encoreNOW is a bi-weekly column by Paul Rellinger where he features upcoming music, theatre, film, and performing arts events and news from across the Kawarthas.
This week, Paul highlights the Anne Shirley Theatre Company’s staging of Frozen: The Broadway Musical at Peterborough’s Showplace, Camp Kawartha’s hosting of a family-friendly St. Patrick’s Day Kitchen Party, a staged reading of Screwball Comedy by the Peterborough Theatre Guild, The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight at the Peterborough Memorial Centre, a tribute to Van Morrison’s music at Cobourg’s Victoria Hall, and The Great Canadian Fiddle Show at Peterborough’s Market Hall.
The Anne Shirley Theatre Company takes on Disney’s “Frozen”
What started on a wing and a prayer back in 2001 is still very much with us in the form of the Anne Shirley Theatre Company.
The Trent University student-run theatre troupe staged Anne of Green Gables for its inaugural presentation during the 2002-2003 school year, having borrowed the name of the central figure of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s classic story for its company name.
Funded via a student-contributed levy, the Anne Shirley Theatre Company hasn’t missed a beat since, as it’s stayed true to its day-one mandate of empowering company members to do what they love to do in a safe, inclusive space.
On Friday (March 13) at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough, the company’s 23rd season will continue with the opening of Frozen: The Broadway Musical for a seven-show run.
Adapted from Disney’s Oscar-winning film, the Tony Award-nominated musical follows two royal sisters as they discover that true love can thaw the coldest of hearts. With the help of a 14-piece orchestra, the musical’s iconic songs, such as “Let It Go,” “Do You Want To Build A Snowman?” and “In Summer,” will get their due along with numbers written specifically for the stage version.
Directed by Brayden Ellis and choreographed by Ellis and Robyn Hawthrone, the musical direction is in the very capable hands of Justin Hiscox, whose impressive resumé includes his considerable contributions to numerous 4th Line Theatre summer productions.
Curtain is 7:30 p.m. on March 13 and 14 and 20 and 21, with 2 p.m. matinees on March 14, 15, and 21. Tickets cost $40, $35 for seniors, and $30 for students/children at www.showplace.org.
Of note, all ticket sale profits go directly back to the company to help finance future productions, of which there will no doubt be many.
St. Patrick to be paid musical homage at Camp Kawartha kitchen party
Well, whack me over the head with a shillelagh — there really is such a thing as an alcohol-free St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Who knew?
On Sunday (March 15) at Camp Kawartha Environment Centre at 2505 Pioneer Road, nary a green beer will be in sight as a number of local musicians come together to pay homage to Ireland’s patron saint in advance of the annual day set aside for the masses to do likewise.
Billed as a family-friendly event, the St. Patrick’s Day Kitchen Party will feature Irish songs, jigs, reels, waltzes and airs performed in an intimate and wholly informal setting by Banish Misfortune (harpist Tanah Haney, cellist Jessica Lindeman, and fiddler John Hoffman) joined by singer and percussionist Karina Bates, and The Skelligs (flautist Martha Cooper and fiddler Ken Brown along with Hoffman, Haney, and Lindeman).
As a venue for this type of thing, the Camp Kawartha Environment Centre saw a trial run just last month when Hoffman, Haney, and Lindeman came together for the first time as a trio for a musical celebration that paid homage to Scottish poet Robbie Burns.
Admission to the 2 p.m. event — it really promises to be an event — is by donation at the door. Do be generous. Having talked to Hoffman many times, I know full well how much time and effort he and his musical colleagues put into sourcing selections and performing them very well.
Peterborough Theatre Guild offers staged reading of Norm Foster’s “Screwball Comedy”
As a subgenre of romantic comedy, screwball comedy’s formula of combining fast-paced witty dialogue with farcical situations typically involving a “battle of the sexes” enjoyed its heyday from 1934 to 1942. Among the big-name stars who thrived in that format were Cary Grant, Carole Lombard, Clark Gable, Katharine Hepburn, Barbara Stanwyck, and Fred MacMurray.
While 1934’s It Happened One Night is widely considered the first major defining example of screwball comedy, the genre is still getting its due decades later. Think 1981’s Arthur starring Dudley Moore or 1999’s Runaway Bride featuring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts.
After famed Canadian playwright Norm Foster set his sights on screwball comedy, he subsequently penned a play that pays tribute to the tried-and-true Hollywood script format. In 2017, his aptly titled Screwball Comedy was first produced for the Norm Foster Theatre Festival in St. Catharines.
Now, as the fourth of five staged readings presented by the Peterborough Theatre Guild during its 2025-26 season, Foster’s take will be presented Sunday (March 15) at The Guild Hall on Rogers Street in Peterborough’s East City.
Set in 1938, the story introduces newly laid-off perfumier Mary Hayes who is trying to break into the male-dominated world of newspaper journalism. Editor-in-chief Bosco Godfrey sets a competition between his egotistical star reporter Jeff Kincaid and plucky Mary, assigning them to cover a society wedding. If Jeff writes the better story, he gets to keep his job. If Mary wins, she will replace the ace newshound.
Unlike a full-blown theatre production, a staged reading sees actors perform without full sets, costumes, or complex lighting. It’s a stripped-down version of a full production but typically no less entertaining.
