Musical production of Oshawa greatest four-legged athlete returns to Toronto this fall

The legend of Oshawa’s greatest-ever four-legged athlete is returning to the stage this fall with the return of DANCER (A Musical in Ten Furlongs), the true story of Northern Dancer, the Canadian thoroughbred underdog who captured the heart of the nation with his record-breaking wins at the 1964 Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Queen’s Plate.

The Canadian musical hits the stage October 6 with Keanu Uchida back as Northern Dancer and featuring contemporary choreography by the acclaimed Stacey Tookey and a cast of 20.

The musical theatre production premiered at the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2023, winning the Adams Prize for Musical Theatre that year.

The inspirational story about the ‘too small, too awkward, too feisty’ Oshawa-born colt who defied all odds to become the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby and would later become one of the world’s greatest sires, with his progeny winning major stakes races around the world for generations.

Part high-concept musical, part high-octane ballet, Dancer celebrates a Canadian horse racing icon. Taking inspiration from the legendary horse’s name, Northern Dancer and all the other horses are played by dancers, who simply become horses, using their natural grace and athleticism, and without the use of special headdresses, puppetry or costuming.

The original show was written by Dora and Chalmers Award winning playwright and lyricist Jim Betts, with music by multi-award-winning composer Marek Norman.

Uchida stars as Northern Dancer and the story is told by historic characters, including Dancer’s groom, Bill Brevard (Dora Award winner Sterling Jarvis), Canadian tycoon E.P. Taylor (three-time Gemini Award winner Daniel Kash), his wife Winnie Taylor (Dora Award winner Barbara Barsky) and Dancer’s trainer, Horatio Luro, (Gene Gabriel). Calling the races and adding colour commentary is ACTRA Award nominee Sam Rosenthal.

DANCER (A Musical in Ten Furlongs) opens at the Terminal Theatre on Queens Quay West in Toronto on October 6.

For more information and to watch a clip, visit Dancer (A Musical In Ten Furlongs).

Keanu Uchida stars as Northern Dancer. Photo Mario Gagnon