Rainbow Valley (2000)

Rainbow Valley (2000) is a musical play by Hank Stinson and Dean Burry that was based on the novel Rainbow Valley by L.M. Montgomery. This musical was commissioned following the success of their collaboration in creating the musical Emily of New Moon in 1998. Hank Stinson wrote the script and lyrics for Rainbow Valley in the late 1990s, and Dean Burry composed the music. The musical was developed by The Castle Company, a Prince Edward Island-based musical theatre company.

Rainbow Valley premiered at the Stage Door Theatre in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island Canada in March 2000. Later, the musical went on to have a 140-show run at the Avonlea Village in Prince Edward Island. In 2002, portions of the musical were included as part of Hank Stinson’s Songs of the Island: A musical tribute to L.M. Montgomery at the Charlottetown Festival.

Rainbow Valley is a musical play in two acts. There is also a one-act version of the script for a smaller cast.

The musical is described as follows:
“Rainbow Valley centers around the lives of four boisterous children, their single father, his reluctant sweetheart, and a destitute home-girl, Mary Vance. The children lack the one thing that would make their house a home. The minister lacks the one thing that would make him truly happy. And Mary Vance? She finds the one thing she has been waiting for all her life. And in doing so she brings all the other things together.”


Image Credit:
Graphic by The World of Anne Shirley.

References:
The Castle Co. Webpage (archived)
Dean Burry's Official Website
Cole, Sally. (2018, November 3). Bringing L.M. Montgomery's 'Rainbow Valley' to the stage on P.E.I. Saltwire. Retrieved from: https://www.saltwire.com/prince-edward-island/lifestyles/bringing-lm-montgomerys-rainbow-valley-to-the-stage-on-pei-256118/

Created August 15, 2002. Last updated June 17, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Emily of New Moon (1998)

Emily of New Moon (1998) is a musical by Hank Stinson and Dean Burry that was based on the novel Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery. Hank Stinson adapted the story for the stage, writing the book and lyrics, and Dean Burry composed the music. The musical was created by The Castle Company, a Prince Edward Island-based musical theatre company.

Emily of New Moon premiered at the Stage Door Theatre in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island Canada in 1998. Shows continued throughout the summer of 1998 at the historic Beaconsfield House in Charlottetown. In 2002, portions of the musical were included as part of Hank Stinson's Songs of the Island: A musical tribute to L.M. Montgomery at the Charlottetown Festival.

Emily of New Moon is a musical in one act. It is approximately 60 minutes long.

The musical is described as follows:
“Emily Byrd Starr, recently orphaned, goes to live with her stern Aunt Elizabeth Murray, her loving Aunt Laura and her whimsical Cousin Jimmy. She makes friends and enemies among the children in her new community and uses all her experiences as grist for her burgeoning writing career.”


Image Credit:
Image from The Castle Co. Webpage (archived).

References:
The Castle Co. Webpage (archived).
Dean Burry's Official Website
 
Created August 15, 2002. Last updated June 17, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

The Blue Castle (1993)

The Blue Castle: A Musical Love Story (1993) is a musical by Hank Stinson adapted from the novel The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery. Stinson composed the musical and it featured additional music by Helen MacRae. The musical was created for The Castle Company, a Prince Edward Island-based musical theatre company. In 1992, the musical won the Theatre Prince Edward Island New Voices Playwrighting Contest.

Following workshops at the Muskoka Festival, the first community production of The Blue Castle took place in Prince Edward Island in 1993. There was a larger community production in 1994 at the Confederation Centre in Charlottetown. In 1995, the professional debut took place at the Oakville Summer Theatre in Oakville, Ontario, Canada.

The Blue Castle is a two-act musical. There are two versions of the script for either a small or a large cast. The musical length runs for 1 hour and 20 minutes for the small cast version and 1 hour and 30 minutes for the large cast version.

The musical is described as follows:
“Based on the L.M. Montgomery novel, The Blue Castle tells the story of spinster Valancy Stirling's escape from her stultifying home life, her quest for identity, and her awakening as a woman. She is a true hero; a glowing example of courage and determination in the face of the unknown; ‘It's only when you realize that no one else is going to take care of you that you begin to take care of yourself.’”


Image Credit:
Adapted screencaptures from The Castle Co. webpage (archived).

Reference:
The Castle Co. webpage (archived).

Created August 15, 2002. Last updated June 17, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Green Gables (1956)

In March 1956, Anne of Green Gables was broadcast as a black and white television musical film by the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC). The 90-minute program aired as part of the CBC Folio series. The musical was based upon L.M. Montgomery's novel Anne of Green Gables and starred Toby Tarnow as Anne Shirley.

The musical film was directed by Don Harron, a Canadian actor, comedian, author, composer, director, and journalist. It written by James Costigan and Harron. Two years later, a second CBC-TV production aired on November 18, 1958, starring Kathy Willard as Anne Shirley. The 1956 television production was the basis for the stage production Anne of Green Gables - The Musical, which has been performed every summer since 1965 at the Charlottetown Festival in Prince Edward Island, Canada. This musical is the longest-running stage musical in Canada.

Image Credit:
"Anne of Green Gables in Hollis" by Michael Cleveland, Merrimack Journal, December 30, 2005.

Created August 15, 2002. Last updated June 12, 2021.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Avonlea (1940)

In 1940, James Reach, writing under the pseudonym Jeanette Carlisle, adapted L.M. Montgomery's novel Anne of Avonlea into a play titled Anne of Avonlea: A Comedy in Three Acts. This play was the first dramatization of Anne of Avonlea written for the stage. It was published by Samuel French, Inc., the same company that printed the 1937 stage adaptation of Anne of Green Gables by Wilbur Braun (pseudonym Alice Chadwicke).

