Ross Petty
Encyclopedia
Ross Petty is a Canadian
actor and theatre producer. He is best known for his eponymous production company, which stages family theatre productions in Toronto
every holiday season.
.
In Europe, he sang at Le Lido
in Paris
and appeared with Betty Grable
in the London West End musical Belle Starr. In the United States, he made his Broadway
debut in Arthur Kopit's Wings
, created the role of Eddie Dorrance on All My Children
, and co-starred with Ginger Rogers
and Sid Caesar
in a national tour of Cole Porter
’s Anything Goes
.
He appeared in the U.S. and Canada in the title role of Stephen Sondheim
’s Sweeney Todd
, directed by Hal Prince
. His film and television credits include Extreme Measures
with Gene Hackman
and Hugh Grant
, Perry Mason
, Spenser: For Hire
, Monk
, Loving Friends and Perfect Couples
, Forever Knight
, E.N.G.
, Night Heat
, Seeing Things, Hot Shots
, All My Children
, A Judgement in Stone
, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues
, Counterstrike, The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne
, Traders
, F/X2
and Martha Inc: The Martha Stewart Story.
He has also done voices in several cartoon shows including X-Men
, The Busy World of Richard Scarry
, Bob and Margaret
, Mythic Warriors: Guardians of the Legend, Bad Dog
, Redwall
, Mischief City, Ned's Newt
, Jacob Two-Two
, Monster Force
, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
, Freaky Stories
, Free Willy
, Rupert
, The Adventures of Tintin
, Little Bear
, Roboroach
, BIRDZ
, Pippi Longstocking and Rescue Heroes
.
He has been married to former National Ballet of Canada
dancer Karen Kain
since 1983. The couple reside in Toronto.
. The shows are firmly in the old English pantomime
tradition, incorporating many of that style’s elements — broad comedy, winking asides that break the “fourth wall
”, audience participation, and, of course, a man in a dress.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
actor and theatre producer. He is best known for his eponymous production company, which stages family theatre productions in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
every holiday season.
Early career
Petty was born in WinnipegWinnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
.
In Europe, he sang at Le Lido
Le Lido
Le Lido is a cabaret and burlesque house on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, France, famous for its exotic shows, which rival those of Las Vegas and where Elvis Presley gave an impromptu concert...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and appeared with Betty Grable
Betty Grable
Elizabeth Ruth "Betty" Grable was an American actress, dancer and singer.Her iconic bathing suit photo made her the number-one pin-up girl of the World War II era. It was later included in the LIFE magazine project "100 Photos that Changed the World"...
in the London West End musical Belle Starr. In the United States, he made his Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut in Arthur Kopit's Wings
Wings (play)
Wings is a 1978 play by American playwright Arthur Kopit. Originating as a radio play, it was later adapted for stage and screen.In 1976, Kopit was commissioned to write an original radio play by the NPR drama project Earplay...
, created the role of Eddie Dorrance on All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
, and co-starred with Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers was an American actress, dancer, and singer who appeared in film, and on stage, radio, and television throughout much of the 20th century....
and Sid Caesar
Sid Caesar
Isaac Sidney "Sid" Caesar is an Emmy award winning American comic actor and writer known as the leading man on the 1950s television series Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour, and to younger generations as Coach Calhoun in Grease and Grease 2.- Early life :Caesar was born in Yonkers, New York,...
in a national tour of Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
’s Anything Goes
Anything Goes
Anything Goes is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap antics aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London...
.
He appeared in the U.S. and Canada in the title role of Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
’s Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as then antagonist of the Victorian penny dreadful The String of Pearls and he was later introduced as an antihero in the broadway musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and its film adaptation...
, directed by Hal Prince
Hal Prince
Harold Smith Prince is an American theatrical producer and director associated with many of the best-known Broadway musical productions of the past half-century...
. His film and television credits include Extreme Measures
Extreme Measures
Extreme Measures is a 1996 thriller film based on Michael Palmer's 1991 novel of the same name, about the ethics of how far we are willing to go, and how much we are willing to sacrifice, in order to cure the world's ills.-Cast:...
with Gene Hackman
Gene Hackman
Eugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is an American actor and novelist.Nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two, Hackman has also won three Golden Globes and two BAFTAs in a career that spanned five decades. He first came to fame in 1967 with his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde...
and Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
, Perry Mason
Perry Mason
Perry Mason is a fictional character, a defense attorney who was the main character in works of detective fiction authored by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason was featured in more than 80 novels and short stories, most of which had a plot involving his client's murder trial...
, Spenser: For Hire
Spenser: For Hire
Spenser: For Hire is a mystery television series based on Robert B. Parker's Spenser novels. The series, developed for TV by John Wilder, differs from the novels, mostly in its lesser degree of detail....
