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 (1990)

Anne of Green Gables (1990) is a play adapted by Sylvia Ashby from the novel Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. The play premiered at the Lubbock Community Theatre in Lubbock, Texas in October 1990. It was directed by Cliff Ashby. The cast featured Ali Selim as Anne Shirley, Linda Huckabee as Marilla Cuthbert, Harlan Reddell as Matthew Cuthbert, Karen Copple as Rachel Lynde, Susan Andrews as Mrs. Blewitt, Andy Hutton as Gilbert Blythe, Jamie Boylan as Diana Barry, and Alayna Roberts as Josie Pye.

The two-act play is 120 minutes long. The script is available through Baker’s Plays and Concord Theatricals.

The play is described as follows:
“A refreshing, contemporary telling of the classic story. Stern Marilla and her warm-hearted brother Matthew hoped to adopt a boy to work on their farm. But the orphanage sends young, befreckled Anne by mistake, and their lives will never be the same. Her warmth and wit affect everyone around her - even, eventually, the cold Marilla. We follow Anne through her rebellious years, her transformation into a young woman, and her romantic pairing with Gilbert. This play has been charming audiences around the world.”

Image Credit:
Photograph of Anne of Green Gables featuring Ali Selim as Anne Shirley and Susan Andrews as Mrs. Blewitt posted by the Lubbock Community Theatre.

Purchase the Anne of Green Gables script:

Created May 21, 2006. Last updated June 13, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series in Jordan

When my fiancé was traveling in Jordan for work earlier this month, he turned on the television and was surprised to see Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series (aka Annetoon) on TV. The show was dubbed in Arabic. He took a few photographs for me.

Here's a photograph of a talking willow tree:


Here's a photograph of Gilbert Blythe in Annetoon:


It's more evidence that Anne of Green Gables is everywhere.


Image credits:
Photographs of Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series on TV in Jordan taken by my fiancé.

Created March 29, 2006. Last updated November 9, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

The Strike at Putney Church (2005)

The Strike at Putney Church (2005) is a play written by Eliza Jane Wilson that was based on a short story by L.M. Montgomery. The play premiered at The Arts Guild in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island on November 17, 2005. The play was produced by ACT (A Community Theatre) and was directed by Paul Whelan.

Eliza Jane Wilson based the play on an L.M. Montgomery short story, titled "The Strike at Putney." This story can be read in the collection Against the Odds: Tales of Achievement, which was edited by Rea Wilmshurst.

The play is described as follows: "It is 1922 in rural PEI. The women of Putney Church are outraged when the elders deny a famous female missionary the opportunity to speak in the church. The women retaliate by going on strike!"

Image Credit:
Poster for The Strike at Putney Church (2005) from the ACT website.

Created November 29, 2005. Last updated May 21, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne: Journey to Green Gables (2004)

Anne: Journey to Green Gables is a animated film created by Sullivan Entertainment. The film serves as a prequel to both Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series and the 1985 Anne of Green Gables miniseries by Kevin Sullivan. The film was released direct-to-video in 2004.

The 85-minute long movie imagines Anne Shirley's life before she reaches Green Gables. After the death of her parents, Anne is in the care of the Hammond family where she is mistreated. Later, she is sent to the Grout Orphanage where the director Madame Poubelle treats the children cruelly. Anne must rely on her imagination to survive.

Kevin Sullivan and Trudy Grant were the executive producers of the film. Kevin Sullivan directed the movie, and he wrote the script with Michael MacLennan. The film features music composed by Peter Breiner and Don Gillis.

The cast includes the following actors who portrayed the voices of the animated characters:

Mckenzie Sullivan as Anne Shirley
Patricia Gage as Marilla Cuthbert
Wayne Robson as Matthew Cuthbert
Al Mukadam as Gilbert Blythe
Kyle Fairlie as Felix King
Patricia Hamilton as Rachel Lynde
Rebecca Peters as Diana Barry
Cedric Smith as Tupper
Mike Beaver as Wilfred
Geoff Kahnert as Bailey
Kathryn Greenwood as Mavis
Dalene Irvine as Felicity King
Linda Sorensen as Hetty King
Ellen-Ray Hennessy as Mrs. Hammond
Kim Kuhteubl as Alice Lawson
Sara Botsford as Mrs. Barry / Frau Schuller

Synopsis (from the Annetoon website):
"Anne: Journey to Green Gables is an imaginative, animated prequel to the celebrated films that have charmed world audiences for two decades. In this brand new story, Anne has yet to go to Green Gables and dreams of having a family of her own. But as fate would have it, she is thrown into the clutches of Madame Poubelle, the faded aristocratic director of Grout Orphanage. It takes all of Anne’s scope for the imagination for her to endure until she gets to Green Gables."

Image credit:
Drawing of Anne Shirley from Anne: Journey to Green Gables. © Sullivan Entertainment. Used with permission.

Official Websites:
AnneToon.com - Official website for Anne: Journey to Green Gables and Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series
Anne: Journey to Green Gables - Watch the film online at Sullivan Entertainment's Anne of Green Gables Kids Channel on YouTube.
Shop at Sullivan

References:
AnneToon.com - Official website for Anne: Journey to Green Gables and Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series
Anne: Journey to Green Gables at IMDB

Purchase and watch Anne: Journey to Green Gables on DVD:


Created October 18, 2005. Last updated November 8, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Green Gables U-Haul Truck

When I opened my front door today, I found this Anne of Green Gables U-Haul truck parked right outside my apartment. I took this photograph of it from my doorstep.

