Opera, a show I attended at The Pantages in December 1989. The Princess of Wales Theatre
300 King St W, Toronto Ontario Canada, (800) 461-3333
Opened in 1993 by hosting the musical Miss Saigon, this 2000-seat theater is located in the heart of the theatre district in Toronto. In 2006, the world premiere of The Lord of The Rings opened onstage and I was lucky enough to see it in May before it closed early in September 2006 due to poor reviews. It’s too bad because I felt it was a really good show and was glad to have seen it. This is probably my favorite Toronto theater venue. The Royal Alexandra Theatre
260 King St W, Toronto Ontario Canada, (800) 461-3333
Opened in 1907, the Royal Alex has been designated as a National Historic Landmark and has been extensively modernized since then. The building underwent more work in the summer of 2006 and is located just down the street from the The Princess of Wales Theatre.
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