, Monk
Monk (TV series)
Monk is an American comedy-drama detective mystery television series created by Andy Breckman and starring Tony Shalhoub as the titular character, Adrian Monk. It originally ran from 2002 to 2009 and is primarily a mystery series, although it has dark and comic touches.The series debuted on July...
, Loving Friends and Perfect Couples
Loving Friends and Perfect Couples
Loving Friends and Perfect Couples was a Canadian television soap opera, which aired in 1983. Originally aired on the pay TV network First Choice, the series was later rerun on Global....
, Forever Knight
Forever Knight
Forever Knight was a Canadian television series about Nick Knight, an 800-year-old vampire working as a police detective in modern day Toronto. Wracked with guilt for centuries of killing others, he seeks redemption by working as a homicide detective on the night shift while struggling to find a...
, E.N.G.
E.N.G.
E.N.G. is a Canadian television drama, following the staff of a fictional Toronto television news station . The show aired on CTV from 1988 to 1994...
, Night Heat
Night Heat
Night Heat is a Canadian police drama series, which aired on CTV from 1985 to 1991. The show also aired on CBS in the United States from 1987 to 1993 and was the first Canadian-produced drama series to air on an American network...
, Seeing Things, Hot Shots
Hot Shots (TV series)
Hot Shots was a short-lived Canadian television drama series, which aired on CBS in the United States in 1986, and CTV in Canada in 1987.The series, produced by CTV for the CBS Late Night block of crime drama series, starred Dorothy Parke and Booth Savage as Amanda Reed and Jake West, crime...
, All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
, A Judgement in Stone
A Judgement In Stone
A Judgement In Stone is a 1977 novel by British writer Ruth Rendell, widely considered to be one of her greatest works. The novel is famous in the world of crime fiction for its opening line: "Eunice Parchman killed the Coverdale family because she could not read or write"...
, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues
Kung Fu: The Legend Continues
Kung Fu: The Legend Continues is a spin-off of the 1972-1975 television series Kung Fu. David Carradine and Chris Potter starred as a father and son trained in kung fu - Carradine playing a Shaolin monk, Potter a police detective. This series aired in syndication for four seasons, from January 27,...
, Counterstrike, The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne
The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne
The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne is a 22-episode science fiction television series in the steampunk genre that first aired in June 2000 on CBC Television in Canada and in syndication in the United States....
, Traders
Traders (TV series)
Traders is a Canadian television drama series, which was broadcast on Global Television Network from 1995 to 2000.-Overview:Although Global had locked up most of NBC's "Must See Thursday" situation comedies for their Thursday night broadcasts, they lost the rights to broadcast the medical drama ER...
, F/X2
F/X2
F/X2 is a 1991 American action thriller film directed by Richard Franklin and starring Bryan Brown and Brian Dennehy. It is a sequel to the 1986 film F/X.-Plot:...
and Martha Inc: The Martha Stewart Story.
He has also done voices in several cartoon shows including X-Men
X-Men (TV series)
X-Men, also known as X-Men: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series which debuted on October 31, 1992, in the United States on the Fox Network as part of its Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup...
, The Busy World of Richard Scarry
The Busy World of Richard Scarry
The Busy World of Richard Scarry is a Canadian/French animated children's television series, produced by CINAR Animation and France Animation in association with Paramount Television, which aired from 1994 to 1997, first on Showtime, later on Nickelodeon, and ran for 65 episodes...
, Bob and Margaret
Bob and Margaret
Bob and Margaret was a Canadian/UK animated television series that was also shown in the United States and all over the world. The series was produced by Nelvana, a Toronto animation studio, and created by Canadian David Fine and Brit Alison Snowden...
, Mythic Warriors: Guardians of the Legend, Bad Dog
Bad Dog (TV series)
Bad Dog was an animated cartoon that aired on FOX Family and Teletoon in 1998. The cartoon focused on the Potanski family and their dog Berkeley. The show's gimmick was that, whenever Berkeley was told that he was a bad dog, he would freeze and pretend to be dead until someone told him he was a...
, Redwall
Redwall (TV series)
Redwall is a television series made by Canada-based Nelvana and France-based Alphanim and is based on the Redwall novels by Brian Jacques. The series currently spans three seasons, the first based on the first book Redwall, the second on Mattimeo and the third on Martin the Warrior...
, Mischief City, Ned's Newt
Ned's Newt
Ned's Newt is a Canadian/German cartoon series produced by Nelvana and TMO Film GmbH. The program aired from 1993 to 1996 in Germany, and on Teletoon from 1997 to 1998 in Canada. In the United States, the program aired on Fox Kids from 1998 to 1999, and was later rerun on Fox Family Channel...
