“In the smoke-choked backrooms of 1920s Toronto, where jazz and bootleg liquor flow like an untamed river, The Man in the Iron Mask is reborn as a Prohibition-era musical.”
So begins the synopsis for The Iron Mask, which premieres at Toronto Fringe starting July 3. The story, as in the original, revolves around a set of twins.
In this adaptation, one takes the role of a crime lord, all silk suits and ruthless deals as a booze smuggler, while the other twin is a prisoner whose fate is shrouded in mystery. Speakeasy ballads and brassy anthems drive the soundtrack, and the story of aging gangsters who reunite to bring down tyranny. In a larger sense, it’s a story about resilience in the face of ruin and loss, and the possibility of healing and renewal.
The story is told via jazz dance, dialogue, and song, choreographed and created by Adam Martino. The music for this dance jukebox musical is described as works popularized by Canadian artists. You can check out one of the rehearsals here.
Show Credits
Fringe fans will recognize work by the same creative team behind Anatomy of a Dancer, Tales Of A Cocktail, and Scenes From an Italian Restaurant.
- Written & Musical Direction by Anibal Ortega
- Directed by Adam Martino
- Choreographed by Adam Martino, Sydney Keir, Alayna Kellett
- Starring Anibal Ortega, Tiffanie Samuels, Lexie Stavro, Kaitlind Gorman, Emily Hundt, Bryce Gowdy, Miranda Pereyra, Doraianna Filippo
Show creator and choreographer Adam Martino is the artistic director of Breakaway Entertainment, Chair of The Performance Collective, and Theatre Jazz faculty member of the renowned Millennium Dance Complex Toronto. He also teaches at City Dance Corps, and City Dance Centre, among others. Adam is the former artistic director of the Silhouettes Dance Company, and current member of D’Zouk Productions, Bash Fx, Kulkat, and Sapphire Dance Productions.
His Anatomy Of A Dancer – Tribute To The Life Of A Song & Dance Man about the life of actor/dancer Gene Kelly, where he served as Producer, Creative Director and Choreographer, premiered at the 2018 Toronto Fringe Festival to soldout audiences. It won the 2018 Broadway World Toronto Award for Best Fringe Musical, and toured Canada through 2022 and 2023.
His resume includes extensive musical theatre credits, and Adam has worked with major festivals and companies such as Carnival Entertainment, AOL, World Pride Festival 2014, Labatt Blue, Marvel, Paquin Entertainment, Nuit Blanche, Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Club, Ballet Jorgen, Hit & Run Productions, and others.
Anibal Ortega wrote the script and provides musical direction, as well as starring in the show. Latin American interdisciplinary artist and performer Anibal Ortego was born in Chile, and performed extensively in leading roles in the commercial theatre scene in Argentina and Chile. Anibal was also part of Buenos Aires Players, a bilingual educational theatre company for a two year period. From 2019 until 2023, Anibal worked as a performer on the Disney Cruise Line, and subsequently relocated to Toronto.
Ani’s Canadian debut came in 2024 at the Toronto Fringe hit show Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, which won the Patrons Pick Award.
The cast’s past credits include work with the Canadian Opera Company, Ballet Jorgen Canada, Yuks Yuks Comedy Club, Next Stage Theatre Festival, Theatre TO, National Ballet Of Canada, Diamond Tooth Gerties, RWS Entertainment, MSC Seascape, and iHeat Radio MMVAs, among others.
The Show
The show is presented along with seven other shows curated by the Alliance for Canadian Musicals.
ACM Executive Producer Derrick Chua says in a statement, “The Alliance for Canadian Musicals was formed with the purpose of serving the Canadian musical theatre community. We are thrilled to provide a platform for eight Canadian musicals to be seen by Toronto audiences, in the hope of nurturing musical theatre development and providing these shows and more with future opportunities.”
The Alliance For Canadian Musicals will be operating a Satellite Venue at Theatre Passe Muraille as part of the 2025 Toronto Fringe, dedicated solely to Canadian musicals.
- Find show location, tickets, and other details [HERE].
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