Rockin’ the blues in Elmira

Monday night. Rockin’ out. Normally two separate concepts, they’ll be combined Nov. 7 if Anthony Gomes has his way. And as the blues guitarist and his band will be on stage at Elmira’s Central Tavern, the odds are pretty good.

“We’re a high-energy, electrifying show,” he says of the upcoming performance, a chance to get back into Canada on his latest tour.

Born in Toronto to a Portuguese father and a French-Canadian mother, he was drawn to the blues at an early age, smitten by the legendary B.B. King. Having received a “beat up old acoustic guitar” for his 14th birthday, Gomes has kept six strings at hand ever since.

Inspired to write original music, Gomes’ high school band won a local radio station contest, earning $10,000 in prize money and a chance to open for Bon Jovi. Gomes decided it wasn’t his path to follow, however.

“I quit the band before all of that could happen. My heart wasn’t in it because I wanted to play the blues and roots music.

I packed up my bags and moved to Chicago to learn blues from the masters.”

That was in the late 1990s, when he decided to make a go of it as a full-time musician.

“If you want to play the blues, you gotta head south and hit the road,” he said this week in a telephone interview, appropriately in transit between St. Louis and Pennsylvania.

“B.B. King was definitely the first and main influence,” he said of his early foray into the blues. “I spent my first three or four years trying to sound just like B.B.
King.”

Listening to the likes of Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert King, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix, he developed an appreciation for the variety of guitar styles, eventually carving out his own sound as a player.

Following a stint in Chicago, Gomes now calls Nashville home, a place where he can immerse himself in the music scene and hone his songwriting skills.

His influences and experiences are reflected in his recordings. Gomes made his recording debut in 1998 on the Urban Electric label with “Blues in Technicolor.” The disc introduced him as a guitar-slinger loaded with firepower. Instead of following up with more of the same, Gomes boldly stepped back for an intimate acoustic offering in 2000 with the critically acclaimed “Sweet Stringin’ Soul.”

In 2002 he released “Unity” and proceeded to win the 2003 BluesWax Artist of the Year award, exposing his music to a wider audience as his live shows got larger and more frequent. “Music Is the Medicine,” released in 2006, peaked at number four on the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart. His 2008 “LIVE” is Gomes’ greatest commercial success to date, reaching number one on the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart.

His latest album is “Blues Medicine,” a 17-song collection that highlights his evolution as a blues player, a career choice he continues to enjoy on a daily basis.

“I love what I do. I know what I was put here to do. This is my dream job.”

Given the deep roots and long lineage of the blues, there’s always more to learn and always something to keep him fascinated with the genre.

“It makes you feel like you’re part of something bigger – I like that about the blues,” said Gomes.

A proponent of the rockin’ blues, he sees plenty of converts who are surprised by the energy of the live shows, perhaps because they have a mistaken perception that the blues are all about being down, slow and depressed. It’s a chance to provide something of an education.

“I’ll say to them, ‘you know that Led Zeppelin you’re listening to? That’s Willie Dixon.’”

The blues are, of course, the root of rock ‘n’ roll, clearly in evidence in the music of a long list of performers, from Elvis Presley to The Beatles and the Rolling Stones right through to today, who’ve drawn on the genre.

Gomes’ high-energy take on the blues will be on display Nov. 7. The show opens with local musician Larry Lesperance playing his original acoustic tunes starting about 7:15 p.m. The Anthony Gomes band hits the stage at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door, available at the Central Tavern (30 Arthur St. S.;519-669-9028), by emailing promoagogo1@gmail.com or by calling 519-729-4909.

Where eccentricity, not shopping, rules the day

Maybe it’s the small-town general store that will seem familiar to a Wellesley audience. Or maybe it’s the collection of crazy characters that gather there. Whichever you identify with, there’ll be plenty of laughs in The Hitchin’ Post.

The play, written by Pat Cook, is the latest offering from Theatre Wellesley, with performances set for Nov. 17-19.

