At this campground, it’s not just souls that are bared

The kids gone and no longer caught up in the hurly-burly of child rearing, empty-nesters Norman and Ruth come to an eye-opening realization: they have no idea what they’re relationship is all about. Acting on the advice of discount marriage counsellor that they revisit a spot where they remember being in love, the middle-aged couple heads for a campground they used to visit when the kids were young. So, late one night with a borrowed tent trailer in tow, they end up at the Bear Bones Campground, the scene of better days past. Trouble is, just as they’ve changed so too has the vacation spot: they wake up the next morning to find the place is now the Bare Bones Alternative Campground. To make matters worse, the trailer hitch is broken, so they can’t just up and leave.

It’s not really the right tonic for such a conservative couple. Or is it?

Well, it certainly doesn’t start out that way, which provides plenty of laughs in the Elmira Theatre Company’s presentation of Bare Bear Bones.

Written by Elmira playwright Mike Grant, the story uses the comedic setting as backdrop for a lighthearted exploration of marriage and the relationships between men and women.

“It started as a fish-out-of-water story, but it had to have more. It tells the importance of communication in a relationship,” said Grant. “The campground became a metaphor for the stripping down – the bare bones – of the relationship.”

He had plenty of fodder when penning the story, drawn from years of observing how couples interact. The relationship he created for Norman and Ruth has much in common with what he saw in his parents, and in his own marriage.

“This is exactly what my wife and I sound like when we’re arguing,” he laughed.

Being stuck in an uncomfortable environment, Norman (Brian Otto) and Ruth (Kathy Fahey) are forced to communicate for the first time in years, getting past the banter and joking to have a real heart-to-heart discussion.
But first they have to contend with being surrounded by a whole pile of people walking around wearing nothing but smiles. It’s a setting that’s a challenge not only for our uptight pair, but for those staging the play, as they had to create the illusion of a nudist resort. Campground denizens are always seen behind a hedge, a clothesline or a well-placed prop.

“It they’re expecting the Full Monty, they’re not going to get it,” laughed director Deb Deckert of audience expectations – this is the Elmira Theatre Company, after all. “We’ve had to do some creative blocking.”
She has high praise for the set designers and builders, led by Phil Dietrich, who’ve managed to recreate a campground setting to an appropriate scale for the ETC stage.
“He really does a wonderful job – all part of the magic we call theatre.”

Involving both camping and relationships, the play probably touches on two subjects familiar to most of us.

The second act of the play involves a considerable amount of time around the campfire, which provides a recognizable scenario for anyone who’s ever enjoyed the great outdoors. “Which is pretty much all of us who’ve enjoyed the Canadian institution of camping,” said Deckert.

And, as Grant noted, you don’t have to go far to see how married couples behave. The story contains plenty of slice-of-life moments sure to draw laughs and looks of recollection.
“Anyone who’s been married for any length of time will recognize this situation,” said Deckert.

The Elmira Theatre Company production of Bare Bear Bones runs Feb. 10-12, Feb. 16-19 at 76 Howard Ave. Show times are 8 p.m., except Sunday (2:30 p.m.). Tickets are $18, available from ETC (www.elmiratheatre.com or 519-669-3230) or through the Centre in the Square box office in Kitchener by calling 578-1570 or 1-800-265-8977, online at www.centre-square.com. There will also be special sweetheart supper and show on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, with dinner provided by Flow Café and Catering.  Doors open at 6:30 p.m., buffet dinner at 7 p.m., with the show to follow. Those tickets are $58 per person.

Capturing the enduring appeal of Buddy Holly

The music may have died on Feb. 3, 1959, but it will be alive and well next Sunday, two days after the 53rd anniversary of that fateful plane crash that took the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper.
In celebration of their music and that of the other performers of the era, Maryhill’s Commercial Tavern presents Buddy Holly: The Anniversary Concert. The show is fronted by Jeff Giles, best known for his starring role in The Buddy Holly Story, the official musical show of the legendary rock ‘n’ roll pioneer. The musical itself has thrilled audiences worldwide since 1989, including an acclaimed Broadway production and 12 consecutive years in London’s West End with numerous subsequent tours continuing to run around the world. In Canada, Giles has starred as Buddy in Charlottetown, where he was also featured on CBC television.