, Jacob Two-Two
Jacob Two-Two (TV series)
Jacob Two-Two is a Canadian animated TV series based on a trilogy of books written by Mordecai Richler that first aired on Canadian children's channel YTV and aired on the French Canadian VRAK.TV as Jacob Jacob and in Spanish on Telemundo as Jacobo Dos Dos. It was produced by Nelvana; before being...
, Monster Force
Monster Force
Monster Force was a 13-episode animated television series created in 1994 by Universal Cartoon Studios and Canadian studio Lacewood Productions. The story is set in approx. 2020 and centers on a group of teenagers who, with help of high tech weaponry, fight off against classic Universal Monsters...
, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (TV series)
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is an animated television series based on the film of the same name. The series was produced by Morgan Creek Productions and Nelvana for Warner Bros. Studios. It aired for two seasons from 1995 to 1997 on CBS...
, Freaky Stories
Freaky Stories
Freaky Stories is a Canadian television series, which was originally broadcasted by YTV in English and Canal Famille in French...
, Free Willy
Free Willy (TV series)
For the 1954-1955 CBS situation comedy starring June Havoc, see Willy.Free Willy is an animated television series, inspired by the 1993 film of the same name....
, Rupert
Rupert (TV series)
Rupert is an animated television series based on the Mary Tourtel character Rupert Bear, produced by Nelvana, Ellipse Programmé and TVS for the first season, with Scottish Television taken over control when TVS closed. Aired from 1991 to 1997 with 65 half-hour episodes produced. It was broadcast...
, The Adventures of Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin (TV series)
The Adventures of Tintin is an animated television series based on The Adventures of Tintin, a series of books by Hergé. It debuted in 1991, and 39 half-hour episodes were produced over the course of three seasons...
, Little Bear
Little Bear (TV series)
Maurice Sendak's Little Bear is a Canadian children's television series starring a Little Bear voiced by Kristin Fairlie. Originally produced by Nelvana for Nickelodeon, it currently airs on Treehouse TV in Canada and Nick Jr. in the United States. A direct-to-video full-length feature film was...
, Roboroach
Roboroach
Roboroach is a Canadian animated television series, which ran on Teletoon in Canada and Jetix in Europe. It follows the story of a cockroach named Rube and his brother Reg. While scavenging for food, as seen in the introduction film, Rube is caught and experimented on...
, BIRDZ
BIRDZ
BIRDZ or BIRDZ.SK is a social networking site for Slovak teenagers and students. Registration is free and open for all users between 11 and 29 years of age...
, Pippi Longstocking and Rescue Heroes
Rescue Heroes
Rescue Heroes is a line of toys from Fisher-Price that was introduced in 1997. Rescue Heroes depicts various rescue personnel and their equipment. In 1999, an animated television series titled Rescue Heroes was released and was based on the figurines...
.
He has been married to former National Ballet of Canada
National Ballet of Canada
The National Ballet of Canada is Canada's largest ballet troupe. It was founded by Celia Franca in 1951 and is based in Toronto, Ontario. Based upon the unity of Canadian trained dancers in the tradition and style of England's Royal Ballet, The National is regarded as one of the premier classical...
dancer Karen Kain
Karen Kain
Karen Alexandria Kain, CC is a retired Canadian ballet dancer, and currently the Artistic Director of the National Ballet of Canada.-Early Training:...
since 1983. The couple reside in Toronto.
Production
Since 1996, Ross Petty Productions have been producing what they call “Fractured Fairy Tale Musicals” at Toronto’s Elgin TheatreElgin Theatre
The Elgin Theatre can refer to:* Elgin Theatre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, a former movie cinema that was the first twin cinema in North America* Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
. The shows are firmly in the old English pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
tradition, incorporating many of that style’s elements — broad comedy, winking asides that break the “fourth wall
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
”, audience participation, and, of course, a man in a dress.
Productions
- 1996 — Robin HoodRobin HoodRobin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
(Karen Kain, Frank AugustynFrank AugustynFrank Joseph Augustyn, OC is a Canadian ballet dancer and artistic director. He was principal dancer of the National Ballet of Canada and the Berlin Opera Ballet. He was artistic director of the Ottawa Ballet, from 1989–1994....
) - 1997 — Jack and the BeanstalkJack and the BeanstalkJack and the Beanstalk is a folktale said by English historian Francis Palgrave to be an oral legend that arrived in England with the Vikings. The tale is closely associated with the tale of Jack the Giant-killer. It is known under a number of versions...
(Heath LambertsHeath LambertsHeath Lamberts, CM was a Canadian actor.He was born James Langcaster in Toronto, Ontario, where, as a boy, he won singing contests at school, allowing him to perform with Toronto's Opera Festival Association...
