TORONTO — Productions Mirvish is announcing that the North American première of “Leopoldstadt” in Toronto has been cancelled.
The eagerly awaited play by Tom Stoppard was expected to be at the Princess of Wales Theatre between Jan. 22 and March 13.
A statement from David Mirvish says the play was cancelled because of the emergence of the COVID-19 Omicron variant.
The play was a much lauded and sold-out engagement at London’s Wyndham’s Theatre.
David Mirvish says in a statement that the “sudden arrival” of the Omicron variant has “made it impossible” for him to fulfil his dream of presenting “Leopoldstadt” in Toronto.
He says the play greatly moved him when he saw it in January 2020 at its first preview performance in England.
The play is directed by Patrick Marber and is a Sonia Friedman Production.
Non-subscription patrons who hold tickets to “Leopoldstadt” will be contacted about their options for exchanges to other shows and refunds.
“I always knew the financial risks involved in bringing this extraordinary production here, and I was happy to take them if it meant that ‘Leopoldstadt’ could be seen by Toronto audiences. That’s how much I believe in the power of this very special play,” Mirvish said in a statement Sunday. “By programming it in 2022, almost two years from the start of the pandemic, we thought we would be protected from the vagaries of COVID-19 and would be able to present the play in Toronto in a relatively safe environment.”
But he says the new variant and capacity restrictions announced last week by the Ontario government, as well the non-essential travel advisory from the federal government with looming border closings and quarantines expected, have complicated logistics.
“More importantly, the health risks involved in bringing a company of more than 30 artists from the U.K. are too enormous at a time when there is more uncertainty than ever before in this pandemic,” Mirvish said. “But I’m not giving up on ‘Leopoldstadt.’ I’m determined to present this magnificent play in Toronto sometime in the future when it is safe to do so.”