Buddy Holly: The Anniversary Concert will celebrate the music of Holly’s final tour, known as The Winter Dance Party, which debuted in January 1959. It was on that tour that the three performers boarded a small chartered plane in Iowa bound for Minnesota, crashing shortly after takeoff. The death of the trio was later immortalized in the famous Don McLean song “American Pie,” and is often referred to as “the day the music died.”
To play Holly (born Charles Hardin Holley on Sept. 7, 1936 in Lubbock, Texas), Giles listened to a large assortment of recordings and watched the limited amount of available video footage of the singer, most of it from TV appearances.

“From what I’ve read, he was a lot more boisterous in concert than he was on television,” said Giles in an interview from his Toronto home, noting his own performances reflect that.
He sees the show as a tribute rather than a straight impersonation, though he’s worked hard to get the physical and vocal mannerisms down pat. He first joined a cast of The Buddy Holly Story in 2008, with things taking off in 2010.

“I’ve been working really hard on improving myself technically as a singer. I’m trying to capture his essence and do justice to his songs and the way he performs them.

“When I’m in front of an audience, I’m bringing as much as I can,” he said, adding the goal is an honest representation of the music.

Just 28, Giles grew up listening to a variety of music, including late-1950s, early ’60s rock ‘n’ roll, as well as the Motown soul and R&B. In researching for the role, he came to appreciate Holly’s pioneering efforts, both as a singer-songwriter at a time when most artists didn’t record their own music and as someone who experimented with the technical side of the recording industry.

Though only active in the industry for less than two years – he was 22 when he died – Holly continues to influence music today. He’s credited with inspiring the likes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton. Holly was in the first group of artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at number 13 on their list of the 50 greatest artists of all time.

While Holly’s music is the centerpiece of the show, Giles and his three-piece band (drums, bass, keyboards) will be performing tunes by the Big Bopper, Valens, Dion and others important to the Winter Dance Party. The music will be interspersed with stories about the songs and artists.

On tap for the Feb. 5 show are Holly’s hits such as “Peggy Sue,” “That’ll Be the Day,” “Rave On,” “It’s So Easy,” “Everyday,” “Oh Boy!,” “Not Fade Away,” and “True Love Ways. ” Also look for the Big Bopper’s “Chantilly Lace” and “Running Bear,” Ritchie Valens’ “Oh Donna” and “La Bamba,” plus Dion and the Belmonts (“A Teenager in Love”).

Buddy Holly: The Anniversary Concert takes to the stage at the Commercial Tavern Feb. 5 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $15, available at the venue, 1303 Maryhill Rd., or by calling 519-648-3644.

Making it just like Stevie Ray

Blues-rock legend Stevie Ray Vaughan launched a thousand guys into guitar shops, so captivating was his style. Though he died more than two decades ago, his influence can be seen even in young blues players today.
Few of his acolytes likely have the same dedication as Dave Ryan, who’s spent the last decade getting the details just right as the front man of a Toronto-based tribute band, The Stevie Ray Vaughan Experience, which plays tonight (Saturday) at the Central Tavern in Elmira.

A guitar player for more than 30 years, including a stint in a Van Halen tribute band, Ryan had an epiphany about a decade ago when he saw Vaughan’s “Live at the El Mocambo,” a DVD released in 1999 featuring a 1983 concert at the storied Toronto venue.

“My jaw dropped, and I said ‘wow, that’s what I want to do.’

“I fell in love with his music – the energy, the passion.”

What followed was the practicing, and lots of it, needed to hone Vaughan’s unique and energetic guitar sound. Twenty to 25 hours a week quickly added up to thousands of hours in the years that came after.
“An awful lot of work has gone into it,” he said of the tribute show. “I’m a perfectionist to a fault.”