) - 1998 — AladdinAladdinAladdin is a Middle Eastern folk tale. It is one of the tales in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights , and one of the most famous, although it was actually added to the collection by Antoine Galland ....
(Ernie CoombsErnie CoombsErnest "Ernie" Arthur Coombs, CM was a children's entertainer that starred in the Canadian television series Mr. Dressup....
) - 1999 — CinderellaCinderella"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
(Juan Chioran) - 2000 — Peter PanPeter PanPeter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with...
(Sheila McCarthySheila McCarthySheila McCarthy is a Canadian film, stage, television actress, and singer. She is one of the most honoured actors in Canada, having won two Genie Awards , two Gemini Awards , and two Dora Awards among multiple nominations. As of 2007, she can be seen on the Canadian television series Little...
) - 2001 — Snow WhiteSnow White"Snow White" is a fairy tale known from many countries in Europe, the best known version being the German one collected by the Brothers Grimm...
(Graham AbbeyGraham AbbeyGraham Abbey in Toronto, Ontario is a Canadian film, television and stage actor.- History :...
) - 2002 — Robin Hood (Rex HarringtonRex HarringtonRex Howard Harrington, OC, FRSC is a Canadian ballet dancer. In 2000, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 2005, he was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. In 2006, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by York University and was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada...
) - 2003 — Cinderella (Erin DavisErin DavisErin Davis is a popular media figure in Toronto, Ontario. At present she is a co-host of 98.1 CHFI's Morning Show along with Mike Cooper. She also appears regularly as an MC or keynote speaker for many local organizations and events in Toronto.- Early life :...
, Don HarronDon HarronDonald H. Harron, is a Canadian comedian, actor, director, journalist, author and composer.- Charlie Farquharson :...
) - 2004 — Aladdin (Bret "The Hitman" HartBret HartBret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
) - 2005 — Snow White (Alan FrewAlan FrewAlan Frew is the lead singer for the Canadian band, Glass Tiger, and has also released two solo albums...
, Sean CullenSeán CullenSeán Cullen is a Canadian comedian. He is known for combining improvisation with mimicry and music. Cullen has been described in Time as the "vanguard of comedy's next generation". He is best known for voicing Four, Five & Seven in Seven Little Monsters. -Career:Cullen entered into the public eye...
, Ryan MalcolmRyan MalcolmRyan Michael Malcolm is a Canadian singer best known as the winner of the first season of Canadian Idol....
, Gary BealsGary BealsGary Beals is a Canadian singer who is best known for being the second-place finisher in the first season of the reality television series Canadian Idol...
, Billy KlippertBilly KlippertBilly Klippert is a Canadian rock singer/songwriter who rose to fame via the first season of Canadian Idol, in which he finished 3rd.-Career:His self-titled debut album on the Orange Record Label reached 36th spot on Canada's top 100 albums chart in July 2004. His second album Naked & The Simple...
, Elena Juatco) - 2006 — Aladdin (Bret "The Hitman" Hart)
- 2007 — Peter Pan (Kurt BrowningKurt BrowningKurt Browning, CM is a Canadian figure skater, choreographer and commentator. He is a four-time World Champion and four-time Canadian national champion.-Life and career:...
) - 2008 — Cinderella (Paula BrancatiPaula BrancatiPaula Brancati is a Canadian actress who performs in live theatre, television, and film. She is most notable for her roles as Jenny Zalen on Being Erica, Cally Stone on Dark Oracle and Jane Vaughn on Degrassi: The Next Generation.Brancati was born in Markham, Ontario, Canada. She is a fan of Al...
, Jake EpsteinJake EpsteinJacob Lee "Jake" Epstein is a Canadian actor and singer, perhaps best known for playing Craig Manning, a bipolar musician, on Degrassi: The Next Generation.-Personal life:...
) - 2009 — Robin Hood (Eva AvilaEva AvilaEva Avila is a singer and songwriter. She won the fourth season of the CTV reality show Canadian Idol in 2006.-Early life:...
, Jessica HolmesJessica HolmesJessica Holmes is a Canadian comedian and actress. She is best known for her work with the Royal Canadian Air Farce, which she joined in 2003. She is married to actor Scott Yaphe....
) - 2010 — Beauty and the BeastBeauty and the BeastBeauty and the Beast is a traditional fairy tale. The first published version of the fairy tale was a rendition by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, published in La jeune américaine, et les contes marins in 1740...
(Jake EpsteinJake EpsteinJacob Lee "Jake" Epstein is a Canadian actor and singer, perhaps best known for playing Craig Manning, a bipolar musician, on Degrassi: The Next Generation.-Personal life:...
, Melissa O'Neill, Jake Simons, Scott ThompsonScott ThompsonScott Thompson is a Canadian television actor and comedian, best known for his time as a member of the comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall.-Personal life:...
)