The story and all the action centers on Hurley Squonk’s “Hitchin’ Post” general store in Flat Rock, Texas.  Run by Hurley himself, who is always behind the counter, this sort of ‘everything store’ not only carries a wide variety of items but also attracts some mighty strange folks. And it’s those odd characters who make the story a hoot, as there’s a whole lot more eccentric behaviour than shopping going on there, notes Rhonda Caldwell, who plays one of those odd ducks.

“There isn’t really that much shopping going on,” laughs Caldwell, who plays Mrs. Bastrop, a feisty woman more intent on finding bargains than actually purchasing anything. “The story is about all of the crazy characters that pop into the store.”

There’s Pinch Burdett, who spends all his time hawking his wife’s jams and making up stories; Mrs. Bastrop, whose past includes getting thrown out of the town’s softball tournament; and Gloria (everybody calls her “Glow Worm”) Pinkham, a romantic teen who camps out at Hurley’s magazine stand.

The normal, laid-back pace at the general store changes when a young couple from out of town enters: Lyge Daugerfield, something of a mamma’s boy, and his fiancée Purdy MacKendrick, have picked today to elope and are in a bit of a hurry. Hot on their heels is his overbearing mother and her meek secretary, who’ve enlisted bumbling Sheriff Bumgarden in an attempt to stop the wedding. Things get crazier still when two siblings, Pearl and Earl, burst in to hold up the store … only they’re not really equipped for the job.

It’s all played for maximum laughs, which is typically the goal of Theatre Wellesley’s annual production.

“People want something light and entertaining,” said Caldwell. “If they’re going out for a night, they want a laugh. They want comedy.”

The Hitchin’ Post fit the bill.

“We liked it because we thought it would appeal to this community because of the small general store.”

The group, which has been staging one major performance every November since 1997, is no stranger to Cook’s work, having last year produced Altar Ego.

Comedies as work well with the local actors involved in community theatre, as the pace keeps it fun. One of two who’ve been there from the start, Caldwell knows the importance of keeping the participants engaged.

“We really are open to new people. We’re open to people learning on and off the stage, to do new things.”

This year’s production, with a cast of 11 and roles for all age groups, fit right in with that philosophy, she explained. Along with some regulars, the theatre company is joined by three newcomers this time out.

The Theatre Wellesley production of The Hitchin’ Post runs Nov. 17-19, 8 p.m. nightly with a 2 p.m. matinee Saturday, at the Wellesley Community Centre. Tickets are $15 ($10 for the matinee), available at Pym’s Village Market or by calling 519-897-1737. More information can be found online at www.theatrewellesley.ca.

Africville Stories gets things rolling

Little spot. Big sounds. As the Registry Theatre moves into its second decade, you can expect to see the kind of eclectic mix of performances that has become the hallmark of the Kitchener performance venue.

The One Night Only series, for instance, is indicative of the mix put together by director of programming Lawrence McNaught. The series opens next Friday with the premiere of Joe Sealy’s Africville Stories.

Based on the JUNO Award-winning recording Africville Suite, the musical tribute to the lost community of Africville features traditional style jazz compositions, songs and spoken word, led by Joe Sealy, the legendary Canadian jazz pianist-composer and his quartet.

Originally, author and playwright George Elliott Clarke was to do some readings, but due to a scheduling conflict the show now features Jackie Robinson, Canada’s First Lady of gospel, blues and jazz, with new songs written especially for this performance.

“We’re very lucky to have Jackie Robinson, she’s such a wonderful singer and she’ll certainly add her own flavour to this performance,” said McNaught, noting she’ll be backed by “great Canadian jazz virtuosos” Perry White on sax, Paul Novotny on bass and drummer Daniel Barnes.

“This quartet is definitely something to focus on, and certainly a must for jazz aficionados.”