His dedication goes beyond the music – a signature sound that’s inspired countless players – but extends to the details of the show itself. His hats are made by the same Texas hatter that made Vaughan’s. His guitars are replicas of those famously emblazoned with the initials SRV. And even the large blue peacock tattooed on Vaughan’s chest has a doppelganger on Ryan’s chest.

At its heart, however, his efforts are all about the playing, trying to replicate the skill that puts Vaughan on just about everybody’s list of the top 15 or 20 guitarists ever to pick up the instrument.
The time and effort have propelled Ryan and his bandmates to the highest level of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble tributes. Since taking to the stage in 2008, they’ve been working at getting to the Vegas and Atlantic City circuits.

“It’s fun. It’s going places,” said Ryan of the act. “It’s been very challenging, but rewarding.

“I joke with my friends that I’m going to the Stevie Ray Vaughan school of blues. I’m probably at a masters’ level, and I’m going for my Ph.D.”

To that end, he said he’s always pushing himself to get better. A six-second hook in the song Texas Flood from that 1983 concert probably took  him a year to replicate as a playing style – “to him it just came naturally” – and that has helped make Ryan a better player while encouraging his own songwriting.

On tap for Saturday will be all of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s hits, including Pride and Joy, Crossfire, Couldn’t Stand the Weather and The House is Rockin’, along with the guitar master’s renditions of songs by Buddy Guy, Stevie Wonder and Jimi Hendrix.

The Stevie Ray Vaughan Experience takes the stage at the Central Tavern (30 Arthur St. S.) Jan. 21. Expect the band on about 10:30 p.m. There’s a cover charge of $5.

With voices from across the country, group has a unique focus

Elmira residents will have the chance to hear one of Canada’s most acclaimed choirs later this month when the Canadian Chamber Choir performs at St. James Lutheran Church on Jan. 21. Formed in 1999, the CCC is unlike any other group in the country in that it features singers from every region of Canada, many from smaller communities just like Elmira. “We give them an opportunity to have a place to form connections and build a network across the country,” said Julia Davids, artistic director for the CCC and who has been with the group since its inception.

Next Saturday’s concert will be the group’s last on their southwestern Ontario tour, which kicks off tomorrow (Sunday) with a performance in London. From there, the group will travel to Oakville, Kitchener and Guelph, ending in Elmira for an evening concert.

The group typically tours once or twice a year to various parts of the country, and relies solely on donors and workshop fees to fly their singers to their performances. Members are not paid to be in the choir and often have to sacrifice work or family time to participate.

“We do try to get around to every region of Canada, but as you can imagine it takes a little while and it’s a very expensive endeavour when you’re flying in all your singers from all over the country,” said Davids.

The program at St. James will run about 90 minutes and is one of the few full-length performances the CCC will give during their busy tour. It will include works by Canadian composers Eleanor Daley, Imant Raminsh and Orlando Gibbons, as well as several pieces by Elmira composer Jeff Enns.
“It’s just a great group and it feels very much like a family,” said Enns, who had a number of works commissioned by the CCC before joining their ranks about four years ago. He also works as the music coordinator at St. James and teaches music about one day a week.

“I’ve gotten to know everyone in the group quite well and they’ve all become very good friends. This is a great opportunity and it’s not very often that a choir like this visits our town.”

One of the pieces by Enns to be performed will be the tour premier of “She’s Like the Swallow,” a
new arrangement of the classic Canadian East Coast folk song.

The show will also include the world premier of a newly commissioned piece by Toronto composer Erik Ross called “Icarus in the Sea,” which tells the tale of Icarus, not as he rises too high to touch the sun, but after he has plummeted into the sea.

The piece was commissioned by an anonymous donor, and includes the poetry of Toronto’s Lorna Crozier.
“It’s a major work and it’s never been performed before,” said Davids.

