As pandemic bellwethers go, Alex Mustakas has been extra dependable than most.

Every time we’ve spoken since COVID shut down dwell leisure in March 2020, the Drayton Entertainment chief government officer has had his ear to the bottom, at all times cautious, by no means leaping the gun, cautiously plotting the way forward for his seven-theatre empire, from one tentative reopening to the following, as new variants wreaked havoc on the performing arts.

The 2022 season, which kicked off May 25 and wraps up subsequent month, was the take a look at run, with some reduced-capacity performances, some requiring proof of vaccination and — to keep away from placing forged members in danger — a dearth of the large-ensemble musicals and comedies on which Drayton constructed its title.

“Let’s think of this as a cautious reopening, with a lot of flexibility regarding capacity choices,” Mustakas stated in March.

“We’re not going to get everybody back, but the appetite is there.”

Eight months later, after audiences turned out in droves for musicals comparable to “Mamma Mia!” and “The Sound Of Music,” the corporate’s 2023 season — which kicks off April 5 and runs by means of subsequent December — is being touted as a return to pre-pandemic heights, with scaled-up productions that replicate the arrogance Mustakas feels from audiences.

“I’m not worried about shutdowns,” he says, including Drayton will observe provincial directives on masking.

“2022 has turned out better than I imagined. We completely sold out ‘Mamma Mia!’ and ‘The Sound of Music’ is close to selling out. You can tell people want to get out of their houses.”

What this implies in sensible phrases is a rebound from 2022’s diminished playbill of 15 productions to a full roster of 20 — in case you embody “Legally Blonde” (Feb. 15 to 26), Drayton’s first student-only manufacturing, courtesy of its new Youth Academy — and the welcome restaging of aborted 2020 productions comparable to “Kinky Boots,” crushingly cancelled throughout previews.

If there’s an unofficial spotlight, it’s the Broadway smash “Beautiful: The Carole King Story,” which can be directed by Chilina Kennedy, the Stratford Festival alumnus who performed the title position on Broadway for greater than 1,200 performances.

“It’s a bit of a coup,” says Mustakas of the critically hailed musical that chronicles the lifetime of legendary singer-songwriter King.

“It’s the first fully produced Canadian production.”

It may have loads of competitors from a busting-at-the-seams roster of musicals that features the whole lot from “Evita,” “Fiddler On The Roof” and “The Prom” to “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story,” “Sh-Boom: Life Could Be A Dream,” “Rock of Ages,” “The Crooner,” “Fiddler on the Loose,” “Wizard of Oz: The Panto,” “Peter Pan: The Panto,” “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” and “Bittergirl: The Musical.”

Singing and dancing not your factor?

There are additionally dramas (“A Few Good Men,” “Mary’s Wedding,” “American Son”) and comedies ( “The New Canadian Curling Club,” “Perfect Wedding”).

“It’s an eclectic playbill that will appeal to ages five to 95,” predicts Mustakas, at all times the optimist.

“It’s a good mix of popular titles — we want to get people back to the theatre. We’re hoping that by next April or May things are even more back to normal.”

It’s a far cry from the pandemic’s early days, when the lights had been off in all seven theatres and Mustakas was diminished to flushing bathrooms to forestall plumbing points.

“I was in a standing committee on arts and culture in the House of Commons and then went around to make sure the water was still running,” Mustakas says with amusing.

“If they only knew the glamorous life of an artistic director.”

Tickets for the upcoming season go on sale to Drayton members Dec. 1, to subscribers Dec. 9 and to most of the people Dec. 14 by telephone, in particular person and at choose field workplace areas.

Call 519-621-8000, toll free at 1-855-372-9866, or go to www.draytonentertainment.com

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