Other performances in the series include jazz pianist Gene DiNovi’s I Can Hear the Music: The Great American Songbook on Nov. 20; the Kevin Ramessar Group performing Harvest: The Music of Neil Young on Feb. 24-25, 2012; Jane Bunnett & Hilario Duran Ensemble, with the Penderecki String Quartet on Mar. 17; and the John Tank Quartet playing Apr. 20, 2012 to mark the release of a live CD recorded at a sold-out 2009 performance at the Registry.

“This is definitely an eclectic mix, which is exactly what we have in mind,” said McNaught of the series.

Also on tap next weekend is the launch of the Classics at The Registry series, opening Oct. 23 with Nota Bene Baroque. Marking 10 years, Nota Bene’s artistic director and harpsichordist Borys Medicky will lead a performance of the group’s hits from past seasons.

That will be followed up Nov. 13 by Kevin Ramessar & Friends performing Guitarra Barroca: A tour of Baroque music for the guitar, featuring local guitar great Kevin Ramessar, Larry Larson on trumpet and Graham Hargrove handling the percussion.

Perennial fan favourite Larry Larson returns later as part of the Jazz Series, which this season focuses on tributes. His own show, Larry’s Jazz Guys, will perform Hot & Cool: The Trumpets of Jazz on Mar. 9. Larson pays tribute to some of his favourite trumpet heroes, including Miles Davis and Chet Baker. Part of the K-W Symphony, Larson and his guys – Kevin Muir, bass; Dave Campion, drums; Paul Shilton, piano – have become beloved regulars season after season.

The series kicking off Feb. 3, 2012 with Bernie Senensky Quartet doing Take 5: The music of Dave Brubeck.

Another mainstay of the Registy, the Dance series, sees the MOonhORsE Dance Theatre present Dances in a Small Room, an evening of work by James Kudelka and Tedd Robinson, on Nov. 19.

That’s followed Jan. 28 by In a Matter of Seconds, produced by Oliver Pavia in a co-production with JMYE emerging choreographer Amy Sproule. The performance is set to music from The Rising by Bruce Springsteen, and shows the events and aftermath of 9/11 as well as observations on the human condition.

For silent movie and music fans, the VOC Silent Film Harmonic have three performances on tap for the season, starting Nov. 24 with Robert Wiene’s Hands of Orlac, in which pianist Orlac (Conrad Veidt) loses both hands only to have those of a murderer transplanted in their place.

For more details about these and other shows in the 2011-2012 season, visit www.registrytheatre.com.

Alot of energy goes into A Bunch of Munsch

Call it big entertainment for some little people. With A Bunch of Munsch, Listowel’s Theatre Three-Eleven has harnessed the manic energy of a beloved children’s author and put it on stage.

Anyone who has seen Robert Munsch read aloud from his books knows his stories are meant to be presented with dramatic flair – funny faces, voices and wild gesturing are commonplace in his readings. Having a group of performers run through dialogue, acting out the characters while a narrator keeps the story moving along seemed like a perfectly obvious combination

for director Stefanie Webster.

“It’s a very high-energy show, that’s for sure,” she laughed. “Munsch is suited for this – the play is taken right from the stories, read and acted.”

Now on stage, with shows this weekend, A Bunch of Munsch presents classics such as Mud Puddle, Thomas’ Snowsuit, Mortimer and many more.

Using a simple set and a few costume changes, the five actors keep a manic pace, moving the stories along in keeping with the attention span of the young audience – last weekend’s opening saw kids ranging in age from two to 10 or 11.

A children’s show is a first for Theatre Three-Eleven, though it’s been under consideration for some time.

“We’ve had a lot of people ask us over the years to do something for the kids. It just seemed like the time was right,” said Webster.

Two half-hour sets broken up by an intermission is just the right fit for the audience, she added.

A Bunch of Munsch runs Saturday (1 and 3:30 p.m.) and Sunday (2 p.m.). Tickets are $10, available by phoning 519-291-2033 or 1-877-455-0552 or by emailing info@theatre311.com.  The theatre is located at 311 Main St. E., Listowel.

