Live Aid musical ‘Just For One Day’ to hit Toronto for North American premiere
TORONTO — The Live Aid musical is coming to Canada.
Producers behind “Just For One Day” say their pop-infused stage show about the making of the legendary 1985 benefit concert lands in Toronto next January, ahead of the event’s 40th anniversary.
The musical recounts the ambitious making-of story behind Live Aid, drawing on interviews with the people who were there to create a fictionalized version of the tale, with Irish organizer Bob Geldof at its centre.
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Thirty-seven songs are featured from the likes of Bob Dylan, David Bowie, the Who, U2, Queen and Madonna, though none appear as characters in the musical.
“Just For One Day” will play a limited run at Toronto’s Ed Mirvish Theatre from Jan. 28 to March 16, 2025.
Producers say 10 per cent of all ticket sales will be donated to the Live Band Charitable Trust, which supports organizations fighting poverty and famine.
“Just For One Day” premiered in London earlier this year, selling out its run in record time for a musical at the Old Vic.
The show is directed by Luke Sheppard, who brought pop odyssey “& Juliet” to life, and written by John O’Farrell, once the lead writer on the 1980s British satirical puppet series “Spitting Image” and more recently the stage musical version of “Mrs. Doubtfire.”
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“Just For One Day” joins the 2024-2025 Mirvish main subscription, replacing “Mamma Mia!,” which will still play a five-week run starting in October.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2024.
David Friend, The Canadian Press