2/9/2011 9:48:14 PM

February 3, 2011

'Sweetheart: The Mary Pickford Story' musical at
Spadina Museum this February

Sweetheart: The Mary Pickford Story (by Dean
Burry) is a one-woman musical based on the life
and career of Toronto's influential silent film
star. Performances will take place from February
10 to 27 at Spadina Museum.

The music of Sweetheart: The Mary Pickford Story
references the music of the silent film era. The
songs, sung by Denise Norman accompanied by Sherry
Squires on piano, evoke the rhythm and energy of
Ragtime and Tin-Pan Alley. The historical ambiance
of the Spadina Museum is a fitting setting for
this performance, which incorporates Pickford's
films as screen projections.

Sweetheart: The Mary Pickford Story functions on
several levels: as a biography of a pivotal figure
of a dominant 20th-century art form; as an
exploration of the cult of celebrity; and as an
inspiring and entertaining musical. Sweetheart is
a Lunabridge Production with music, book and
lyrics created by Dean Burry and directed by Mimi
Mekler. This is an approved Canadian Actors'
Equity Association Co-op.

Performances take place from Thursday to Saturday,
February 10 to 26, at 8 p.m. and on Sunday,
February 13, 20 and 27 at 2 p.m. Admission is $20
for adults and $17 for seniors and youth (plus
applicable taxes). Advance tickets are available
by calling Spadina Museum (285 Spadina Rd.,
Toronto) at 416-392-6910.

Born in Toronto in 1892, Mary Pickford was a
founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences, and a co-founder of United
Artist Studios. She is acknowledged as one of the
film industry’s most important figures and was the
first film actor ever to negotiate a million-
dollar contract. She received a Lifetime
Achievement Award from the Academy Awards in 1976.
Pickford was one of the silent film era's biggest
celebrities, achieving international fame. Her
life's story echoes many of the trials and
tribulations that celebrities continue to
experience today. Mary Pickford died in 1979.

For more than a century, Spadina Museum was home
to four generations of the Austin family. Opened
to the public in 1984 by the City of Toronto, the
museum recently underwent an exhaustive interior
restoration. This celebrated public landmark is
now Toronto's only museum to represent the
transformative era of the 1920s and 1930s through
authentic interiors and multifaceted public
programming.

Spadina Museum: Historic House and Gardens is one
of 10 historic museums operated by the City of
Toronto. For more information the public can call
416-392-6910 or visit
http://www.toronto.ca/spadina.