Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Legally Blonde The Musical to alternate at Theatre Under the Stars for summer 2025
Subscription packs on sale today for Stanley Park stage series that runs June 27 to August 16

Theatre Under the Stars at Malkin Bowl. Photo by Shawn Bukhari
THEATRE UNDER THE STARS has just announced the two musicals that it will stage outdoors at Stanley Park’s Malkin Bowl this summer.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will alternate with Legally Blonde The Musical from June 27 to August 16.
TUTS is launching its two-show subscription packs today, followed by early-bird single tickets on May 22; more information is here.
Based on the beloved children’s classic from author Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will be directed by Peter Jorgensen and choreographed by Keri Minty. Sean Bayntun will return for the third year in a row as a TUTS music director, following his work on The Prom in 2023 and CATS in 2024.
Legally Blonde The Musical, meanwhile, is making its third return to TUTS due to its popularity. Telling the story of the hit Reese Witherspoon movie of the same name, it follows sorority girl Elle Woods, who is determined to win back her college sweetheart after he dumps her on the eve of her graduation—following him all the way to Harvard Law School. It will be directed by Jayme Armstrong and choreographed by Lyndsey Britten, with music direction by Eliza De Castro, TUTS’s 2023 Music Directing Fellow for The Prom and music director for School of Rock in 2024.
Theatre Under the Stars is celebrating 85 years of staging theatre at the historic spot.
Janet Smith is cofounder and editorial director of Stir. She is an award-winning arts journalist who has spent more than two decades immersed in Vancouver’s dance, screen, design, theatre, music, opera, and gallery scenes. She sits on the Vancouver Film Critics’ Circle.
Related Articles
At the Firehall Arts Centre, Cree theatre artist journeys through her childhood memories, incorporating cheeky crowd work
All-ages show by Cause & Effect Circus incorporates high-level skills, inventive lighting, and fun sound effects
Justin Anthony directs the show about a group of survivors navigating the aftermath of a cataclysmic event
Howard Dai’s Dream Machine pulls inspiration from Taiwanese game shows, while Paige Louter’s Nod acknowledges chronic fatigue
1 Santosh Santosh 2 Go touches on the model minority myth with hilarity and heart
Set in Pacific Theatre’s activity room, play by Katherine Gauthier leans into realism with depth of character and lasting intensity
Newest production to feature Sound the Alarm’s lineup of seasoned singers mines soundtracks of Disney and Hollywood classics
The violinist’s Fantasy Vignettes interweaves Baroque music, costume changes, and sewing machines
On the BMO Mainstage, director Dean Paul Gibson puts an ’80s spin on this resonant tale of young love
Aussie troupe Gravity & Other Myths’ stripped-down spectacle has been a hit around the world
In Hair Hair Everywhere, Shabnam debates whether or not she should shave
In girl power–fuelled show, performers channel sounds of Beyoncé, Lily Allen, and more in turning the tables on doomed relationships
In Inner Elder at the Firehall Arts Centre, the Calgary-based theatre veteran draws on more than three decades of Indigenous clowning experience
Moving into ambitious new territory, the company meets the many challenges of the Broadway classic and its still-relevant message
Arts Club play edges true-life story of Princess Di hospice visit into unexpected transcendent realm
All is not as it seems as two of Shakespeare’s most tumultuous couples navigate secret love and mistaken identities
With its flared costumes and feisty performances, Metro Theatre’s production of a Rice and Lloyd Webber favourite offers a quirkily fun tour of musical genres
As storylines switch between playwrights and the characters they’ve created, this challenging Zee Zee Theatre production spotlights hidden disparities separating two best friends
Fast-rising Filipino-Canadian actor and singer-songwriter takes the titular role in a rendition set in a 1970s variety show
The transition follows her departure from Music on Main, where she served as artistic planning and operations manager for seven years
Playwright Katherine Gauthier’s fly-on-the-wall production at Pacific Theatre follows five people in a group therapy session as they exchange intimate thoughts
City council throws support behind feasibility study’s call for world-class mid-size venue and recital hall
Wild treadmill antics, nostalgic-’90s circus, and new work by the likes of Corey Payette, Carmen Aguirre, Anais West, Veda Hille, and Maiko Yamamoto
Zahida Rahemtulla’s new play reflects three versions of what it meant to hold things together during the 2016 refugee resettlement initiative
Western Gold Theatre finds unique paths through the mysteries of Caryl Churchill’s innovative play on aging and dying
At Progress Lab 1422, a pair of tracks feature multidisciplinary works by Howard Dai, Paige Louter, Cameron Peal, and more
Roster also includes the troupe’s 40th panto, Jack and the Beanstalk, plus Neil Simon, Lend Me a Tenor, Shakespeare in Love, and more
Ten episodes feature play excerpts and interviews with emerging theatre artists who identify with D/disability
Annual accolade honours an individual who has significantly enriched Metro Vancouver’s arts and culture community
Seventy years after the classic musical’s debut, its theme of love transcending hate continues to inspire performers and audiences