“It was written specifically for our choir and we’ll be starting to learn it this weekend and getting to know it and hopefully really bringing it off the page for our audience.”
Anyone who loves music is encouraged to come out for the evening. Davids

said that even those who don’t share an interest in choral music will still find the evening to be an excellent display  of music and song.
“It really showcases what breadth of music is being created in our country and the sort of background that people bring to their music,” she said.
“We have music that sounds like it’s from The Lord of the Rings, music that sounds more like traditional Latin pieces, and humourous dance poems set to music.
“Come prepared to laugh and cry and to have a great time.”

The Canadian Chamber Choir performs Jan. 21 at St. James Lutheran Church in Elmira located at 60 Arthur St. The show starts
at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are
$10 each or $5 for students.

For more information visit www.canadianchamberchoir.ca or call (519) 669-3315 for tickets.

The Nutcracker is a true holiday tradition

Searching around for a last-minute gift for the family? Or maybe for something to do during the break that is Christmas week? There’s one option that’s loaded with tradition: The Nutcracker ballet, which pirouettes into the area Dec. 28. The Nutcracker is, of course, synonymous with Christmas. It’s often the first – and only – ballet we’re exposed to. The dancing, music and vibrant costumes and sets have made it a captivating performance for ages. Bengt Jörgen, choreographer of the Ballet Jörgen Canada production coming to the Centre In The Square next week, sees that reaction from a wide-eyed audience at each performance. The kids, in particular, are spellbound.

Realizing the place The Nutcracker holds in the pantheon of classic ballets and its enduring appeal to families, Ballet Jörgen pays extra attention to the details.

“We want something kid-friendly, something where they can get mesmerized by the story … that speaks to them. We spend a lot of time on this production so that it really holds their attention,” said Jörgen from his Toronto office Wednesday during an interlude between performances in Ottawa and Guelph.

As has been the case for that past few years, the show is the traditional story with a Canadian twist, drawing on the images of the Group of Seven and the Algonquin Park scenery that inspired them.

“I wanted to create a production connected to Canada and relevant to the communities we work in, beyond its traditional holiday format.

Transcribing the traditional dances of the second act into dances from creatures of Algonquin Park has been particularly enjoyable and will bring a fresh look to an old favourite,” said Jörgen of The Nutcracker, a Canadian Tradition.

Choreographed by Jörgen to Tchaikovsky’s familiar score, this distinctly Canuck adaptation evolved from a collaboration with the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, which has allowed three of the great 20th century Canadian landscape artists to be featured: Franklin Carmichael (Church and Houses at Bisset, 1931), Tom Thomson (Snow in the Woods, 1916) and L.L. FitzGerald (Trees and Wildflowers, 1922).

In addition to the traditional Nutcracker characters, this version has added loons, birches, dragonflies, beavers and squirrels, among others.

The ballet’s second act is noted for its celebration of dances (various nationalities in the original). This Nutcracker follows that tradition, but places the second act in a Canadian summer setting with trillium flowers, raccoons, loons, dragonflies, bears, Mother Spruce, and a grand pas de deux danced by the King and Queen Birch.

“Every year we add a few little things to keep it fresh,” he explained. This time around, a new character has been added to the battle scene, there’s some new choreography and vibrant costumes.

Ballet, he said, is always evolving – “it’s a living work of art.”

The Nutcracker, a Canadian Tradition takes to the stage for two performances Dec. 28 (2 and 7 p.m.) at the Centre in the Square. Tickets are $32-$75, available from the box office by calling 578-1570 or online at www.centre-square.com.

Fun, family-friendly fare is just the thing

The music of Broadway is coming to the Elmira District Secondary School auditorium with the school’s production of Once Upon A Mattress, the comical retelling of the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, The Princess and the Pea.

The story takes places in a small kingdom during medieval times, where Prince Dauntless is looking for a bride. A dozen girls have already been tested and rejected as unsuitable by his mother, Queen Aggravain. Enter Princess Winnifred who is instantly disliked by the queen and thus begins the hijinks of the play.

