Anne of Green Gables

Charlottetown Festival Cast

Susan Cuthbert, Elizabeth Mawson, Peter Mews
Music by Norman Campbell
Lyrics by Elaine Campbell, Norman Campbell, Donald Harron, Mavor Moore
19 Tracks

Anne of Green Gables is a really, really great show. It runs for two months every summer in Charlottetown, PEI. I've seen it twice, and it's loads of fun. If you don't know the story, you really should read the original book by L. M. Montgomery - it's wonderful. But here's the basic idea, just in case. The story takes place in Prince Edward Island, a small & very rural Canadian province near New Brunswick & Nova Scotia, in the late 1800's. Matthew & Marilla Cuthbert are a brother & sister who live together at Green Gables. They aren't getting any younger so they decide to adopt an orphan boy to help Matthew run the farm. They ask a friend who is going to a Nova Scotia orphanage to pick out a likely boy for them. Somewhere along the line, the message gets mixed up, and when Matthew goes to the train station he finds a girl waiting for him. Being a shy man, he can't bring himself to shatter Anne's excitement at finally having a home, and he brings her back to Green Gables to let Marilla do it. The girl's friendly and outgoing personality soon wins him over, and between his reluctance to part with her and Anne's utter devastation at having her dreams dashed, they persuade the stern Marilla to keep the girl. Despite her knack for getting into scrapes, Anne becomes an integral part of Avonlea and changes all the lives she touches, etc. etc.

I'm positive the musical has 100% more charm if you read the book. Please go read it.

Now that you've read it (you speed-reader, you!), on to the review.

Like I said, the show is loads of fun. It isn't Sondheim, but then it doesn't try to be. The music is bright and catchy, with a couple of really big dance numbers; the lyrics are straightforward and fit the music well. The greatest thing about the music is that it really captures the spirit of the novel, and has a kind of energy that you can't help catching.

Susan Cuthbert makes a wonderful Anne. So much enthusiasm! She has a lovely voice and really brings forth Anne's personality. Numbers like "Gee I'm Glad I'm No One Else But Me" and "The Facts" are real gems.

Peter Mews is fine as Matthew. He does not have what you would call the world's greatest voice, but the part doesn't require it. Having seen a Matthew live who could sing, I can say that it's a plus but not necessary, and Mews does well enough without. "Humble Pie" is a great song.

Andrew MacBean as Gilbert Blythe is great. His voice is a bit on the nasal side, but it comes off pretty well, and he acts well while singing. "Wonderin'" has exactly the right kind of feeling behind it, and his intro to "Summer" gets my toes tapping every time.

Marilla, played by Elizabeth Mawson, has what amounts to the show's only really big emotional number, "The Words." She does it very well - a fine voice, with plenty of feeling. She also brings out Marilla's character very well. Mawson played Marilla for many years, and I actually saw her live when I was about 9 or so. I wasn't exactly the most informed judge at the time, but I knew good when I saw it, and I remember her as being excellent.

My favorite song on this CD is "We Clearly Requested a Boy," the trio between Marilla, Matthew, and Anne. The melody is beautiful, the lyrics poignant, and the vocals very nice. I really like the device of each person's line beginning with the end word of the last line.

This CD is one that I put in when I'm in the mood to tap my toes and sing along. It isn't at the top of my list of favorites, but it's stuck solidly in the middle and it isn't moving down any time soon. If you happen to find this CD - and I'm not sure where you'd get it except on the Island - why not pick it up? And if you find yourself visiting Prince Edward Island in the summer, go and see the show live - you absolutely won't regret it!