Whether we know it or not, we have a history

Ken McLaughlin knows far more than most of us about the history of Waterloo Region. True, he’s a history professor at the University of Waterloo, but the rest of us are just not plugged into our past.
That’s partly because we don’t have any landmarks here, he suggests: we weren’t part of the fur trade route that defined the early part of Canada’s history; there are no forts or remnants of major battles; and no monuments of note.

Having been a student at Dalhousie University, he knew that Haligonians were well aware that Halifax has a history and its place in major events such as the World Wars and the great explosion of 1917. Yet he knew very little of the community’s history when he arrived in this area as a history professor in 1970.

“We don’t emphasize our history,” he said, adding “this region has an amnesia about its past.”

Kicking off a new lecture series at the Waterloo Region Museum, he hopes to begin changing that. In fact, he hopes the new museum will be a catalyst for residents to gain an appreciation for our history.

His opening lecture on Oct. 3, one of eight in the series (he also closes the series Nov. 28), discusses the framework used to develop exhibits at the museum, which has collected some 43,000 artifacts related to our past. Entitled “Without the things of our past, how can we know it’s us?” this talk will try to place the museum and its exhibits in the historical framework created by the Region of Waterloo and its people.

The role of the museum, he said, is to gather artifacts and to develop a sense of our history, bringing together north and south, rural and urban. It’s a balancing act, drawing together the similarities between Cambridge – only relatively recently created by the amalgamation of Galt, Hespeler and Preston – and Kitchener, Waterloo and the four townships.

Through exhibits that draw on coming-of-age stories across four or five generations, for instance, we discover that we have much in common. Teenagers today face many of the same issues from generations past, he said. Similarly, the use of lifelines – personal stories to tell of the interconnectedness between residents over many generations – also serves to make history real.

“What we see about our history is that all the people of the region can find themselves in the story,” said McLaughlin.

That’s perhaps especially true of artifacts that represent living history, such as the first Corolla that came off the Toyota assembly line in Cambridge in 1973 and the early Blackberry devices from RIM.

The stories in his lecture set the stage for the full opening of the new Waterloo Region Museum in November.

“People can hear about this stuff … then they’ll understand why we did what we did,” he said of the museum.

Perhaps most importantly, he said, residents will gain a better sense of their history, success measured by the number of comments to the tune of ‘I didn’t know that about the region.’

The eight-part Region of Waterloo Museum Talks Series begins Oct. 3. All lectures are on Mondays at 1:30 p.m. in the museum’s Christie Theatre. Tickets are $8 each or $40 for the series, available by calling 519-748-1914. More information can be found online at www.waterlooregionmuseum.com.

Concert to aid programs in Haiti

Long before last year’s devastating earthquake, Haiti was a country with serious problems. It’s little wonder, then, that relatively little progress has been made in the aftermath of that catastrophe.

Many of us have moved on, figuring the millions of dollars in aid that flowed in following the quake has solved the crisis. Aid agencies like  Foundation for International Development Assistance, however, know this is a long-term project. A concert and dinner later this month is the latest in a long line of fundraisers aimed helping Haitians help themselves.

Featuring music by The Wiebes, the dinner takes place Sept. 27 at Floradale Mennonite Church.
FIDA has been working in Haiti for the better part of three decades, helping to establish agricultural cooperatives as a way to fuel long-term sustainability. It’s the kind of work that requires years of effort to bear fruit, with no quick solutions, said FIDA’s Alexis Barkman

“On a project, our staff might spend three years working five days a week in the community, working with farmers and their families.”

Since 1984, the organization has helped get up and running 29 cooperatives, representing 8,000 members in 14 communities.

Problems aren’t solved overnight, as it can take more than a generation to make changes in the culture, said Barkman, the granddaughter of FIDA founders Jack and Anne Wall.

