Ill-fated musical loses 2 dancers to injury in 2 days

The ill-fated Toronto production Song & Dance is hoping it's "third time lucky" as it again replaces its male lead dancer.

On May 10, the opening night of the musical, former National Ballet dancer Rex Harrington hurt his Achilles tendon, hobbling off stage in pain toward the end of the performance.

Choreographer and former National Ballet soloist Robert Campanella took his place on May 11. A night later,he sprained an ankle and was no longer able to fill the role.

Now Piotr Stanczyk, first soloist with the National Ballet of Canada, is preparing to leap into the breach.

Polish-born Stanczyk moved to Canada in 1997, studied at the National Ballet School and joined the National Balletcorps in 1998.

He has danced the roles of Colas in La Fille mal garde, Peter/The Nutcracker in The Nutcracker, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, the male lead in Etudes, and in Theme and Variations, and the Fool in Swan Lake.

While he prepares for the role, understudy Eric Robertson has been dancing the male lead. The entire second act of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical is a dance sequence depicting a young woman's relations with various men.

The female lead is retired Winnipeg Ballet dancer Evelyn Hart. Former Mamma Mia star Louise Pitre sings the female lead, dominating the first act.

Harrington is recuperating from surgery to his Achilles tendon.

The show is scheduled to run to May 28 at Toronto's Danforth Music Hall.