by Lynda French
As a child, reading the captivating series of Anne books, written by Lucy Maud Montgomery, a literary legend in Canada, I was enchanted by the descriptive beauty of Prince Edward Island. The island is situated on the east coast of Canada in an area known as the Maritimes. The imagery in the books is bewitching and a desire to visit the Island became a lifelong dream.
Fast forward..., 2018, Prince Edward Island, late May. There were melting drifts of snow lying in the gutters and on the footpaths in the towns, the sun shone most days, a beautiful blue sky, with thick white clouds, clear sparkling seawater, red earthy dirt in outlying areas and lots of delicious oysters to eat, wherever you visited. There was a chill in the air, and the average temperature was around 8 degrees. All around were the sounds of Canadian voices peppered with the Celtic overtones of the PEI accent. The books rang true!
As we were exploring the island and following the path of Anne’s adventures, and learning about Lucy Maud Montgomery and her legacy, we wandered down Queen Street in the centre of Charlottetown, and my eyes were drawn to a building across the road. It was a little theatre called The Guild and it was advertising a show called Anne and Gilbert – The Musical. Dates on the billboard indicated the show was closing that night. A mad dash to the box office procured me the last ticket for the show. Fate you ask? I think so!
Sitting in the front row that night I was transformed by the magic of this lovely show. The performance itself was uplifting, so energetic, and it brought back so many happy memories of my childhood books. The story covers the second and third books in the Anne series and tracks the young adulthood of Anne and her friends, and the blossoming romance between Anne and Gilbert. While there is some artistic license associated with the script, it sticks mainly to the story and the minor changes can be forgiven,
I was bewitched; the music engaged me with its lyrical Celtic overtones and diversity of melodies. It is a story for all ages and allows for a cast of young to old. The “romantical” (Anne tragics will understand the reference) feel-good story, brings tears, laughter and sheer enjoyment. I immediately pictured it being produced at Beaumaris Theatre. Every aspect of it from the size of the theatre, the family aspect to the story, the popularity of the books and that it is a sequel to the previous production of Anne of Green Gables at Beaumaris, suggested a great fit for our theatre.
The journey from Charlottetown PEI, to Beaumaris Theatre, has been long and bumpy, but we are finally on the road towards our performance in May 2021. Working with Debbie Keyt, our director, we have acquired the rights for the Australian Premiere, formed great long-distance friendships with Canadian counterparts and the show creators and writers, and even acquired some international fans. We have procured a stellar cast and a committed and devoted production team and together we will bring this wonderful musical to life on our stage at Beaumaris Theatre. Hopefully, it will bring joy to many.
"I like people to have a little nonsense about them." ~ Anne of the Island by Lucy Maud Montgomery