It’s that commitment that makes the concert even more compelling for The Wiebes, said Shane Wiebe

“What I appreciate about the Wall family and they’ve done with FIDA is that it’s long-term,” he said from the couple’s Stratford home, noting a long-term commitment is the key to sustainability. “It’s an honour to be associated with something so significant.”

The Wiebes are Shane and his wife Angela, who’s known the Wall family for years. She grew up in Stratford, while he’s a B.C. boy. The couple and their two young children moved back to her hometown earlier this year after being based on the coast.

Writers and performers of contemporary gospel music, The Wiebes are right at home with church performances; they keep an extensive tour schedule of such venues.

The two have been singing together since the day they met. Their first adventure, long before they began dating, was a choir tour of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland in 2000 with the Columbia Singers. The group was led by Tony Funk, who would end up bringing the couple together again two years later.

According to the couple’s bio, Angela needed a pianist to accompany her on violin. She called Funk for the number of someone who could help her last minute, and was given Shane’s. The couple began performing regularly together, started dating in June of 2002, and were married in December 2003. The following May, Shane began his journey to a top five spot on CTV’s hit television show Canadian Idol, working with musicians like Lionel Richie, Gordon Lightfoot, and Debra Byrd.

In June of 2009, The Wiebes released their debut album, “Into Your Light,” which won Inspirational Album of the Year at the 2010 Covenant Awards. In December 2009 The Wiebes released their Christmas record, “Christmas With You.” The album was nominated for two Covenant Awards, ended up on the Canadian “AC Top 50” charts among artists like Michael Buble and Mariah Carey.

Wiebe said he’s looking forward to the performance, eager to help the cause.

“We’re well-suited to this type of event. We always appreciate it when we can observe and be inspired by what the organizations do … to make a difference, helping others.”

Given that the couple writes songs based on their faith – “our faith is primary when it comes to our inspiration” – the work of FIDA is in keeping with their worldview.

“It’s part of our perspective that stems from our faith.”

FIDA’s annual fall fundraising dinner and concert for Haiti featuring The Wiebes goes Sept. 27 at 6:30 p.m. at Floradale Mennonite Church. Tickets are $15, available by calling or emailing Alexis Barkman at 519-886-9520, alexis.barkman@fida-pch.org. Tickets also available on line at http://thewiebesforhaiti.eventbrite.com.

Nuptials may not be perfect, but the farce is

For some, a wedding is a romantic and formal event, full of the pomp and circumstance befitting a couple’s lifelong pledge to each other. And then there’s The Perfect Wedding, which is anything but … unless you’re looking for plenty of laughs.

In the Elmira Theatre Company production of Robin Hawdon’s play, the pending nuptials of Bill and Rachel are fodder for a fast-paced stream of banter and slapstick.

The story opens with the much-put-upon Bill waking from the previous night’s stag party to find himself in the honeymoon suite with an aching head, a naked woman in his bed and no recollection of how she got there. One thing he is certain of, however, is that it’s definitely not his bride-to-be, who’s due to arrive at the hotel momentarily. Hearing a knock on the door, Bill shuffles the girl (Judy) into the bathroom to get dressed, telling her to say she’s the chambermaid if anybody asks.

The new arrival is Tom, the best man, who’s quickly brought in to the cover-up, instructed to claim the now-out-of-sight Judy as his girlfriend. There’s a problem, however, in that the real girlfriend is due at any time. In keeping with the farce, which spirals out of control with each new cover-up, Tom ends up mistaking the real hotel maid (Julie) as the girl in question, presenting her as his girlfriend.

“A perfect wedding? It’s kind of imperfect – that’s the gag,” laughs director John Snowdon, who’s putting the final touches on the play, which opens Sept. 15.

“You start with one thing and it snowballs from there. Every step they take, they have to cover up something else –the whole thing is a schmozzle.”

That’s truly the case when the bride arrives to get changed for the wedding, now just two hours away.

Rachel (played by Shannon McCannal) is accompanied by her wedding-crazed mother, Daphne (Liz Poulton), and both women must be kept in the dark about the comedy of errors that’s unfolding around them.

