David Mirvish
Encyclopedia
David Mirvish, CM
, O.Ont
(born 1945) is a Canadian art collector, art dealer, theatre producer and son of the late "Honest" Ed Mirvish
, Toronto
discount department store-owner and artist Anne Lazare Macklin.
He owns and operates the Royal Alexandra Theatre
, the Princess of Wales Theatre
, the Canon Theatre
and the Panasonic Theatre
, all in Toronto, Ontario. From 2002 to 2005, he was on the Board of Trustees of the Royal Ontario Museum
. He was also a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Gallery of Canada
.
From 1963 through 1975, Mirvish operated a contemporary art gallery - the David Mirvish Gallery - specialising in the American abstract
painters of the 1960s and 1970s known as the Color Field
school.
He closed the gallery in 1975, but continues to buy and sell privately and to lend works to museums for exhibition.
In 1987, took over direction of his father's 1500-seat Toronto theatre, the Royal Alexandra Theatre
. For most of the theatre's history, it had functioned as a road house - a temporary venue for touring productions. In 1987, Mr. Mirvish founded the company Mirvish Productions
for the purpose of producing and staging original works for the Royal Alexandra and, later, his new Princess of Wales Theatre
(opened in 1993).
Mirvish and Mirvish Productions enjoyed notable successes in this new venture as with the Canadian stagings of such musicals as Les Misérables
(1989–1990), Miss Saigon
(1993–1995), Crazy for You
(1994–1995), Rent
(1997–1998), The Lion King
(2000–2004), We Will Rock You
and The Sound of Music (opened October, 2008). They also, however, endured losses with their sit-down productions of the large-scale musicals Tommy (1995), Jane Eyre
(1996–1997), The Producers
(2003–2004),Hairspray
(2004) and most recently, the ambitious The Lord of the Rings (2006).
Mirvish also operated the London, England, theatre the Old Vic
(purchased and renovated by his father in 1982) from 1987 through 1998. In 1987, he installed Jonathan Miller
as artistic director of The Old Vic and enjoyed a string of outstanding critical successes - including an Olivier Award for a production of the musical Candide, but, unfortunately, three straight years of financial loss. In 1990, Mirvish terminated Miller's contract over budget issues, earning much negative criticism in the British press.
In 1997, Mirvish appointed Sir Peter Hall as artistic director of the Old Vic and, again, enjoyed critical acclaim with such productions as The Master Builder
with Alan Bates
and Waiting for Godot
with Ben Kingsley
, but continuing financial loss. Within a year of the appointment, Mr. Mirvish terminated Hall's contract - again to much negative comment in the press - and put the Old Vic up for sale. The theatre was subsequently (1998) purchased by a theatres trust, The Old Vic Theatre Trust.
In 2000, Mr. Mirvish began a new business venture as a real estate developer and began construction of a large condominium
complex in downtown Toronto, known as One King West. The building opened for occupancy in 2005.
In 2005, he also joined in partnership with British theatre producer Kevin Wallace
, American film producer Saul Zaentz
and Canadian concert promoter Michael Cohl
to produce a stage musical adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings
. This production opened at the Princess of Wales Theatre in March 2006. Because of poor reviews and slow sales the show closed early. On June 28, 2006, Mr. Mirvish announced that Sept. 3, 2006 would mark the show's closing, and that he would be unable to fully repay its investors. With an estimated capitalisation of $28 million, The Lord of the Rings had been advertised as the most expensive stage production in North American history.
In March 2008 Mirvish announced the acquisition of the Panasonic and Canon Theatres in Toronto from Key Brand Entertainment, which had itself purchased the theatres from Live Nation in February 2008. Mirvish had been operating the Canon Theatre under a 15-year lease signed in 2001 with Live Nation which gave him control over all bookings and management of the Canon. Mirvish acquired the theatre pursuant to a right of first offer contained in the same lease agreement. The purchase and sale triggered a lawsuit from rival Canadian presenter, Aubrey Dan
, who had invested in Key Brand on the alleged promise that he would become manager of the Canon theatre. Dan sued both Mirvish and his own company, Key Brand, in an action which is still pending as of December, 2008.
Mirvish was made a member of the Order of Canada
in 1995, and in 2001, the Order of Ontario
. In 2004, he received an honorary degree from the University of Toronto
.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
, O.Ont
Order of Ontario
The Order of Ontario is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to...
(born 1945) is a Canadian art collector, art dealer, theatre producer and son of the late "Honest" Ed Mirvish
Ed Mirvish
Edwin “Honest Ed” Mirvish, OC, CBE was a Canadian businessman, philanthropist and theatrical impresario who lived in Toronto, Ontario...
, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
discount department store-owner and artist Anne Lazare Macklin.