“It is a complete and wonderful comedy with elements of farce in it – it’s got jokes for the adults and jokes for the kids. It is almost like coming and watching a live-action Shrek, it is just very funny to watch,” said EDSS drama teacher and director DJ Carroll. “It is full of songs and dances and it all takes place in a fairytale kingdom.”

Being a Broadway show, the music is a step up from normal high school productions but Carroll assures his 50 actors are up for the task.

Auditions were tough for the seasoned director as he was looking for students that had the triple threat of dancing, singing and acting.

“There is a very fine balancing game as the director that I have to walk when I was casting my leads – it is rare to get both acting and singing abilities in an actor and put on top of that dancing,” said Carroll. “People joke about that but it is serious: our leads need to do all three and in this play we have some extremely talented kids.”

Students have taken more responsibility with this production, noted Carroll, who says he is pleased that he is able to trust them with some very important tasks.

“I am creating a group of kids that know they can do it and they don’t need to sit there and wait for my answer or decision.”

There are 18 song-and-dance numbers in the show, so Carroll decided to build a dance team, giving each member two dances to choreograph, taking the stress off one or two people doing the entire show.

One of those members is Grade 12 student Alyssa Tomlin who plays Lady Merle in the show.

Tomlin would listen for hours on end to the two songs she had to prepare and would picture the different characters that were on stage during those songs to help build her routines.

“It helped me to start thinking about what I wanted to see out there,” said Tomlin. “I have been dancing for about five years and part of that requirement was that we create our own dance routines. I have done musicals before, but the harmonies in this one are so challenging – they sound amazing when you get them. It has a great story to it, it is funny and serious and it is a well-rounded show.”

For the 18 students working behind the scenes the musical is the largest production most of them have worked on.

“This is a big undertaking as far as production level,” said Carroll. “They are working their butts off backstage to make sure everything goes well.”

Rehearsals started at the end of September and the cast and crew are in the final countdown to opening night on Dec. 8, with the show running through Dec. 10.

The school will once again hold its traditional public school show where more than 300 grade school students from the area are invited to see the performance.

The EDSS students will have a chance to share with the younger kids during a question-and-answer period after the performance and the children will get a chance to interact with the actors.

“A lot of the grade school kids have done some small dramas or are doing or will be doing it, and this is a little bit of a treat for them to see what they can do once they get to high school,” said Carroll.

Tickets are on sale and can be purchased from cast members or by calling the school at 519-669-5414, ext. 415. The Saturday afternoon show is scheduled for families, with tickets priced at $15 for the whole family.

When Kenny met Dolly: country music magic

A tribute act covering Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton face one daunting task: recreating the experience of a pair of extremely well-know performers who have sold more than 200 million albums. Actually, make that two tasks: choosing which of the long string of hits to showcase in a two-hour show.

Marty Edwards and Marie Bottrell will have that all figured out prior to hitting the stage at Maryhill’s Commercial Tavern for a Dec. 1 concert, “Kenny and Dolly: Together Again.”

A country musician since the early 1970s, Edwards has been doing Kenny Rogers tributes since 1998. Based in Las Vegas, he’s taken his act around the globe, and has appeared on Oprah, the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and CNN.

In contrast, Canadian country music legend Marie Bottrell will be making her first appearance as Dolly Parton. With a total of 18 top-40 radio hits, Bottrell is an eight-time Juno nominee and a two-time CCMA Female Vocalist of the Year. She was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in September 2010.

Having performed as Patsy Cline, she’s familiar with the tribute genre. Cline is an iconic figure in country music, but there is little video footage or audio interviews of her. It’s just the opposite with Parton, where movies, TV appearances, music videos and countless interviews have ingrained in the public’s mind her look and sound.

Singing the songs is one thing, but Parton’s personality is so big that recreating it is the crucial part, said Bottrell in a phone interview from her London, Ont. home.

“There’s hardly anybody who doesn’t know who Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton are,” she said, acknowledging the expectations.