In a serial case of mistaken identity that has even Bill (Mike Rotchford) and Tom (Ken Noaks) confused, both Judy (Jill Peterson) and Julie (Cathy Fahey) are variously chambermaids or girlfriends, depending on the situation.

“Everything must be hidden and kept from the others,” Snowdon explained. “It’s a case of one mistaken identity after another – that’s how farces progress.”

And farce The Perfect Wedding is, in all the manic glory of its British roots: think Fawlty Towers, given the hotel setting. In that vein, the show is all about timing: fast dialogue, quick switches, knowing looks and controlled chaos. It’s a situation that demands much of his actors, said Snowdon, noting the fun is mindless, but the audience does have to pay some attention to keep up with the pace.

For anyone who’s ever been involved in a wedding party, there’s plenty to recognize in this farcical look at the whole ordeal. Some more than others may sympathize with the groom-to-be, recognizing that the kindly and frazzled Bill is being railroaded into the wedding in the first place. That’s exemplified in one of Snowdon’s favourite scenes from the play, wherein the mother-in-law appears far more concerned about the showcase wedding plans than in the couple themselves.

“When they discover that Bill, the groom, is falling apart, the mother says to the bride, ‘is there anybody else you could marry, dear?’”

As for the ultimate fate of Bill, Rachel and the rest, well, suffice it to say there’s love in the air – it is a wedding, after all.

The Elmira Theatre Company production of The Perfect Wedding runs Sept. 15-18 and Sept. 23-24 at 76 Howard Ave. Show times are 8 p.m., except Sunday (2:30 p.m.). Tickets are $18, available at the Centre in the Square box office in Kitchener by calling 578-1570 or 1-800-265-8977, online at www.centre-square.com.

Country comes with a big dollop of Canadiana

While many musicians with more than 50 years in the business may have thoughts to slowing down, if not retiring, it’s quite the opposite for Grand Ole Opry star and International Ambassador of Country Music George Hamilton IV.
Well known for his hectic tour schedules, both in North America and abroad, Hamilton, a native of North Carolina, has delighted his fans with a steady output of recordings since his 1957 debut ‘George Hamilton IV On Campus.’
This year is no different, with not one but two new releases on offer, including the first ever complete compilation of all his Canadian recordings for RCA released during the 1960s and 1970s titled ‘My North Country Home,’ as well as ‘George Hamilton IV In The Heart Of Texas.’
Currently on tour yet again, he’ll be at Maryhill’s Commercial Tavern Sunday afternoon, rekindling a longtime love affair with Canada.
Hamilton has recorded 82 Canadian songs over six albums including songs like Canadian Pacific, Steel Rail Blues, Early Morning Rain, Did She Mention My Name, Four Strong Winds and Urge For Going.
He became intrigued by the Canadian music scene in the mid-1960s when he met and befriended Gordon Lightfoot, subsequently credited as the first Nashville artist to record material from north of the 49th parallel.
Through the years he has sought out and recorded many Canadian music legends’ songs, including Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, and Buffy St. Marie. He’s recorded more than 20 Gordon Lightfoot songs, more than any other artist.
“It all goes back to Gordon Lightfoot making me aware of the uniqueness of Canadian music,” said Hamilton. “I was so taken by Gordon’s music and so infatuated with the style of music that he did, that I began to record a lot of music in Canada.
“I often refer to (Lightfoot) as the master, the teacher and the best of them all, and I am still a big fan of his.”
The success of Hamilton’s Canadian recordings led him to host his own Canadian television series, the George Hamilton IV show on CHCH, for seven years. The show eventually went national and aired overseas in Britain and Europe.
“It was a very uniquely Canadian television show,” said Hamilton. “I was the host and would sing Canadian songs and introduce guest musicians. The show really promoted Canadian music and artists.”
Hamilton began to tour Canada as the popularity of the show increased. And even after the show was cancelled he continued to tour the counry, then booking gigs in Europe as the music he recorded by Canadian writers seemed to strike a chord overseas.
“I have worked so much in Canada that people think I am Canadian, even with my southern drawl,” jokes Hamilton. “That’s OK with me, though, because I have a warm place in my heart for Canada, especially the folk music.”
Hamilton’s fascination with music began at the age of 12 when he bought his first guitar. By 1956 he recorded his first hit, a pop song, ‘A Rose and A Baby Ruth’ and began touring with the likes of Buddy Holly, Gene Vincent and the Everly Brothers.
“I started out doing teenage love ballads and was able to meet and travel with some great musicians when I was first starting out,” said Hamilton. “The record companies at that time were just trying to jump on the Elvis bandwagon and were signing every young guy from the south who said ‘y’all.’”
Three years later he would walk away from the music that had made him a star by moving to Nashville, with his wife, Adelaide, and began to concentrate all his efforts into recording country music.

