Canada’s leading man of musical theatre is bringing a taste of Broadway to downtown Peterborough, with some familiar local faces joining him on the stage.
David Rogers, who performed as both Raoul and The Phantom in the original Canadian production of The Phantom of the Opera at Toronto’s Pantages Theatre in the 1990s, will headline “Phantom & Friends – A Toast to Broadway” at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre on Thursday, October 22.
A co-production of New Stages Theatre and KS & Co. Productions, owned and led by well-known Peterborough performer Kate Suhr, the one-night-only musical cabaret will feature beloved Broadway songs, backstage stories, and performances in an intimate setting.
Joining Rogers on vocals will be Suhr and fellow Peterborough performer Linda Kash, accompanied by music director and pianist Gavin Tessier and local musicians Victoria Yeh and Sam Quinn.
For New Stages artistic director Mark Wallace, the collaboration is a rare opportunity to offer an evening that will appeal to audience members who enjoyed the musical theatre nights presented during the tenure of founder and former artistic producer Randy Read.
“New Stages doesn’t do as many musical theatre nights as we once did with Rand, but some of our audience just loves these nights,” Wallace writes in an email to kawarthaNOW.
Wallace also hints that the announced company might not be the only performers the audiences will see.
“You might even see me get up for a song,” he writes. “It’s going to be a really fun night celebrating the best of Broadway.”
VIDEO: “Music of the Night” by David Rogers (2016)
Rogers has a musical theatre career that spans stages and concert halls across North America.
Along with his roles in The Phantom of the Opera, his leading credits include The Who’s Tommy, Les Misérables, Evita, Into the Woods, Dracula, The Music Man, Cats, Camelot, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Rogers has also performed his solo musical show Broadway Heroes.
Best known for her role as the Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese Angel, Kash began her career at Toronto’s Second City Theatre before building an extensive résumé as a performer and director in theatre, film, and television in Canada and abroad, including roles in Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, Seinfeld, Fargo, and many more. The daughter of actress and opera singer Maureen Forrester and violinist/conductor Eugene Kash, she appeared last fall as Miss Hannigan in Annie at Sudbury Theatre Centre.
As for Suhr, the classically trained vocalist, actor, singer-songwriter, and creative producer is familiar to New Stages audiences through productions including A New Brain, Angels in America, and Assassins.
Dividing her time between Peterborough and Toronto, Suhr’s local theatre credits also include The Verandah Society with Megan Murphy and Bloom: A Rock n Roll Fable at 4th Line Theatre, and she has also performed in The Little Mermaid and Mary Poppins at Toronto’s Lower Ossington Theatre, The Secret Garden and Nine with Podium Concert Productions, and productions with Drayton Entertainment and Victoria Playhouse Petrolia.
Through KS & Co. Productions, Suhr creates intimate live experiences that bring artists and audiences together through storytelling, music, and performance.
Leading the cabaret’s band, Tessier has performed as Norman Petty in Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story and appeared as a singer and musician in Canadian Legends, The Beatles Tribute, and The Best of Broadway at The Grove Theatre. Most recently featured in Piano Legends at Victoria Playhouse Petrolia, he will next play Jack in Diversified Theatre’s Jack and the Beanstalk: The Panto.
Yeh, a violinist who also headlines her own shows, brings a recording career that includes work featured on independent albums, TVO, Netflix, and Hallmark.
Quinn is another familiar performer for Peterborough audiences, having worked as a music director, band leader, and musician on more than 20 musical theatre shows, as well as with jazz, funk, rock, country, and R&B ensembles in Peterborough and Toronto.
“Phantom & Friends – A Toast to Broadway” begins at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 22 at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 140 Charlotte Street in downtown Peterborough. The performance is recommended for ages 12 and older.
Tickets are $40 plus venue fees, with a limited number of cabaret table seats available for $50 plus fees.
For tickets, visit markethall.org/new-stages or call the Market Hall box office at 705-775-1503.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be media sponsor of New Stages Theatre Company’s 2026-27 season.