It’s one thing to get into character with costumes, wigs and makeup, but there’s also the singing, tonality, posture and gestures to take into account.

“The goal is to make it believable,” explained Bottrell, though in the end it’s all about the music and getting it just right. “You want to make it a fun experience. If they’re smiling and singing along and tapping their feet, then we’re doing our jobs.”

In preparation, she’s going through Parton’s catalogue: the show will feature a list of her hits, including 9 to 5, Jolene, Coat of Many Colours and Will Always Love You. Narrowing down the choices has been the hard part.

“I grew up listening to her, and I have the odd Dolly Parton song in my repertoire over the years,” she said. “My favourite Dolly Parton song of all time is “Here You Come Again.” I remember listening to that as a teen and thinking it was so different from what other country music sounded like. That will be fun to do.”

For his part, Edwards will be drawing on Rogers’ long list of hits, The Gambler, Coward of the County, Lucille, Lady, and She Believes in Me among them. Together, they’ll present Parton’s duets with Rogers such as Islands in the Stream.

“Kenny and Dolly: Together Again” is set for Dec. 1, 8 p.m., at the Commercial Tavern in Maryhill. Tickets are $15, available at the venue or by calling 519-684-3644.

A grownup approach to kid stuff

Canadian children’s entertainers The Skalywags not only have the kids laughing and dancing to their music but they keep the grown-ups entertained too.

The Skalywags are Steve Ofner of St. Clements on bass and Kitchener residents Duane Lipskie on guitar and Ed Wahba on drums.

The three men began playing as a rock band in high school when they were known as ‘The Nuts,’ performing cover songs while touring the beaches and local bars. They even released an album of original work in 1995.

Eventually those high school boys would grow up, get married and began to raise families.

“Some of us have kids now and it can really take a turn when you are playing bars until 3 a.m.: your kids don’t care what time you get home they expect you to be ready the next morning when they wake up,” said Lipskie. “I personally started to take a back seat to the band as I couldn’t really focus on it as much as I use to with my family waiting for me at home.”

In 2005 Lipskie began to explore writing children’s stories and sat down with Ofner one day to discuss the idea.

“Being musicians we just automatically started putting catchy melodies to the words and it just seemed like a natural evolution for us,” said Lipskie.

The two men kept their new music a secret, even from bandmate Wahba, as they wanted to flesh out more ideas and tunes. Eventually they told Wahba about their new direction, and he was on board instantly.

“(Wahba) embraced the new music right away and started to help with the arrangement of the music, revamping them with his unique style, dissecting them and making the music better,” said Ofner.

Constantly singing songs in his head, Wahba is always trying to find ways to make a song listenable.

“I don’t like things that repeat too much so in my mind I like to break up continuity and create little catches that will keep people interested,” said Wahba.

The band began writing songs together and recently compiled the music into their first CD release called simply The Skalywags. The album was independently produced in Ofner’s home studio and boasts 10 original children’s songs.

“We don’t dumb down the music, because we don’t think the kids want that kind of music: we hit them as adults interacting with kids, and we don’t take them for granted,” said Ofner. “We personally feel that a lot of kid’s music out there is dumbed down.”

This approach to making children’s music comes from having their own children and realizing that kids are smarter than most adults give them credit for.

“We don’t do any hokey songs, it can be silly and there is a difference and you can tell when kids are into the song that they like it for the music not because it is hokey,” said Ofner.

Still working on their shtick the band makes sure shows flow by telling stories between songs and explain any hand gestures or movements that the audience should make while they play.

“It’s all about being a kid and what it is like to be a kid, like brushing your teeth, getting dirty or losing your first tooth,” said Lipskie. “We hear back from parents too and they like the music just as much as the kids do and that is very rewarding knowing that we are making music for everyone to enjoy.”

The band has played small parties with an acoustic set up to larger events like the Hillside Festival in Guelph and Square to Square in Waterloo, where they have their full group performing including extra bandmates Tammy Stinson (Ofner’s wife) on vocals and the melodica, Shelley Fluri, on vocals, Trevor Fluri on guitar and Chris Brenneman playing percussion.

