As we approach the final days of summer, when looking back at the 2017 theatre season it was truly the summer of Norm Foster. With four of the popular Canadian playwright’s shows being staged locally in the past two months, Norm Foster’s unique brand of dramatic comedy has produced some of the best shows this year.

For its final play of the season, Globus Theatre at the Lakeview Arts Barn in Bocaygeon is wrapping things up with one of Norm Foster’s newest productions, Halfway There. Directed by James Barrett, the production stars Cosette Derome, Jordan Kanner, Heather Dick, Joanne Latimer, and Sarah Quick in a show about love and friendships, and the roads that take us from where we are to where we need to be.

Making its debut at the Norm Foster Festival in 2016, Halfway There follows the lives of four women from the small town of Stewiacke, Nova Scotia, and what happens when a big-city doctor wanders into their town. Famous for being exactly halfway between the equator and the North Pole, Stewiacke is a place where everybody seems to know everybody else’s business, and there is no such thing as secrets — especially between best friends Vi (Joanne Latimer), Rita (Heather Dick), Mary Ellen (Sarah Quick), and Janine (Cosette Derome).

Meeting each Friday around closing at Juniors, the diner where Janine works, the four women engage week after week, and year after year, in blunt and honest conversations about life, love, and town gossip. So when Dr. Sean Merritt (Jordan Kanner) walks into the diner one afternoon, he not only suddenly becomes pulled into the ladies’ conversation but also gives them something new to talk about.

Having left Toronto after a hurtful break up, Dr. Sean is in the midst of a personal crisis and trying to find anything better than what he left behind. However, the handsome young doctor meets his match when he sets his sights on Janine. A small-town girl who went out in the world and decided she just wanted to go back home, Janine is clever, brash, and blunt — and not falling for Dr. Sean’s flirtations no matter how genuine or sweet he can be.

But as the seemingly dead-end drama between Dr. Sean and Janine plays out, the personal lives of the other ladies begin to transform in different emotional ways, and the winds of change are blowing through Stewiacke. Soon, be it for better or worse, nothing will ever be the same in the lives of the four friends again — but the strength of their friendship will ensure they will endure.

While watching Halfway There, I couldn’t help but compare it to Norm Foster’s The Foursome, which was presented by the Peterborough Theatre Guild earlier this summer. Halfway There is primarily about the friendship between four women, while The Foursome is about the friendship between four men. What is interesting after seeing these shows back to back is how well Norm Foster is able to capture the friendship and psychology of both men and women so beautifully.

Foster ts able to write for both these genders in a realistic and entertaining way, which makes him an extraordinary observer on the way that people communicate with each other. He is a master at writing about human relationships, and Halfway There really becomes a moving piece about the bonds that women forge between one another.

Although on the surface it seems to motivate much of the plot, the potential romance between Dr. Sean and Janine is really an interesting device to bring out the stories and the relationships between the four female characters. In a sense, it is almost used as a distraction for the audience so the deeper stories of the characters can emerge from the background.

Still, the on-stage chemistry between Jordan Kanner and Cosette Derome is a winning one. As the downtrodden doctor, Jordan Kanner is handsome and charming, but wears his heart on his sleeve and is not used to the blunt banter of the women — who seem to love to make him squirm with their openness and the fact nothing seems to be secret or sacred within their circle.

Meanwhile, he seems to greatly underestimate Cosette’s character Janine, who is unimpressed by his charms. While he walks into the diner like he’s Doctor McDreamy, he isn’t ready for Janine’s frank yet reasonable way of thinking, or that she would so quickly call him out every step of the way. The big-city doctor soon learns he is completely out of the small-town waitress’s league.

Cosette Derome is an absolute delight as Janine, and creates a wonderful woman who knows her own mind, unlike the doctor who is enamored by her.

While the romantic plot is entertaining, its real purpose to give the four women something to gossip about. By the second act, the show begins to shift to the changing lives of Vi, Rita, Mary Ellen, and Janine. Although it isn’t evident at the beginning of the show, three of the women find their lives at different crossroads, while the fourth is allowing the tragedies of the past to prevent her from moving forward with her journey.