The under the illustration of Anne and Green Gables, the side of the truck reads:

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
HOME OF THE LEGENDARY ANNE OF GREEN GABLES
FOYER DE LA LÉGENDAIRE «ANNE DE LA MAISON AUX PIGNONS VERTS»

Seeing the truck made me smile. It's always nice to have a reminder of Prince Edward Island and Anne Shirley.

Here's a crisper view of the Anne Shirley graphic art from the U-Haul website:



Created September 3, 2005. Last updated June 10, 2022.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Emily of New Moon (1998-2000) Television Series Episode List

Here is the list of episodes from Emily of New Moon, the television series based on L.M. Montgomery's Emily trilogy. The series starred Martha MacIsaac as Emily Byrd Starr and aired from 1998 to 2000. Emily of New Moon ran for four seasons and had 46 total episodes. Seasons 1, 2, and 3 had 13 episodes each, and Season 4 had 7 episodes.

Season 1

1. "The Eye of Heaven"
2. "Storms of the Heart"
3. "The Book of Yesterday"
4. "The Disappointed House"
5. "Paradise Lost"
6. "The Enchanted Doll"
7. "Falling Angels"
8. "The Tale of Duncan McHugh"
9. " Wild Rover"
10. "The Ghost of Wyther Grange"
11. "A Child Shall Lead Them"
12. "A Winter's Tale"
13. "The Sound of Silence"

Season 2

1. "Summer of Sorrows"
2. "And So Shall They Reap"
3. "A Shadow in His Dream"
4. "Where Angels Fear to Tread"
5. "The Curse of the Poppet"
6. "Rivers of Babylon"
7. "A Time to Heal"
8. "The Devil's Punchbowl"
9. "Pins & Needles"
10. "Crown of Thorns"
11. "When the Bough Breaks"
12. "Love Knots"
13. "The Book of Hours"

Season 3

1. "Ask Me No Questions, I'll Tell You No Lies"
2. "The Return of Maida Flynn"
3. "Under the Wishing Moon"
4. "Bridge of Dreams"
5. "Bred in the Bone"
6. "The Return of Malcolm Murray"
7. "In the Valley of the Shadow of Death"
8. "Had a Wife and Couldn't Keep Her"
9. "A Fall From Grace"
10. "The Bequest"
11. "Command Performance"
12. "A Man May Work from Sun to Sun But a Woman's Work is Never Done"
13. "A Weaver of Dreams"

Season 4

1. "Rites of Passage"
2. "The Taming of Ilse Burnley"
3. "A Bill of Divorcement"
4. "Too Close to the Sun"
5. "The Weight of the World"
6. "Away"
7. "A Seller of Dreams"

Image credit:
Screencapture of Martha MacIsaac starring as Emily Starr in Emily of New Moon. © Salter Street Films and CINAR Films

Purchase and stream Emily of New Moon online:



Created July 13, 2005. Last updated October 23, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Emily of New Moon (1998-2000)

Emily of New Moon (1998–2000) is an intriguing Canadian television series that brought L.M. Montgomery's beloved Emily trilogy to life on the screen. Developed by Marlene Matthews, who also penned several episodes, the show was co-produced by Salter Street Films and CINAR Films. It aired on CBC in Canada and on WAM in the United States, with its popularity extending to 26 countries around the world. Over its four seasons and 46 episodes, Emily of New Moon enchanted audiences with its heartwarming yet sometimes dark storytelling.

At the center of the series is Martha MacIsaac, a Prince Edward Island native, who starred as the imaginative and strong-willed Emily Byrd Starr. Emily is sent to live with her strict relatives at New Moon farm after her father’s death, and the show follows her journey as she navigates loss, family tensions, and her unstoppable creative spirit. Sheila McCarthy portrayed Emily's gentle Aunt Laura, while her stern Aunt Elizabeth was brought to life by Susan Clark. Stephen McHattie played the kind but unusual Cousin Jimmy.

Emily's world is also filled with a dynamic group of friends. Jessica Pellerin played the fiery Ilse Burnley, Kris Lemche portrayed the dynamic Perry Miller, and Shawn Roberts was cast as the artistic Teddy Kent. Together, these charismatic young actors added layers of charm and depth to Emily's adventures.

The series earned critical acclaim, with Sheila McCarthy winning a Gemini Award in 1998 for Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role. That same year, Kris Lemche took home the Gemini for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series. In 1999, Martha Henry was awarded a Gemini for Best Performance by an Actress in a Guest Role in a Dramatic Series.

The heart of Emily of New Moon lies in Emily Starr's resilience and passion. Orphaned and thrust into a strict and stifling environment at New Moon, Emily clings to her vivid imagination and her dream of becoming a writer. Despite Aunt Elizabeth’s ban on reading anything beyond schoolbooks, Emily secretly pours her thoughts into letters to her late father and writes poetry. Through her close friendships with Ilse, Perry, and Teddy, Emily finds adventure and inspiration.

Fully filmed on Prince Edward Island, Emily of New Moon captivated viewers not only with its dark and mysterious storytelling but also with the Island’s stunning natural beauty. The show received widespread acclaim for both its mesmerizing scenery and the fine performances that brought L.M. Montgomery's world to life.

Image credit:
Screencapture of Martha MacIsaac playing Emily Starr in Emily of New Moon. © Salter Street Films and CINAR Films.

Purchase or stream Emily of New Moon online:



Created July 12, 2005. Last updated October 22, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com