A theatre blast from the past

Mirvish puts 1990s blockbusters 'Mamma Mia!' and 'The Lion King’ back onstage

- JOSHUA CHONG

The hit '90s musical "Mamma Mia!" returns to Toronto this fall.

Take me away
I don’t mind
You better promise me
I’ll be back in time
Gotta get back in time

So goes the Huey Lewis & the News earworm “Back in Time,” from the 1985 sci-fi flick “Back to the Future.” It could also serve as the slogan for Mirvish’s upcoming season.

Because those nostalgia-inducing lyrics reflect the broader theme of the theatre company’s new programming, a lineup that almost entirely draws upon some surefire blasts from the past: from “Beetlejuice,” based on the ’80s cult classic, and a stage adaptation of Baz Luhrmann’s “Moulin Rouge!” (2001) to a new production commemorating Live Aid (1985) along with a musical version of “Back to the Future” itself.

Beginning in the fall, Mirvish’s marquees will look like a throwback from the ’90s. With a new sitdown production of “The Lion King” and a touring engagement of the ever-popular “Mamma Mia!” two of the biggest hits from that decade will be back treading the boards. Then, in December, comes “Titanique,” a musical spoof of James Cameron’s “Titanic.” (Yes, also from the ’90s.)

It’s not just Toronto theatres. On Broadway, shows like “The Notebook” (based on the 1996 novel) and “MJ the Musical” (a jukebox production on the life of Michael Jackson) are proof that theatremakers are banking on old titles and names from a bygone era.

So what’s behind this trend? It’s not that writers are running out of ideas. Nor is it that producers merely want to make a quick buck by recycling existing, well-known titles.