by Emma Stewart
The flame-haired heroine of our hearts has graced Beaumaris Theatre’s stage once again, after 13 years, to tell us more about the love between Gilbert and Anne, and the life of those on the Island. Bursting on to the delightfully designed stage and dressed to the nines, the ensemble came in strong to share their love for the handsome Mr. Blythe and their jealousy at our dear Miss Anne Shirley for holding his heart. Through the romantically dear way Gilbert beholds Anne, portrayed charmingly by Ollie Culshaw, you can see from the first moment that the two share the stage, there is a connection.
The cast beautifully joins the stage together to tell the story of this love with strong company pieces like ‘You’re Island Through and Through’, wherein the theatre is brought to life with gorgeous vocals and harmonies by the cast and captivating choreography by Brontee French. With each moment scored perfectly by the enchanting Island Band, led by Harrison Ewart-Dart.
When Anne and Gilbert share a dance, you can see Anne, portrayed by the mesmerising Shelley Dunlop, does her best to conceal her joy at being with Gilbert. Whereas Gilbert is simply beaming and is not afraid to hide it from anyone, not even Anne. Throughout the journey of the show, you meet the lovely people of the town including the nosey neighbour Mrs Lynde, portrayed by Lynette Williams who brings such glorious energy and spunk to the role.
Of course, you cannot have dear Anne without her bosom friend Dianna, portrayed by Bronte Regos Thiele, who is as sweet as ever and so full of joy for Anne and her adventures. You must also mention Anne’s guiding light Marilla, portrayed by Wendy McRae, who will bring a tear to your eye with a sublime rendition of ‘When He Was My Beau’. Aimee John brought the perfect combination of cheek and charm to the role of Josie Pye who sets out to prevent Gilbert from chasing Anne but winds up helping them. We are also introduced to a new kindred spirit in Paul Irving, portrayed by Ky Rowse, who you immediately fall in love with due to his kind, sweet nature, and his wish to belong.
In a show full of love, joy, and passion, we see multiple romances bloom, including one with our loveable Moody Spurgeon MacPherson, portrayed by Lucas Petropoulos, and the bold maiden with the voice of an angel, Phillipa Gordon, portrayed by Sarah Green. But it is Anne who takes the audience’s heart, with her enthusiasm to do only what she wishes and her desire to be true to herself. She finds herself caught up in a romance with the amiable Roy Gardener, portrayed by Fraser Mitchell, who struggles to keep it cool around Gilbert but does his best for Anne’s sake, including a darling attempt at dancing to the beloved Island song.
The music scored throughout the piece is carried strongly by the talented vocals of the cast, notably by the leading lady herself, Miss Anne Shirley, whose voice, and the emotion you could feel in that voice, gave me goosebumps time and time again.
It’s safe to say, “You’re never safe from surprises till you’re dead”, but it is no surprise at all to see Anne and Gilbert happy and in love together in the end.
I was delighted to be taken on this journey, directed by the lively and loveable Debbie Keyt, who has pulled together the talent of the show and the beauty of the story into a truly warm-hearted and magnificent show.
What a tremendous opening night, and best wishes for the nights to come, and if you come to see the show, let yourself be ‘Carried Away by Love’.