He owns and operates the Royal Alexandra Theatre
Royal Alexandra Theatre
The Royal Alexandra Theatre is a theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada located near King and Simcoe Streets. Built in 1907, the Royal Alex is the oldest continuously operating legitimate theatre in North America.-History:...
, the Princess of Wales Theatre
Princess of Wales Theatre
The Princess of Wales Theatre is a 2000-seat theatre located at 300 King Street West in the heart of Toronto's Entertainment District in the downtown area...
, the Canon Theatre
Canon Theatre
-History:The Canon Theatre began as the Pantages Theatre in 1920 as a combination vaudeville and motion picture house. Designed by the great theatre architect Thomas W. Lamb, it was the largest cinema in Canada and one of the most elegant.The Pantages was built by the Canadian motion picture...
and the Panasonic Theatre
Panasonic Theatre
Panasonic Theatre is a live theatre owned and operated by Mirvish Productions in Toronto, Canada.-Early years:The theatre was built in 1911 as a private residence and then converted as a movie theatre in 1919 known as The Victory...
, all in Toronto, Ontario. From 2002 to 2005, he was on the Board of Trustees of the Royal Ontario Museum
Royal Ontario Museum
The Royal Ontario Museum is a museum of world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. With its main entrance facing Bloor Street in Downtown Toronto, the museum is situated north of Queen's Park and east of Philosopher's Walk in the University of Toronto...
. He was also a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Gallery of Canada
National Gallery of Canada
The National Gallery of Canada , located in the capital city Ottawa, Ontario, is one of Canada's premier art galleries.The Gallery is now housed in a glass and granite building on Sussex Drive with a notable view of the Canadian Parliament buildings on Parliament Hill. The acclaimed structure was...
.
From 1963 through 1975, Mirvish operated a contemporary art gallery - the David Mirvish Gallery - specialising in the American abstract
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
painters of the 1960s and 1970s known as the Color Field
Color Field
Color Field painting is a style of abstract painting that emerged in New York City during the 1940s and 1950s. It was inspired by European modernism and closely related to Abstract Expressionism, while many of its notable early proponents were among the pioneering Abstract Expressionists...
school.
He closed the gallery in 1975, but continues to buy and sell privately and to lend works to museums for exhibition.
In 1987, took over direction of his father's 1500-seat Toronto theatre, the Royal Alexandra Theatre
Royal Alexandra Theatre
The Royal Alexandra Theatre is a theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada located near King and Simcoe Streets. Built in 1907, the Royal Alex is the oldest continuously operating legitimate theatre in North America.-History:...
. For most of the theatre's history, it had functioned as a road house - a temporary venue for touring productions. In 1987, Mr. Mirvish founded the company Mirvish Productions
Mirvish Productions
Mirvish Productions is a Canadian based theatrical production company and promoter.The company was founded in 1987 by David Mirvish, son of Toronto retailing icon and owner of the Royal Alexandra Theatre Ed Mirvish....
for the purpose of producing and staging original works for the Royal Alexandra and, later, his new Princess of Wales Theatre
Princess of Wales Theatre
The Princess of Wales Theatre is a 2000-seat theatre located at 300 King Street West in the heart of Toronto's Entertainment District in the downtown area...
(opened in 1993).
Mirvish and Mirvish Productions enjoyed notable successes in this new venture as with the Canadian stagings of such musicals as Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
(1989–1990), Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr.. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover...
(1993–1995), Crazy for You
Crazy for You
Crazy for You is a musical with a book by Ken Ludwig, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin. Billed as "The New Gershwin Musical Comedy", it is largely based on the songwriting team’s 1930 musical, Girl Crazy, but interpolates songs from several other productions as well...
(1994–1995), Rent
Rent (musical)
Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...
(1997–1998), The Lion King
The Lion King (musical)
The Lion King is a musical based on the 1994 Disney animated film of the same name with music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice along with the musical score created by Hans Zimmer with choral arrangements by Lebo M. Directed by Julie Taymor, the musical features actors in animal costumes as well...
(2000–2004), We Will Rock You
We Will Rock You (musical)
We Will Rock You is a jukebox musical, based on the songs of Queen and named after their hit single of the same name. The musical was written by British comedian and author Ben Elton in collaboration with Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor...
and The Sound of Music (opened October, 2008). They also, however, endured losses with their sit-down productions of the large-scale musicals Tommy (1995), Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre (musical)
Jane Eyre is a musical drama with music and lyrics by composer-lyricist Paul Gordon and a book by John Caird, based on the novel by Charlotte Brontë. The musical premiered on Broadway in 2000.-Production history:...
(1996–1997), The Producers
The Producers (musical)
The Producers is a musical adapted by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan from Brooks' 1968 film of the same name, with lyrics written by Brooks and music composed by Brooks and arranged by Glen Kelly and Doug Besterman. As in the film, the story concerns two theatrical producers who scheme to get rich...