Stinson has recently taken on a larger role with the band, helping to promote the group and ensures the audience gets up and dancing during concerts.

“We needed an element to engage our audience, the music is not complicated but it is busy stuff and at first we were finding it hard to engage the kids to get hopping and clapping and (Stinson) is that element that we were lacking. Plus, three middle-aged men are not really appealing to kids so (Stinson) is the engaging factor of the group,” said Lipskie.

Over the last six months the band has been on a high, releasing their first CD in September and is performing the first Skalywag Holiday Hop Clap on Dec. 3 at the Waterloo Arts Centre starting at 1 p.m. The band will be playing their songs as well as a bunch of Christmas songs. There is a $10 fee per family and that includes the show and a copy of the new CD. Donations for the Waterloo Region Food Bank will also be accepted at the show.

“It’s great to play to a crowd that is listening to your music, coming from the bar scene where no one is paying attention or you are playing to the guy sweeping the floor at the end of the night to have 20 or 30 kids jumping around in front of you is just amazing,” said Lipskie.

Tickets to the December show can be purchased at www.theskalywags.com.

Things get interesting in this boring ol’ town

Shortly after discussion just how boring life is in little ol’ Big Oak, the keepers of the local diner get some excitement in spades when convicted husband-killer Sadie Flynn steps off the bus in search of a new life for herself.

Would-be Lotharios Tom (the diner’s owner) and his sidekick/employee Orson soon have something to keep them occupied. But Sadie’s arrival sets off more than just a pair of inept small-town Romeos – what follows is the kind of comedy we’ve come to expect from playwright Norm Foster.

It’s all about the laughs with Sadie Flynn Comes to Big Oak, the Elmira Theatre Company production that opens next week.

The diner, Millie’s Cabin, is the center of the gossip mill, which kicks into overdrive when Sadie Flynn (played by ETC newcomer Sheryl Walsh) rolls into town, apparently picking Big Oak as her new home after being released from prison. Things heat up when Tom (Steve Whetstone) offers her a waitressing job and his storeroom as a place to live. That’s fodder for regulars Rachel (Ruth Connor), the telephone operator who listens in on everyone’s business, and Bev (Sue Parr), a hairdresser who’s privy to everyone’s stories.

As if a newly-released killer wasn’t enough, odd occurrences start happening. Coincidence?

Or is there more going on here with Sadie, who maintains her innocence?

“Their lives change drastically – it’s no longer boring – when Sadie Flynn arrives in town. And then strange things start to happen, mostly to people who are doing things they aren’t supposed to. It’s like they’re getting their comeuppance,” explained ETC’s Joe Brenner.

“A mundane day suddenly changes, and it all follows Sadie. The audience will love it. It will be a hard time for them to stop laughing.”

In typical Foster style, we start to learn more about the good people of Big Oak: maybe life hasn’t been as boring as Orson (Gord Grose) makes it out to be. Given that the town is meant to be about the same size as Elmira, the fact that there’s more going on than the façade would indicate probably isn’t a big surprise.

Even Millie’s Cabin has a familiar feel to it.

“It’s a typical small-town diner, the kind of place you’d stop at on the way up to the cottage,” said Brenner. “Tom and Orson have seen the same customers who come in to eat the same thing year after year after year.”

Following the arrival of Sadie Flynn, life is anything but routine. And Big Oak is unlikely to be the same.

The ETC production of Sadie Flynn Comes to Big Oak runs Nov. 18 to Dec. 3, Fridays through Sundays. All shows are at 8 p.m., except for the Sunday matinees at 5 p.m. These are dinner show performances, with a buffet-style meal catered by the Stone Crock. Tickets are $48.

There are also two Thursday night show-only performances (8 p.m.) for $18. Tickets are available through the Centre In The Square box office by calling 519-578-1570 or online at www.centre-square.com. All performances are at 76 Howard Ave. in Elmira.

