Proud steps in for Mary Walsh at Toronto theatre

Theatre Passe Muraille has announceda reading of Michael Healey's controversialnew work Proud, about an unnamed Canadian prime minister, while it is waitingforMary Walsh to recover.

Walshs Dancing with Rage was cancelled last week at the Toronto theatre because the Newfoundland-based comedian isin hospital with pneumonia.

Theatre Passe Muraille stands to lose $60,000 from having the theatre go dark while Walsh recovers, TPM artistic director Andy McKim said.

On Monday,the theatre announced that Proud, a work thattheTarragontheatre had rejected forits 2012-13 season because of concernsthat itmight be subject to a libel suit, would enjoy a fundraiserreading on March 19.

The satire is about an unnamed Prime Ministerwhich Healey admits is based on Stephen Harper. Healey ended his long relationship with Tarragon over its decision not to produce the play and said he believed it was a case of theatre chill.

"Because the character is so nakedly our prime minister and because it's in a fictionalized contexthe is surrounded by fictionalizedcharacters and he is saying words that I have dreamt up there was anxiety among members of the board that there was possibility of libel," Healey told CBC News.

"Proud is in a very early draft stage and Michael is only doing a reading of it now because he is a generous soul, who wants to assist Theatre Passe Muraille, the original home of his hit play The Drawer Boy," Theatre Passe Muraille said in a statement.

The theatre also plans to restage another political play, Maggie and Pierre, with Linda Griffiths repeating her iconic performance as Margaret Trudeau, on March 17.

TPM is hoping Walsh can return with her one-woman show starting March 20.