The on-stage chemistry between by Joanne Latimer, Heather Dick, Sarah Quick, and Cosette Derome is simply beautiful. It is funny and spirited and the actresses are able to create a sense of emotion between their characters the audience can feel. The four women create some great character moments that give Halfway There emotional depth, making the show much more interesting than a straightforward romantic comedy.

By the time you get to the final scene, the characters and the world of Halfway There are so real you’re not ready to get the final cheque from Juniors. I didn’t feel like I was done with these characters at all — I wanted to know what happens next and where they will be in another five years.

This is not only due to the brilliance of Norm Foster’s writing, but also the performances of the superb group of actors who bring these characters to life. I don’t know if he’d ever do it, but if Norm Foster were to ever write a sequel to any of his shows, this is the one I’d want to see. I have a feeling these characters have a lot more stories to tell.

I also just want to mention the show has one of the best ongoing Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young jokes ever written for theatre. Well, it might be the only ongoing Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young joke ever written for theatre, but I loved it.

It’s hard to believe the end of the summer season is already upon us and this is the final show in Globus’ current playbill. Globus has had an outstanding season this year by consistently producing some of the best shows offered in the Kawarthas. If you have yet to take in a production at Globus this year, they have left one of their very best shows for last. Halfway There is a truly special show with genuine laughter and love.

I want to thank James Barrett and Sarah Quick, along with their incredible staff at the Lakeview Arts Barn, for another wonderful summer theatrical season. There is little wonder why this has become one of my favourite summer spots. It’s not just the top-notch performances and professionally produced theatre, or the incredible food and desserts. It’s also the people I’ve met and the friendships I’ve made that get me to return year after year. There is just something special about that space. It has a certain warmth that is so inviting and addictive. Thank you for another wonderful summer, and for all the wonderful shows that are put on at the Lakeview Arts Barn.

Halfway There runs until September 2nd at the Lakeview Arts Barn in Bobcaygeon. A three-course table d’hôte menu is available at 6 p.m. prior to every evening performance. Tickets are $31.50 for adults and $20 for students for the show only, or $65.50 for adults and $54 for students if you want the dinner and the show. For tickets, visit the box office at Lakeview Arts Barn or call 705-738-2037.

Every Thursday, we publish live music and performance events at pubs and clubs in Peterborough and The Kawarthas based on information that venues provide to us directly or post on their website or social media channels. Here are the listings for the week of Thursday, August 24 to Wednesday, August 30.

If you’re a pub or club owner and want to be included in our weekly listings, please email our Nightlife Editor at nightlife@kawarthanow.com.

Jason McCoy was among the first to show up and pretty much the last to leave.

It was August 6th, 2004. Thousands of beleaguered Peterborough residents had flocked to the Memorial Centre for the Peterborough Flood Relief Benefit Concert. Early on, more than a few took note of a very accommodating McCoy signing autographs and chatting up pretty much anyone who approached him.

Despite an hours-long wait until his concert closing performance, McCoy stayed in place and supported each act. For one brief moment, he was one of us.

Therein lies the essence of country music. Featuring lyrics that more often than not speak to the love of family and home and carrying on in the face of adversity, those who perform it are seen as the embodiment of those values. On that Friday so many years ago, McCoy was the music genre’s poster child and he didn’t disappoint.

When the Barrie native takes to the Fred Anderson stage on Saturday, August 26th to close out the 31st Peterborough Musicfest season, expect much the same.

Born in Barrie, McCoy started playing guitar at age seven and penned his first song at age 12. Although he gravitated to the music of hard-rocking AC/DC early on, the 1980s saw him playing at Muskoka region dance halls and clubs as a member of Three Quarter Country.

As he explains in a May 2016 interview with www.shesgonecountry.com, it was inevitable that he would follow a country music path.

“Our family moved to just outside of Camrose, Alberta when I was three years old,” he recalls. “My first memories are from Alberta. We always had an AM radio on top of the fridge playing country. It was always on in the truck as well.