Larry Mercey still loves a good show

More than five decades later, the schedule isn’t as hectic but performing is every bit as fun as it’s always been for Larry Mercey.

A founder of the legendary Mercey Brothers – the pride of Hanover – Mercey went solo in 1990 after the band packed it in, eventually ramping things back up with the formation of the Larry Mercey Trio and subsequent return to recording.

His love of entertaining will be on display Nov. 13 on stage at Maryhill’s Commercial Tavern.

Mercey got his start in 1956, performing with the CKNX barn dance broadcast from Wingham.

The following year, he and his brother Ray founded the Mercey Brothers. The duo was joined by brother Lloyd in 1966, and the Mercey Brothers continued to record and perform until 1989.

During that time, they issued 17 albums and some 50 singles, many of which went to number-one on the charts. The brothers have been inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.

When his brothers took different paths, Mercey continued with the music business. His first solo outing was the independent Full Speed Ahead in 1990, featuring the the hit single “These Crazy Arms of Mine.” In 1991 he was nominated for Country Male Vocalist awards at the Junos and the Country Music Awards. By 1994 he had landed a deal with Rodeo Records, who picked up
the tab on album number two, Let’s Deal Again.

Slowing down for a while, Mercey found he couldn’t stray too far from performing and recording, recruiting George Lonsbury (guitar and vocals) and Al Alderson (bass and vocals) to form the Larry Mercey Trio in 2004.

“This is an example of never say never. I’ve said for years I was through with recording and would never be back in the studio,” said Mercey after the release of It’s Not Over Yet, featuring “On My Father’s Side.”

“It’s a song that my brother Ray and I wrote the verses to, a gospel song – it’s really gone over well,” said the former Elmira resident who now lives in Iderton, near London, Ont.

Over the course of five decades, he’s played across the country, in Europe and the U.S., including at Nashville’s famed Grand Ole Opry. There are Juno Awards, Big Country Awards and the C.F. Martin Guitar Lifetime Achievement Award.

Through the ups and downs, getting out on stage and playing for an audience has never lost its luster.

“I just love it. It’s my life,” said Mercey, acknowledging the many miles on the road in the early days weren’t always easy. “I have no regrets with it. I feel very, very blessed, really.”

The gigs are less numerous these days, in part due to changes in the industry that’s seen less demand for traditional country music and fewer venues booking such performers. In that regard, he’s got nothing but praise for Paul Weber, who keeps things going at the Commercial Tavern.

“I don’t know any other place like it. They really support traditional country music.”

Those who’ve followed his career can expect to hear all of the standards when he hits the stage, from the early days of the Mercey Brothers through the solo days and the trio. For next weekend’s show, it’ll be an “around the campfire” style, the three of them playing and harmonizing together. The show will also include appearances by Naomi Bristow and Randy Satchell, who’ll sit in with the band.

Billed as “the yodelin’ cowgirl,” 14-year-old Bristow, who hails from a small farm near Beeton, Ont., has been something of sensation in country music circles. She’s toured the country and won a packet of awards, including Best Traditional Album of the Year in the U.S. for her third CD, Ridin’ High. She recently travelled to Nashville to record a pair of duets with Grand Ole Opry star Jim Ed Brown.

Satchell, a native of Gadshill, Ont. who began performing with his father’s band at the age of 9, appeared on CKNX-TV’s Circle 8 Ranch, and was part of the barn dance circuit, winning national singing contests in 1981 and 1982. He’s released two albums and continues to perform regularly, opening for a variety of country acts.

“It’s going to be a great show, with lots of variety,” said Mercey, who’s deep into rehearsals.

“I really look forward to it. I put a lot of work into it – there is some pressure to it because you really want to do well.”

The Larry Mercey Trio and their special guests perform Nov. 13 starting at 3 p.m. at the Commercial Tavern in Maryhill. Tickets are $20. For more information, visit http://commercialtavern.tripod.com.