James Reach (1909–1970) was an American playwright who wrote under several pseudonyms. Along with writing under the name Jeanette Carlisle, he also published plays under the names Hilda Manning, John Rand, and Thomas Sutton. Reach wrote many comedies, mystery-comedies, and dramatic plays, including The Wagon To The Star, Women in White, Afraid of the Dark, Blind Gambit, and Life Begins at Sixteen.

In the opening pages of Anne of Avonlea, the "Story of the Play" states,

"Here is the first dramatization of L. M. Montgomery’s famous novel which has been read and loved by millions since its publication more than thirty years ago. The play is in one simple living-room set, with most of the characters young ones, and should appeal particularly to clubs, schools and churches. Its heroine is the same adorable little red-headed vixen whose acquaintance so many of you have made in 'Anne of Green Gables.' But the little girl of 'Green Gables' has become a grown-up school teacher of seventeen. How she faces and overcomes the first real problems of her life form the basis of Miss Carlisle’s faithful adaptation, of which it may be said, as Meredith Nicholson said of the original, 'A story to lift the spirit and send the pessimist into bankruptcy!'"

The story involves Anne’s experiences teaching at the Avonlea School, her friendships with Diana and Gilbert, her neighbor Mr. Harrison, and her work with the Avonlea Village Improvement Society to beautify Avonlea. The introductory “Story of the Play” states, “Miss Carlisle has magically blended these into a whole that will capture and hold your interest from curtain to curtain, that will bring you much wholesome laughter and a few sentimental tears...”

Anne of Avonlea by Jeanette Carlisle is available for purchase and licensing through Concord Theatricals, which acquired Samuel French, Inc. in 2018.

Created August 15, 2002. Last updated May 12, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Green Gables (1937)

In 1937, Wilbur Braun, under the pseudonym Alice Chadwicke, adapted L.M. Montgomery's novel Anne of Green Gables into a three-act play titled Anne of Green Gables. This play was the first dramatization of Anne of Green Gables written for the stage. It was published by Samuel French, Inc.

Wilbur Braun (1894-1968) was an American playwright who wrote under over 50 pseudonyms. He was a prolific writer known for his dramatic and comedic stage adaptations, including Great Expectations, Pudd'nhead Wilson, Davy Crockett, Tish, and The Trail of the Lonesome Pine.

In the opening pages of Anne of Green Gables (1937), the "Story of the Play" states, "for years this fascinating book has headed the list of best sellers. It has been printed and reprinted, has been made twice as a movie, once as a silent picture and only recently as a talkie, but it has remained for the distinguished dramatist, Alice Chadwicke, to make the first and only dramatization of this magically beautiful story."

The dedication of the play reads:

TO
L.M. MONTGOMERY,

who created the most lovable heroine
the world of fiction has ever known,
this play is most earnestly dedicated.

ALICE CHADWICKE.

Anne of Green Gables by Alice Chadwicke is available for purchase and licensing through Concord Theatricals, which acquired Samuel French, Inc. in 2018.

Purchase and read the Anne of Green Gables (1937) play script:

Created August 15, 2002. Last updated May 12, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Easton Press Hardback Anne of Green Gables Series Book Set

I've had a few questions about the availability of hardback volumes of L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series. The only place I have seen a set like this for sale is in the Easton Press catalog. The Easton Press offers high quality book sets, and I'm sure their Anne set is gorgeous.

Their eight-volume Anne of Green Gables keepsake book set is leather bound with 22 karat gold accents and gilded page ends. The books are $109 per volume. Each volume is 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" in size and has a full-color frontispiece by Ben Stahl.

According to the Easton Press website, the books feature:
- Fully bound in genuine leather.
- 22kt gold deeply inlaid on the “hubbed” spine.
- Superbly printed on acid-neutral paper that lasts for generations.
- Sewn pages – not just glued like ordinary books.
- Satin-ribbon page marker.
- Gilded page ends.
- Bound in the USA. Imported materials.
- Rigorous inspection at every stage ensures adherence to our exacting standards.
- Superb craftsmanship and commitment to quality.
- Standard shipping included at no additional charge.

You can order the eight-volume set online at the Easton Press website, or request a catalog and order them by mail. According to their site, the books will ship in 6-10 business days.

Created July 28, 2002. Last updated May 2, 2024
© worldofanneshirley.com

The Road to Yesterday

The Road to Yesterday by L.M. Montgomery was published in 1974. L.M. Montgomery had originally penned this book under the title The Blythes are Quoted, but the book was not published during her lifetime. After L.M. Montgomery's death, her manuscript was discovered by her son, Dr. Stuart MacDonald. The original manuscript for The Blythes are Quoted was divided into two parts taking place before and after World War I. Each part was composed of short stories interspersed with narratives of evenings in Anne and Gilbert Blythe's household with the Blythe family listening to Anne's poems.

In preparing The Road to Yesterday for publication, the narrative sections were removed along with all but one of the poems. The sequence of the short stories was reorganized. All of the stories included in The Road to Yesterday mention members of the Blythe family.

The Road to Yesterday includes the poem "Canadian Twilight" and 14 short stories, which are listed below:

"Canadian Twilight" (poem)
"An Afternoon with Mr. Jenkins"
"Retribution"
"The Twins Pretend"
"Fancy's Fool"
"A Dream Come True"
"Penelope Struts her Theories"
"The Reconciliation"
"The Cheated Child"
"Fool's Errand"
"The Pot and the Kettle"
"Here Comes the Bride"
"Brothers Beware"
"The Road to Yesterday"
"A Commonplace Woman"

Purchase and read The Road to Yesterday:



Created July 25, 2002. Last updated April 26, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com