Melody Fair

Melody Fair

Melody Fair. Theatre-in-the-round which presented musicals and operettas 1951-4 in Toronto. Sponsored by Music Circus of Canada Ltd (R. Stuart Lampard, president) and directed by Leighton K. Brill (executive producer) and Ben Kamsler (general manager), Melody Fair mounted 10 to 12 productions each summer, first (1951-2) at Dufferin Park, then (1953) at the CNE grounds, and finally (1954) in the Mutual Street Arena. Leading roles were taken by US performers, and supporting roles were filled by Canadians, many at the beginning of their careers, including Kathryn Albertson, Glenn Gardiner, Robert Goulet, Sylvia Grant, Alexander Gray, and Joan Maxwell. Among the 43 productions were Brigadoon, Carousel, The Desert Song, Finian's Rainbow, Rose Marie, Show Boat, and Song of Norway (the 1951 production of which featured Mario Bernardi playing the Grieg Piano Concerto in the last act).