Once in Nashville, Hamilton met Chet Atkins who helped get him signed to a recording deal with RCA and was instrumental in having Hamilton invited to join the Grand Ole Opry in 1960.
The years since have been kind to Hamilton, seeing him honoured with numerous awards, including a Juno award for his services to Canadian country music.
He earned his title of ‘International Ambassador Of Country Music’ when he became the first American country singer to perform in the Soviet Union in 1974 and record an album in Prague in 1982.
Hamilton returned to Canada to record two albums in the 1990s, the ‘Canadian Country Gold and Unmined Treasures’ and ‘High Country,’ a compilation of gospel songs.
“I have had a long running love affair with Canada.”
Last year Hamilton celebrated 50 years as a member of The Grand Ole Opry and although he seems to appear relaxed and confident while on stage, he admits that he still gets nervous before a show.
“I was once told that if you quit being nervous about performing it’s time to quit and I still get a little jittery before each show especially those on the Grand Ole Opry stage.”
Hamilton is currently performing a mini-tour of Ontario and can be seen Sept. 4 at the historic Commercial Tavern in Maryhill, with doors opening at 2:30 p.m. for a family-friendly concert. Tickets are $20, and seating is limited. For more information, call 519-648-3644.

Musical comedy aims to put your under its spell

Nerdlinger. N-E-R-D-L-I-N-G-E-R. Nerdlinger. Not to be found on the pages of the dictionary, perhaps, but certainly in abundance on the stage of the Registry Theatre this weekend and next as JM Drama presents The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

Set in a school gymnasium, the play is a heartwarming look at the pressures of growing up through the eyes of quirky yet lovable characters – misfits, nerds, neurotics –competing for the title of spelling bee champ.

It’s billed as a hip musical comedy which follows six young people in the throes of puberty, who are overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, as they learn that winning isn’t everything and that losing doesn’t necessarily make you a loser.

During the course of the competition, we get to know more about the six contestants, their lives, histories, problems and desires – all to great comic effect, says the production’s director.

“These six misfit children – played by adults – make for a lot of laughs,” said Allan Hoch. “This musical is very suitable for people who don’t call themselves musical theatre buffs. It’s very light and funny fare.”

A Tony Award winner, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is based on C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E, an original play by The Farm Improv Group in New York City. It officially opened Off-Broadway in 2005, moving to Broadway later that year.

The musical’s improv roots are part and parcel of the production, as each performance involves some audience participation: there’s a point where some audience members are asked to come up and take part in the bee. It’s an element that lends an element of uncertainty to all of Hoch’s preparations.

“You never know what’s going to happen. That will keep the actors on their toes every night,” he said. “The improve aspect is always going to be amusing.”

The 14 cast members certainly have their work cut out for them. Light and comedic though it is, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’s musical score is a challenging one, Hoch said, lauding the songs as well-written and catchy. Audience members will be humming them long after the curtain falls.

For the performers, the music offers no place to coast – “they’ve got to hit the notes just right” – and the cast has been spot-on, he added.