Directed by Lisa Dixon and stage managed by Lyn Braun with assistance from Kym Hyde, the Peterborough Theatre Guild production stars Rebecca Birrell, Brian MacDonald, Pat Maitland, Dan Smith, Fin Taylor, Lindsay Unterlander, and Jack van Roosmalen.
Tickets to the 1:30 p.m. staged reading cost $15 at www.peterboroughtheatreguild.com.
Rock Orchestra by Candlelight fuses rock and classical music
VIDEO: “Zombie” by The Cranberries – Rock Orchestra by Candlelight (2024)
Back in 2020, producer Nathan Reed hit on what he thought was a very good concept: combine the live performance of rock music with the hauntingly beautiful energy, power, and grace of classical music.
Now, more than 400 shows and a half million audience members later, there’s no denying that The Rock Orchestra has been a huge success. From its base in England, the ensemble has performed around the globe, each show a unique audience journey that brings two very different music genres together for a truly unique concert experience.
Earlier this month, Rock Orchestra by Candlelight opened a very ambitious Canadian tour that will end April 4 in Edmonton. Sandwiched in the middle is a stop at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Tuesday, March 17.
In an ethereal candlelight setting that sets a haunting mood, 14 classical musicians will perform the music of Metallica, AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, Rage Against The Machine, My Chemical Romance, Linkin Park, Guns ‘n’ Roses, and many more mainstream metal and rock bands.
Tickets to the 8 p.m. concert range from $73.45 to $154.85 plus taxes and fees, and can be ordered at www.memorialcentre.ca, or drop by the Memorial Centre box office.
Van Morrison’s iconic music paid tribute by a lifelong fan
VIDEO: “It’s Too Late To Stop Now – The Music of Van Morrison”
My first exposure to the huge talent that is Matt Weidinger came via “The Last Waltz: A Musical Celebration of The Band” held right here in Peterborough.
Weidinger sang Van Morrison’s hit song “Caravan” — something the legendary Northern Ireland-born singer and songwriter did as part of The Band’s iconic November 1976 farewell concert at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom. Weidinger’s performance was off the charts, delivering a show highlight with his incredible range and stage presence.
It seemed a no-brainer that Weidinger would expand that Last Waltz tribute to Morrison into a full-blown show. That’s exactly what he has done, building on his infatuation with Morrison’s music by creating a touring show that features top musicians.
On Friday, March 20 at Cobourg’s Concert Hall at Victoria Hall, “It’s Too Late To Stop Now: The Music of Van Morrison” will cover its namesake’s remarkable six decades-plus musical journey. Songs from every era of Morrison’s career will be featured, including, of course, that mainstay of too many cover bands to count, “Brown Eyed Girl.” The show itself is named after Morrison’s 1974 double live album.
Whether you’re a fan of Morrison’s music or not, Weidinger’s passion for his favourite artist is infectious, as it is rooted in his ability to do him justice. Tickets to the 7:30 p.m. concert cost $50 at tickets.cobourg.ca.
All things fiddle and step dancing destined for Market Hall
VIDEO: The Great Canadian Fiddle Show Trailer (2013)
Oh, we Canadians do have an affinity for the sound of a fiddle.
One of my enduring childhood memories is waiting with my dad and brother for Hockey Night In Canada to start, after we squirmed our way through The Tommy Hunter Show. Dad loved the fiddle people. On reflection, that variety show set the stage for enjoying what was another Canadian tradition, but one with more brawn than music at its centre.
Traditional fiddle music and step dancing — the two go hand in hand — will be the centre of attention on Saturday, March 21 at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough when The Great Canadian Fiddle Show takes to the stage, with Celina Marie Di Cecca front and centre.
The Hamilton native picked up the violin at age four, studied classical music thereafter, and attended her first fiddle camp at age 12. Exposed to the instrument’s toe-tapping rhythms, she fell in love with traditional Canadian Celtic music and, over the years since, has performed both classical and fiddle music across the country.
The Great Canadian Fiddle Show is Di Cecca’s brainchild. She not only originally produced it and performs, but she also directs the show’s cast of superb musicians and step dancers.
Show time is 7 p.m. with tickets priced at $44 and available at www.markethall.org.
Encore
- The Austin Carson Band is on the cusp of recording a new album but is looking for our help. To that end, what’s billed as “a hometown album fundraiser” will be held April 25 at the Gordon Best Theatre above The Only Café, featuring — you guessed it — The Austin Carson Band, with Unnerving as the opener. It’s a little ways off, but I’m mentioning it now because the show is halfway to a sellout and the venue isn’t all that large. If you’ve never caught the high-energy sound and stage presence the band brings to bear, it’s time to get on board.
- The Peterborough Folk Festival has been recognized, but this time around it’s not for the music it annually brings to multiple Nicholls Oval stages in late summer. The festival recently received the 2026 Sustainability Award from Festivals and Events Ontario at its awards gala in Kitchener. Market Hall manager Chad Hogan, the festival’s treasurer, was on hand to receive the award which recognizes environmental leadership and sustainable practices. Festival executive director Rob Davis says environmental sustainability is an identified priority, noting “It’s one of the principles we live by.” The 37th edition of the Peterborough Folk Festival will be held August 13 to 16.