“It seems as though it has always been in my blood. Perhaps some of it was my early exposure to the Prairies and some part of it was listening to country from the beginning. When we moved back to Ontario, I recall wondering why the kids at school weren’t wearing cowboy hats and boots.”

VIDEO: “This Used To Be Our Town” – Jason McCoy

As is the case for many who go on to bigger things in the music business, McCoy’s talent found an influential set of ears in the form of songwriter Henry McGuirk. After “discovering” McCoy at a Barrie talent contest that he won, McGuirk arranged for McCoy to travel to Nashville to record. Released in 1989, the album Greatest Times Of All didn’t register on the country music charts but it helped open the door to a contract with MCA Records in 1995.

Two years later, McCoy delivered in the form of a self-titled album that — buoyed by the singles “This Used To Be Our Town”, “Learning A Lot About Love”, “Candle”, and “All The Way” — rose to the second spot on the Canadian RPM country music charts. McCoy’s sound had clearly struck a chord, so to speak.

“It (country music) is something that’s just in me naturally,” says McCoy. “I know country music inside out. What to write about, how to sing it, how to play it and perform it. I’ve never pursued any other genre.”

McCoy proved he was no one-trick pony with his third album Playin’ For Keeps. Released in 1997, it was certified gold in Canada and brought with it more high-charting singles in “Born Again In Dixieland”, “A Little Bit Of You”, and “I’m Gonna Make Her Mine”.

Music industry recognition was quick in coming. Although nominated five times for a Juno Award, McCoy has yet to take home the coveted statue but he was named Male Vocalist of the Year at the 2001 Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) awards. In total, he was nominated an impressive 19 times for a CCMA award.

In the new millennium, while maintaining his solo career — he recorded and released four more albums — McCoy hooked up with Clayton Bellamy and Chris Byrne in 2004 to form the country rock band The Road Hammers. The trio’s debut self-titled album brought The Road Hammers a 2006 Juno Award for Country Recording of the Year and two CCMA awards.

VIDEO: “Mud” – The Road Hammers

On New Year’s Eve 2010, The Road Hammers played what was billed as its last show but reformed in 2013 with the band’s latest album, The Squeeze, released just this past May.

“The Road Hammers started out as a one-album, just fun little experiment and it took off way beyond our wildest dreams,” recalls McCoy.

“It’s great being a solo artist and having the autonomy to make all of the decisions, but the exact opposite is what I like about being in a band. The sum is greater than the parts and it’s amazing to get that feedback from your band mates. I think learning how to make decisions as a team helps you make better decisions on your own as well.”

As for the music genre that has been so good to him, McCoy says the days of your parents’ country music are more distant in the rearview mirror.

“Sometimes country music does have a certain antiquated stigma. Not with everybody but with some people. That kind of bothers me because I just see how far it has grown as a country fan and as a country music student. When someone makes a comment like ‘We’ll get you a cowboy hat and a hay bale and we’ll make it more country,’ it’s like, ah, no. I mean that’s country too, sure, but it’s only a small part.”

VIDEO: “She’s Good For Me” – Jason McCoy

Jason McCoy’s Musicfest appearance is presented by Country 105. Show sponsors are Allstate Insurance, AVNK Security, Bennett’s Home Furnishings, Branded Merchandise Canada, Canadian Union of Public Employees, Del Mastro Auto Centre, Fleming College, GM Financial, Kawartha Dairy, Lansdowne Place, OLG, Shoreline Slots, Peterborough Rotary Club, and ATT On Winners.

During its 31st season this year, Peterborough Musicfest has presented 17 free-admission concerts featuring a total of 22 acts — each staged every Wednesday and Saturday night until August 26th.

Overseen by general manager Tracey Randall and staff, a board of directors, and numerous volunteers, Peterborough Musicfest’s stated mission is to “provide diverse, affordable live music to enrich cultural and economic prosperity in our community.”

For more information, visit www.ptbomusicfest.ca or phone the Peterborough Musicfest office at 705-755-1111.

VIDEO: “Little Bit Of You” – Jason McCoy