“They’re all very good singers, good entertainers”

As for the choreography, well, it involves adults dancing like kids. Very nerdy kids. Let’s just say the laughs come naturally.

In preparing for this week’s opening, Hoch has relied heavily on musical director Martin Lacoste, who performs with his four piece rock band, and choreographer Jennifer Wright.

It’s a combination that’s kept him laughing all through the rehearsal phase of the production. The lighthearted musical is a shift from the last three years of summer offering from JM Drama, which featured Urinetown, Sweeney Todd and Cabaret.

Seeking a change of pace, Hoch suggested The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee for this year’s production.

“I chose this because we needed something light to do after three years of dark shows,” he explained.

Due to some of the themes touched on in the show, parental guidance of the PG-13 variety is advised.

The JM Drama production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee runs Aug. 11-13 and Aug. 18-20 at the Registry Theatre, 122 Frederick St., Kitchener. Tickets are $18-$22, available at the Centre in the Square box office by calling 578-1570 or toll free 1-800-265-8977 or online at www.centre-square.com.

Ties to the Underground Railroad

For Toronto-born blues singer Diana Braithwaite it was the history of her family and others with similar stories that keeps her inspired to host the annual Underground Railroad Music Festival .

“The festival was created to celebrate the lives and contributions and the living history of the area including the Underground Railroad and the early black pioneers that settled in Wellington and Waterloo counties,” said Braithwaite.

In the early 1800s, African-Canadian immigrants began to develop the vast unsettled land between Waterloo County and Lake Huron, known as the Queen’s Bush, building farms and homes in the wild.

The Queen’s Bush Settlement includes the western portion of Woolwich Township and the northern half of Wellesley Township, with the majority of the immigrants settling in the southern half of Peel Township in Wellington County.

By 1840 the settlement was home to between 1,500 and 2,000 black immigrants. These free and formerly enslaved people had built churches, schools, farms and communities across the region.

The settlement was short-lived, as the government ordered the district surveyed and many of the settlers could not afford to purchase the land they had laboured so hard to clear; by 1850 a mass migration out of Queen’s Bush had begun.

“I wanted to do something to acknowledge and celebrate my ancestry, and music is a natural way for me to do that,” explained Braithwaite. “My family on my mother’s side came to Canada through the Underground Railroad and this gives me a personal connection.

Being a blues singer I thought I could give back through the music I love.”

The music festival will feature a number of different musicians, all performing to honour the Underground Railroad and the pioneers who settled in the region. The festival is the only one of its kind in North America.

This year’s line up will include Harrison Kennedy’s take on the blues, Curley Bridges a piano and vocal performer, Kevin Breit, a Juno and Gemini Award winning folk singer and guitarist, Miss Angel known as the Mississippi Delta Queen of the Blues, and Douglas Watson, a Chicago Blues singer, as well as many others, including Braithwaite and her husband Chris Whiteley.

“It’s a celebration of all different kinds of music,” she said. “There will be some gospel, some blues, bluegrass, world-class folk and a bit of jazz.”

Braithwaite’s inspiration comes from her mother, Aylestock, 87, who is one of the oldest living descendents of the Queen’s Bush pioneers.

“My mother has always had a great interest in history and wanted us to know our history,” said Braithwaite. “I am thankful for that as she has passed along a lot of information to her children. We learned about our history from a young age. It’s so important to take pride in where you come from.”

This year’s festival has been moved from Glen Allan Park to Drayton, as organizers look to expand the venue to accommodate more visitors.

“It has really taken off. Here we are three years later and we have grown – this year’s festival is going to be the best one so far,” said Braithwaite.

The festival takes place Aug. 13 between 12 and 7 p.m. at Cenntenial Park in Drayton. On hand will be food vendors, this year offering a mixture of Caribbean and soul food. Everyone is invited and welcome to attend.

For more information or to purchase tickets visit the festival’s website at www.braithwaiteandwhiteley.com.