(2003–2004),Hairspray
Hairspray (musical)
Hairspray is a musical with music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman and a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, based on the 1988 John Waters film Hairspray. The songs include 1960s-style dance music and "downtown" rhythm and blues...
(2004) and most recently, the ambitious The Lord of the Rings (2006).
Mirvish also operated the London, England, theatre the Old Vic
Old Vic
The Old Vic is a theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, it was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 when it was known formally as the Royal Victoria Hall. In 1898, a niece of Cons, Lilian...
(purchased and renovated by his father in 1982) from 1987 through 1998. In 1987, he installed Jonathan Miller
Jonathan Miller
Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller CBE is a British theatre and opera director, author, physician, television presenter, humorist and sculptor. Trained as a physician in the late 1950s, he first came to prominence in the 1960s with his role in the comedy revue Beyond the Fringe with fellow writers and...
as artistic director of The Old Vic and enjoyed a string of outstanding critical successes - including an Olivier Award for a production of the musical Candide, but, unfortunately, three straight years of financial loss. In 1990, Mirvish terminated Miller's contract over budget issues, earning much negative criticism in the British press.
In 1997, Mirvish appointed Sir Peter Hall as artistic director of the Old Vic and, again, enjoyed critical acclaim with such productions as The Master Builder
The Master Builder
The Master Builder is a play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It was first published in December 1892 and is regarded as one of Ibsen's most significant and revealing works.-Performance:...
with Alan Bates
Alan Bates
Sir Alan Arthur Bates CBE was an English actor, who came to prominence in the 1960s, a time of high creativity in British cinema, when he demonstrated his versatility in films ranging from the popular children’s story Whistle Down the Wind to the "kitchen sink" drama A Kind of Loving...
and Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot is an absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait endlessly and in vain for someone named Godot to arrive. Godot's absence, as well as numerous other aspects of the play, have led to many different interpretations since the play's...
with Ben Kingsley
Ben Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley, CBE is a British actor. He has won an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards in his career. He is known for starring as Mohandas Gandhi in the film Gandhi in 1982, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
, but continuing financial loss. Within a year of the appointment, Mr. Mirvish terminated Hall's contract - again to much negative comment in the press - and put the Old Vic up for sale. The theatre was subsequently (1998) purchased by a theatres trust, The Old Vic Theatre Trust.
In 2000, Mr. Mirvish began a new business venture as a real estate developer and began construction of a large condominium
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
complex in downtown Toronto, known as One King West. The building opened for occupancy in 2005.
In 2005, he also joined in partnership with British theatre producer Kevin Wallace
Kevin Wallace
Kevin Gerard Wallace was in-house producer with Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group for eight years, where he was responsible for Celebration, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 50th Birthday Concert at the Royal Albert Hall starring Glenn Close, Antonio Banderas, Sarah Brightman and Elaine Paige, ...
, American film producer Saul Zaentz
Saul Zaentz
Saul Zaentz is an American film producer and former record company executive. He has won the Academy Award for Best Picture three times and in 1996 was awarded the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award....
and Canadian concert promoter Michael Cohl
Michael Cohl
Michael Cohl is a Canadian concert promoter, theatrical producer and touring impresario. He is the former Chairman of Live Nation, the largest live entertainment company in the world. Cohl now runs S2BN Entertainment, with offices in Miami and Toronto...
to produce a stage musical adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
. This production opened at the Princess of Wales Theatre in March 2006. Because of poor reviews and slow sales the show closed early. On June 28, 2006, Mr. Mirvish announced that Sept. 3, 2006 would mark the show's closing, and that he would be unable to fully repay its investors. With an estimated capitalisation of $28 million, The Lord of the Rings had been advertised as the most expensive stage production in North American history.
In March 2008 Mirvish announced the acquisition of the Panasonic and Canon Theatres in Toronto from Key Brand Entertainment, which had itself purchased the theatres from Live Nation in February 2008. Mirvish had been operating the Canon Theatre under a 15-year lease signed in 2001 with Live Nation which gave him control over all bookings and management of the Canon. Mirvish acquired the theatre pursuant to a right of first offer contained in the same lease agreement. The purchase and sale triggered a lawsuit from rival Canadian presenter, Aubrey Dan
Aubrey Dan
Aubrey Dan, is a Canadian businessman and philanthropist as well as a producer and impresario. He is the son of Leslie Dan, a Canadian entrepreneur and founder of the generic pharmaceutical manufacturer Novopharm.-Business ventures:...
, who had invested in Key Brand on the alleged promise that he would become manager of the Canon theatre. Dan sued both Mirvish and his own company, Key Brand, in an action which is still pending as of December, 2008.
Mirvish was made a member of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
in 1995, and in 2001, the Order of Ontario
Order of Ontario
The Order of Ontario is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to...
. In 2004, he received an honorary degree from the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
.