Mirvish's 2019-2020 season full of musicals and familiar hits

Mirvish Productions is filling out its 2019-2020 season with a crowd-pleasing slate of familiar hits and jukebox musicals.

The Toronto theatre company says it will mountproductions of Miss Saigonin May and Les Miserablesnext June.

Audiences can enjoy the sounds of the 1960s and 70s in the concert-style The Simon & Garfunkel Storyand the musical Summerbased on the life and music of disco diva Donna Summer, from American-Canadian director Des McAnuff and Colombian-born, Canadian-raised choreographer Sergio Trujillo.

In January, the Royal Alexandra Theatre will stage My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Weddingin a one-night benefit concert for Planned Parenthood.

Riverdancewill also step it up for the 25th anniversary of the Irish dance show at the Princess of Wales Theatre for a brief run, kicking off in late February.

The CAATheatre will host the women of The Second City in She the Peoplein February, followed by the one-performer show 6 Guitarsin March.

Previously announced highlights of Mirvish's 24-show lineup include:

• A "reimagined" Broadway production of Catsdirected by Trevor Nunn, running from Nov. 27 to Jan. 5.
• Now in its second year, Come From Awaywill wrap up its run at the Elgin Theatre at the beginning of December, only to reopen at the Royal Alexandra Theatre less than twoweeks later.
• The Canadian premiere of musical sensation Hamiltonat the Ed Mirvish Theatre between February and May 2020.
• An April run of Room,based on Irish-Canadian writer Emma Donoghue's 2010 novel, at the CAA Theatre.

Donoghue, who earned an Oscar nomination for her screenplay adaptation of Room, also transformedher story for the stage.

"I just love to see what a new genre brings out in the same old story and so adaptation is a real pleasure for me," the London, Ont.-based writer told CBC News on Monday.

"I'm really genuinely trying to transform my work and see what each new form can bring out in it."

In addition to introducing songs, the forthcoming Room adaptation also made a key change to the protagonists one that Donoghuebelieves brings complexity to the story.

"When we did the show first in Britain and Scotland and Dublin, we cast a woman of colour and a biracial kidand I have to say that brought out a whole new set of overtones to the role," she explained.

In addition to literally putting new face on the character of Ma following Brie Larson's Oscar-winning turn in the movie, this casting decision for the stage version "makes you think of so many other contemporary situations of racism, human trafficking [and] the whole history of slavery, without it being all spelled out verbally," Donoghue said.

"I now think that's a crucial part and we're doing the same thing for Canadian casting."