Heated Rivalry musical parody heads to Toronto for limited run
The off-Broadway hit based on the Canadian queer hockey romance arrives at Soulpepper Theatre July 9–12 as a staged concert reading.
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The viral off-Broadway musical parody Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody is coming to Toronto for a limited three-night run at Soulpepper Theatre starting July 9. The show, based on the hit Canadian TV series, will be presented as a staged concert reading rather than a full theatrical production.
The queer hockey romance follows the beloved on-screen characters Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov. After bingeing the popular TV series, writer-composer Dylan MarcAurele asked a simple question: What if their romance became a musical? The piece took off fast, turning from songwriting bursts into sold-out concert readings before racing to an off-Broadway production fuelled by the series' thriving fandom.
The off-Broadway show premiered on May 26 and has been a major hit. The original eight-week run has already been extended through Sept. 7, and the off-Broadway cast has recorded a cast album.
Canadian director-producer Alan Kliffer says bringing the show north is about timing and momentum. "It really is time that we brought it over to Canada." For the Toronto debut, he's lined up most of the Canadian cast, leaning on his knowledge of the local theatre scene.
Soulpepper Theatre artistic director Paolo Santalucia said the parody "naturally" belongs at the venue. "It has already galvanized a passionate global community, offering a thrilling reminder of what Canadian work can do: take up space with joy, humour, sensitivity, and subversiveness. To bring that energy into our home alongside the momentum of the Fringe and on the heels of Pride Month feels like exactly the kind of cultural moment Soulpepper should be helping to amplify."
Kliffer promised the Toronto staging won't feel stripped down, even in concert-reading format. "Binders will be in hands, there'll be light costuming, light props … you're still gonna get something fun."
The Toronto dates run July 9 to 12. After Toronto, the Canadian cast is scheduled to head to Montreal's Just for Laughs comedy festival, where the show will perform twice daily July 17–19. Kliffer is also preparing a U.K. production to open later this year.