TORONTO -- The "unsinkable" ship that has inspired countless books and films will be docking in Toronto this summer for the Canadian premiere of the Tony Award-winning best musical "Titanic."
The new production, directed by Thom Southerland, will play for six weeks at the Royal Alexandra Theatre from July 22 through Aug. 31 before sailing back to Broadway in the fall, producers David Mirvish and Barry and Fran Weissler announced Thursday.
Music and lyrics are by Maury Yeston ("Nine," "Grand Hotel") while Peter Stone, the scribe for "1776" and "Woman of the Year" and the only writer to win a Tony, Oscar and Emmy, has written an accompanying book.
Additional production details, including creative team, casting and a New York theatre, will be announced later.
The original production of "Titanic" opened on April 23, 1997, at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre and ran for 804 performances, winning five Tony Awards in 1997, including best musical, book of a musical and score.
The musical tells the stories of actual characters who were aboard RMS Titanic, which sank on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in April 1912 after striking an iceberg. Some 1,500 people were killed in the disaster.
Southerland, whose production of "Titanic" ran in London last year to acclaim, won best director 2011 at the Off West End Awards for "Me And Juliet." Other U.K. theatre credits include "Victor/Victoria," "The Diary of Anne Frank," "The Full Monty," "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" and "Annie Get Your Gun."
