Anne of Green Gables — The Musical Will No Longer Be Performed Annually in Charlottetown

On November 24, 2022, the Confederation Centre of the Arts announced in a press release that Anne of Green Gables — The Musical would no longer be staged annually in Charlottetown, but instead once every two years. The production will return to the stage in 2024 in commemoration of the 150th birthday of L.M. Montgomery.

The press release states, "Confederation Centre of the Arts is delighted to announce the extension and expansion to its agreement with the show’s rights holders. Starting in 2024, Anne of Green Gables–The Musical™ will be playing on the mainstage every two years (biennially) coinciding with the 150th birthday of Lucy Maud Montgomery. The production ran annually for over fifty years from 1965-2019 and was presented in 2022 after a brief hiatus due to COVID-related challenges."

The announcement was met with concern about how the decision may affect tourism on Prince Edward Island.

Image Credit:
Promotional photograph for Anne of Green Gables — The Musical from the Confederation Centre of the Arts website.

References:
Anne of Green Gables–The Musical™ to return to The Charlottetown Festival in 2024. (November 24, 2022). Confederation Centre of the Arts. Retrieved from: https://confederationcentre.com/anne-of-green-gables-the-musical-to-return-to-the-charlottetown-festival-in-2024/.

Austen, Ian. (December 3, 2022). After Half a Century, Prince Edward Island’s Musical Tradition Takes a Break. The New York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/03/world/canada/prince-edward-island-musical.html.

P.E.I.'s long-running 'Anne of Green Gables — The Musical' no longer an annual event. (November 24, 2022). The Canadian Press. Retrieved from: https://www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/entertainment/p-e-i-s-long-running-anne-of-green-gables-the-musical-no-longer-an/article_fc3d2ee5-929c-5b2f-88fe-96129abda91f.html.


Created November 28, 2022. Last updated December 3, 2022.
© worldofanneshirley.com

The Charlottetown Festival Returns in 2021 Without Anne of Green Gables — The Musical

When the Charlottetown Festival returns in 2021, it will not include its long-running mainstay Anne of Green Gables — The Musical. In 2020, the Festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ending the musical's world-record run of 55 consecutive years. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the Festival organizers decided that presenting a musical like Anne with a large cast and audience would not be possible in 2021. Due to safety protocols, the 1,100-seat Confederation Centre auditorium has a restricted seating capacity of 300. Performances will have staggered seating, mandatory masks, and social distancing procedures in place for the safety of the audience members.

Festival artistic director Adam Brazier stated, "The decision was made for us and we embrace it. We really feel like this is an opportunity for us to stretch our wings and to tell some other stories."

This year's Charlottetown Festival lineup includes three shorter, smaller-scale shows featuring stories from Atlantic Canada:

Between Breaths - a play inspired by the true story of a Newfoundland man who rescued more than 500 whales trapped in fishing nets.

Dear Rita - a musical honouring the life of the Maritime singer-songwriter Rita MacNeil.

Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story - the true story of two Romanian refugees who meet at Pier 21 in Halifax while waiting to enter Canada.

Image credit:
Photograph of Anne of Green Gables — The Musical from the 2017 Charlottetown Festival by Louise Vessey.

Reference:
Decision not to stage Anne at Charlottetown Festival 'was made for us': Reduced capacity due to COVID-19 among factors preventing perennial favourite from returning. (April 8, 2021). CBC News. Retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-charlottetown-festival-2021-season-launch-1.5979351.

Created April 10, 2021.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Pandemic Ends 55-Year Run of Anne of Green Gables — The Musical

The 2020 Charlottetown Festival has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ending the 55-year run of Anne of Green Gables — The Musical. The musical has been featured as part of the Charlottetown Festival at the Confederation Centre of the Arts in PEI every year since it premiered in 1965. Its long run was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's longest running annual musical theatre production.

The Confederation Centre of the Arts CEO Steve Bellamy explained the cancellation stating, "Unfortunately, with the necessary restrictions on large gatherings and the need for social distancing remaining in place for some time, our ability is limited, not only to host audiences, but to prepare with rehearsals and construction in the months ahead of our performances."


Image credit:
Photograph of Anne of Green Gables — The Musical from the 2017 Charlottetown Festival by Louise Vessey.

Reference:
Yarr, Kevin. (April 24, 2021). Charlottetown Festival cancelled for 2020: Record-breaking run of Anne musical ends. CBC News. Retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-charlottetown-festival-cancelled-1.5543692.

Created April 28, 2020.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Emily (1999)

Emily (1999) is a musical by Richard Ouzounian and Marek Norman based on the Emily of New Moon trilogy (Emily of New Moon, Emily Climbs, and Emily’s Quest) by L.M. Montgomery. Richard Ouzounian, who is a theatre critic, writer, and director, wrote the book and lyrics. Marek Norman, who is a composer, actor, and producer, wrote the orchestral music.

Emily made its world premiere on June 19, 1999 at the Charlottetown Festival at the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. The musical starred Tracy Michalidis as Emily Starr. The musical was successful and returned the following season in 2000. The script was published by McArthur and Company in 2000.

