David Mirvish
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David Mirvish O.Ont (born 1945) is a Canadian art collector, art dealer, theatre producer and is best known as the son of "Honest" Ed Mirvish, Toronto discount department store-owner.
He owns and operates the Royal Alexandra Theatre and Princess of Wales Theatre. 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, David 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 - and as a rental venue. 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).
David Mirvish and Mirvish Productions enjoyed notable successes in this new venture as co-producers (of the Canadian stagings) of the musicals Les Miserables (1989-1990), Miss Saigon (1993-1995), Crazy for You (1994-1995) and The Lion King (2000-2004). They have also, however, endured heavy financial losses with their sit-down productions of the large-scale musicals Tommy (1995), Jane Eyre (1996-1997), Rent (1997-1998), The Producers (2003-2004) and Hairspray (2004).
Mr. 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, Mr. Mirvish terminated Dr. Miller's contract over budget issues, earning much negative criticism in the British press.
In 1997, David 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. On June 28, 2006, Mr. Mirvish announced that the show would close on Sept. 3, 2006, far earlier than had been hoped, and would be unable to fully repay its investors. With a capitalisation in excess of $30 million, The Lord of the Rings had been advertised as the most expensive stage production in North American history.
In 1995, David Mirvish was made a Member of the Order of Canada. In 2001, he was awarded the Order of Ontario. In 2004, he received an honorary degree from the University of Toronto.
