It was one of those grand civic gestures so loved by the aristocracy of the Gilded Age: a gift to Toronto meant to call the world’s attention to its blossoming as a great city. The giver was Cawthra Mulock, “the boy millionaire,” one of the wealthiest men in Canada. The gift was the Royal Alexandra, a magnificent new theatre built – with no regard to cost – to equal the most splendid houses of London, Paris and New York. It was to be the lodestar of North American theatres, attracting the finest performers and very best in dramatic arts to a city that still smarted under the nickname “Hogtown.”If Cawthra Mulock had known what obstacles lay in the way, he might never have broken the ground. He could not have foreseen the cutthroat rivals who would seek to bankrupt him; nor the two World Wars; nor the coming of the movies, radio and television; nor the Great Depression that would close every other theatre in the country.This book tells the story of a Canadian national landmark and beloved Toronto institution, the Royal Alexandra Theatre, and of the remarkable, dogged and devoted champions – from Mulock to Mirvish – who have kept it alive, thriving and triumphant for 100 years.

Robert Brockhouse has worked as a stage carpenter, stage manager, followspot operator, ticket-taker, sound engineer, high school English teacher and CBC Radio producer. He first entered The Royal Alexandra Theatre once evening in August 1972 to see GODSPELL from a seat in the upper balcony. He is presently employed by Mirvish Productions in a variety of tasks that keep him well away from the stage.

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