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Angela Lansbury speaks on stage after she was named honorary chairman of the American Theatre Wing at the American Theatre Wing's 64th annual Tony Awards ceremony in New York, June 13, 2010.GARY HERSHORN/Reuters

Two dames, a guy and a girl: Mirvish Productions announced major additions and revisions to its 2014-15 programming at a press conference Tuesday morning.

Foremost was that Dame Angela Lansbury, star of stage, screen and Murder She Wrote, would be returning to the Toronto stage for the first time since she toured Gypsy to the Royal Alexandra Theatre in 1974.

Lansbury will reprise the role of the medium Madame Arcati in Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit, a part the 88-year-old has played on Broadway and the West End and which won her her fifth Tony Award in 2009. "It's a true delight to perform this show and and I can't think of a better play with which to visit your city," Lansbury said in a video message.

The other dame to join the Mirvish roster is no less illustrious: Dame Edna Everage, Australian comedian Barry Humphries's lilac-wigged alter ego since 1955, will appear at the Royal Alexandra Theatre with Dame Edna's Glorious Goodbye – The Farewell Tour in April.

Canadian casting for upcoming productions was also revealed at this Mirvish season relaunch. Chiefly, Ian Lake and Trish Lindstrom were announced as the unnamed Guy and Girl at the centre of the hit romantic musical, Once, which will begin a sit-down production at the Ed Mirvish Theatre in February. Both are Stratford Festival regulars: Lake last made waves there as Mortimer in Maria Stuart in 2013, while Lindstrom is currently starring in Alice Through the Looking Glass.

Other cast members will include Brandon McGibbon, who will reprise the role of Svec he has been playing on Broadway, Nathan Carrol, Alicia Toner and Gabi Epstein.

Another cast announcement Mirvish Productions checked off the list was that of their co-production with the Manitoba Theatre Centre of the Tony-winning comedy Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike by Christopher Durang; the title characters will be played by Steven Sutcliffe, Fiona Reid, Jennifer Dale and rising star Luke Humphrey, respectively.

Other 2014-15 tweaks: Titanic: The Musical, originally set to sail to Broadway from Toronto this summer, is back on the bill next May, while a new spectacular called Blades on Stage will bring Elvis Stojko and a host of skating artists to the Princess of Wales stage in December.

Since acquiring the Panasonic and Ed Mirvish theatres in 2008, Mirvish Productions has vastly expanded its offerings in Toronto. In their four downtown theatres, they now offer a seven-show main season(which will include Blithe Spirit and Titanic as well as the previously announced and still uncast Canadian production of Kinky Boots), a three-show off-Mirvish season (which includes Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike) and bonus shows such as Dame Edna's Glorious Goodbye, Blades on Stage and Once.

For full information, visit www.mirvish.com.

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