Broadway North : The Dream of a Canadian Musical Theatre

Did you know that the idea behind the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes was first tried out in Toronto? That Canada produced the world's longest-running annual revue? Few people realize the Canadian influences that are at the heart of American and British culture. Author Mel Atkey's research for Broadway North included interviews with Norman and Elaine Campbell and Don Harron, creators of Anne of Green Gables-The Musical; Mavor Moore, founder of the Charlottetown Festival and of Spring Thaw; John Gray, author of Billy Bishop Goes to War; Ray Jessel and Marian Grudeff, Spring Thaw writers who had success on Broadway with Baker Street; Dolores Claman, composer of the Hockey Night In Canada theme, who also wrote the musicals Mr. Scrooge and Timber!!; and Galt MacDermot, the composer of Hair who started out writing songs for the McGill University revue My Fur Lady. Included is the phenomenal success of The Drowsy Chaperone. Atkey also draws on his own experience as a writer and composer of musicals, and tells the story of why a show that should have starred James Doohan (Star Trek's Scotty) didn't happen. Composer, lyricist and author, Mel Atkey is currently based in the U.K. Proud of his Canadian cultural roots, he has long been fascinated with the notion of a distinctive Canadian musical theatre. Table of Contents......Page 8 Credits for Cover Visuals......Page 7 Acknowledgements......Page 10 Foreword......Page 14 Overture: "... Of Canada, Limited"......Page 16 ACT ONE......Page 42 1 In the Beginning......Page 44 2 Dumbells and Uptown Girls......Page 54 3 Filling the Cultural Vacuum......Page 59 4 "Will You Dance With Me?"......Page 63 5 Putting the Audience on Stage......Page 68 6 "Rain or No Rain": Theatre Under The Stars and Rainbow Stage......Page 74 7 On the "Crest" of a New Canadian Theatre......Page 79 8 "The Glory of the Modern Age"......Page 83 9 "Merry Madness"......Page 86 10 "Lovely, Juicy, Silly Fun"......Page 89 11 The Fur Flies......Page 93 12 A Chilly Northern Breeze: Cabaret and Revue in Toronto the Good......Page 98 13 Humbug......Page 108 14 Industrial Strength......Page 112 15 "The Epitome of Show-Dance Professionalism"......Page 115 16 "Something Truly Wonderful"......Page 119 17 "The Toast of Their Home Town"......Page 131 18 Vancouver: "The Things That You Yet Will Do"......Page 135 19 "Learn the Rules, Then Break Them"......Page 144 20 "A Lot of Heart": Charlottetown After Anne......Page 157 21 A "Radiophonic" Musical......Page 165 22 "Try, Try, Aim for the Sky"......Page 170 23 "I Could Change the World"......Page 177 24 The Killer Hero: Billy Bishop Goes to War......Page 182 ACT TWO......Page 188 25 Entr'acte: "Are We Having Fun Yet?"......Page 190 26 Broadway Bound—and Gagged......Page 193 27 "The Virtuosity of Opera with the Vitality of Broadway"......Page 203 28 A Canadian in New York......Page 207 29 Nice Tries and Missed Opportunities......Page 211 30 "Sunday in the Park with Emily"......Page 213 31 "Minding the Store": Theatre as a Business......Page 217 32 Defying Gravity: The Unmaking of The Grand Finale......Page 225 33 The "Canadian Imperative"......Page 234 34 Breaking Into Song: The Primal Scream of the Civilized Set......Page 248 35 "With Glowing Hearts, We See Thee Rise": The Canadian Musical Identity......Page 255 36 Achieving Immortality: The Original Cast Recording......Page 262 Finale: "Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Doing Badly"......Page 265 Postscript......Page 271 Appendix A: Canadian Musicals on Record......Page 274 Appendix B: Principal Interviews......Page 285 Notes......Page 286 Bibliography......Page 298 A......Page 300 B......Page 301 C......Page 303 D......Page 305 F......Page 306 G......Page 307 H......Page 308 J......Page 310 L......Page 311 M......Page 312 N......Page 315 P......Page 316 R......Page 318 S......Page 319 T......Page 321 W......Page 323 Z......Page 324 About the Author......Page 326 Mel Atkey. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 283-284), Discography (p. 259-269) And Index.