Emily is described in the published script as follows:
"EMILY is a new Canadian musical based on the famous trilogy by Lucy Maud Montgomery: EMILY OF NEW MOON, EMILY CLIMBS, and EMILY'S QUEST. The three books deal with the growth of a young woman on Prince Edward Island at the turn of the century, both as an individual and as a writer. Many commentators feel that Emily contains Montgomery's fantasy of the choices she wishes she had made in her life. EMILY was first presented at the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown in June of 1999 and instantly became a smash hit, proving to be one of the most popular shows in the festival's thirty-five year history. It will be returning for the 2000 season, and a subsequent tour is in the works. Included here is an introduction by Richard Ouzounian, the entire play's script, and four original songs from the musical.”

The four songs included in the book are: “The Dream Begins,” “Disappointed House,” “There Will Be Another Rainbow,” and “This Island.”


Image Credit:
Front cover of the Emily script by Richard Ouzounian and Marek Norman featuring a photograph of Tracy Michalidis as Emily Starr from The Charlottetown Festival (1999). The photograph is by Barrett and MacKay. The script was published by McArthur and Company in 2000.

Created May 21, 2006. Last updated June 22, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Green Gables — The Musical (1965)

Anne of Green Gables — The Musical (1965) is based on the novel Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. Its music was composed by Norman Campbell, and the book is by Don Harron. The lyrics were written by Don Harron and Norman Campbell, with additional lyrics by Mavor Moore and Elaine Campbell. It was directed and choreographed by Alan Lund.

At the premiere in 1965, Anne Shirley was portrayed by Jamie Ray. Barbara Hamilton played Marilla Cuthbert, Peter Mews played Matthew Cuthbert, and Dean Regan played Gilbert Blythe. The stage musical was based on the 1956 Anne of Green Gables musical film that was produced for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and directed by Don Harron.

The musical is notably the longest running musical in Canadian history. After its premiere in 1965, the production ran every summer for more than 50 years at the Charlottetown Festival, which is hosted by the Confederation Centre of the Arts. Performances paused during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and the musical returned to the stage in 2022. According to the Confederation Centre of the Arts, "Starting in 2024, Anne of Green Gables–The Musical™ will be playing on the mainstage every two years (biennially) coinciding with the 150th birthday of Lucy Maud Montgomery."

I saw this musical in Charlottetown in 2006, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The script is available is available through Concord Theatricals.

A cast recording of the musical was released by The Charlottetown Festival and you can listen to it at Amazon Music. The album includes the following 19 songs:

1. Overture / Great Workers for the Cause / Where Is Matthew Going?

2. Gee I'm Glad I'm No-One Else but Me

3. We Clearly Requested a Boy

4. The Facts

5. Humble Pie

6. Apology

7. Back to School

8. Wond'rin'

9. Did You Hear?

10. Ice Cream

11. Summer

12. Kindred Spirits

13. Open the Window

14. I'll Show Him

15. General Store

16. If It Hadn't Been for Me

17. Anne of Green Gables

18. The Words

19. Wond'rin' (Reprise)

Purchase the Anne of Green Gables — The Musical cast recording:

Official Site:
Anne of Green Gables — The Musical at the Confederation Centre of the Arts

Image Credit:
Anne of Green Gables — The Musical promotional image by the Confederation Centre of the Arts.

Reference:
Confederation Centre of the Arts. Anne of Green Gables — The Musical™ to return to The Charlottetown Festival in 2024. Retrieved from: https://confederationcentre.com/anne-of-green-gables-the-musical-to-return-to-the-charlottetown-festival-in-2024/

Created August 15, 2002. Last updated July 9, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Songs of the Island (2002)

Songs of the Island (2002) is a musical tribute to L.M. Montgomery by Hank Stinson. This musical revue premiered at the Charlottetown Festival in Prince Edward Island, Canada in the summer of 2002. Songs of the Island was developed by The Castle Company, a Prince Edward Island-based musical theatre company.

Hank Stinson wrote the full text and lyrics, with the exception of the quotes and excerpts from L.M. Montgomery’s novels Emily of New Moon, Rainbow Valley and The Blue Castle. The revue also quotes the lyrics for "Peace," which was written by L.M. Montgomery in the article “Prince Edward Island” for the book, The Spirit of Canada: Dominion and Provinces (1939). In addition, musical includes five excerpts from L.M. Montgomery’s autobiography The Alpine Path.

In the musical’s dialogue, the performers explain that they consider the best way to learn about Maud is by reading her letters, poems, short stories, and novels, and that, “The key to understanding Maud is though her characters.” They emphasize that there is more to L.M. Montgomery than Anne of Green Gables. Thus, the musical revue aimed to show additional facets of Montgomery’s character by focusing on songs and scenes from Stinson’s previous musicals on L.M. Montgomery’s works: Emily of New Moon, Rainbow Valley and The Blue Castle. The music for The Blue Castle was by Hank Stinson with additional music by Helen MacRae. The music for Emily of New Moon and Rainbow Valley was by Dean Burry. Interspersed between the songs, the performers discuss the similarities between L.M. Montgomery and her characters.


Image Credit:
Graphic by The World of Anne Shirley.

References:
The Castle Co. Webpage (archived).
Songs of the Island at The Castle Co. (archived).
Dean Burry's Official Website

Created August 15, 2002. Last updated June 18, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com