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 Globus Theatre’s murder mystery whodunit Murder at the Blue Saloon, Steel Magnolias at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre, country music heaven in Lindsay courtesy of North of Nowhere, the turning of a new page at the Lakefield Literary Festival, music from Phantom of the Opera at Westben, and The Spades joining forces with The Weber Brothers at Del Crary Park.
A puzzling murder mystery awaits resolution at Globus Theatre in Bobcaygeon
When Sarah Quick and James Barrett founded Globus Theatre in 2003, the venture was a leap of faith. After all, bringing professional theatre to a rural setting was rarely done, the obvious local exception being Millbrook’s 4th Theatre that came to be 11 years earlier.
Undaunted, Quick and Barrett moved forward, with Globus Theatre becoming the company-in-residence at the Lakeview Arts Barn in Bobcaygeon off Pigeon Lake Road. Now, 22 years on, that venue is the permanent home of Globus Theatre, the enviable result of a capital campaign launched two years ago. The future is bright indeed.
On Wednesday (July 16), Globus Theatre will lift the curtain on Murder at the Blue Saloon, the fourth production of its ambitious 10-play 2025 season.
Billed as “a Western-style, drink-slinging, boot-scootin’ murder mystery experience,” this is a dinner theatre event offering food for the soul as well as the tummy.
The setting is the Blue Moon Saloon, the most rootin’ tootin’ bar this side of the Mississippi River. All is good, until one buckaroo makes himself as welcome as rattlesnake at a square dance by committing murder. It becomes clear that a new sheriff in town is needed to solve the crime.
The six suspects entering the Blue Moon Saloon will be played by Globus Theatre favourites Kerry Griffin, Jennine Profeta, Kevin Sepaul, and Jack Copland, along with Carly Poole and Globus newcomer Calvin Rea.
If you’ve never taken in a murder mystery production, it’s a whole lot of fun and as interactive as you would expect as you put your sleuthing skills to the test.
The fun starts at 6:30 p.m. from July 16 to 19 and 23 to 26, with an added 12:30 p.m. matinee on July 19. Tickets for dinner and the show cost $100 plus fees and can be ordered plus tax and fees and be ordered online at www.globustheatre.com/shows-all/murder-at-the-blue-moon-saloon or by calling the box office at 705-738-2037 (toll free at 1-800-304-7897).
Strong Southern women unite at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre
It doesn’t hurt matters every now and then to post a widely familiar title on the theatre marquee, particularly when the production promoted remains a widely beloved play and movie.
Steel Magnolias opens Friday (July 18) at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre and, in doing so, offers as close to a guarantee of sold-out audiences as it gets.
Written by American playwright Robert Harling and based on his experience with his sister’s death in 1985, the comedy-drama revolves around the bond between a group of Southern women in northern Louisiana. The entire play, set in the late 1980s, takes place at an in-home beauty parlour where the women regularly gather.
Steel Magnolias premiered off-Broadway in March 1985, and 20 years later, made its Broadway debut at the Lyceum Theatre where it had a relatively short but successful run. But Harling’s story really came to prominence in November 1989 when the film version debuted.
Featuring a powerhouse cast of Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Darryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, and Julia Roberts, it received mixed reviews. However, Roberts’ performance earned her a 1989 Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress and brought her a Golden Globe Award that same year in the same category. In addition, at the 1990 People’s Choice Awards, the film was named Favourite Dramatic Motion Picture.
While more than a few years have passed since its Broadway and movie theatre success, a good story is a good story, and this one still has some shine on it, featuring, as the title aptly suggests, “female characters as delicate as magnolias but tough as steel.”
Director Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster helms the Capitol Theatre production of Steel Magnolias, backed by an all-female cast and creative team. Raquel Duffy makes her Capitol Theatre debut as Truvy Jones, with Belinda Corpuz as Anelle Dupuy-Desoto, Carolyn Fe as Clairee Belcher, and Brenda Robins as Ouiser, with real-life mother-daughter pair Deborah Drakeford as M’Lynn Eatenton and Charlotte Dennis as Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie.
Curtain is 7:30 p.m. on July 18 and 19, July 24 to 26, and July 31 to August 2, with 2 p.m. matinees on July 20, July 29 to 31, and August 2 and 3. Tickets are $48 or $40 for those under 30 (a handful of seats are still available for the July 18 pay-what-you-can preview performance). Visit capitoltheatre.com to order tickets.
Country music fans rejoice: North of Nowhere music festival returns to Lindsay
@northofnowhere.mf All set and ready to go! Next weekend Friday July 18, Saturday July 19th. Ticket link in bio ??? #northofnowhere #countrymusic #musicfestival #livemusic #headingnorth ? original sound – NORTH OF NOWHERE
If I learned anything during my time sitting on the Peterborough Musicfest board, it’s that if you want to fill Del Crary Park with an unabashedly excited concert audience, get some twang in the mix.
Country music’s not my go-to, but I have nothing but respect for those who perform it, and those who flock in big numbers to hear it performed. As we witnessed in Havelock for years, country music fans bring a unique energy to bear, what with their oversized cowboy hats and fancy embroidered boots. It’s nothing short of a party.
With the Havelock Country Jamboree in the rear-view mirror — the pandemic took its toll, making the 2019 festival the last — local fans of the genre faced a void. What could possibly be on the horizon to take the edge off that disappointment?
The answer can be found Friday and Saturday (July 18 and 19) in the form of the North of Nowhere Music Festival. First held in Bancroft in 2023 and then in Lindsay last year, the country music smorgasbord returns to the latter, back at the Lindsay Fairgrounds.
The big names in the lineup include Kameron Marlowe, Muscadine Bloodline, Bryan Martin, and Morgan Evans, but there’s a host of other acts, including Peterborough’s Elyse Saunders, whose star continues its meteoric rise.
This isn’t your grandfather’s country music. It’s fun, catchy, and laced with a pop vibe. That alone should fill the parking lot and surrounding streets with more pickup trucks than you can count.
There’s a variety of options in terms of ticketing, from $79.99 plus tax and fee for a day pass to $115 for a general admission weekend pass to $199 for a VIP weekend pass, with RV and tent camping options available too. Whatever your fancy — that’s country talk — visit northofnowheremusicfestival.com to order what you need.
Lakefield Literary Festival turns a new page for a 30th year
For something a little more sedate, but no less enthralling for the many who will attend, we turn our attention to the pretty village just north of Peterborough where, on Friday and Saturday (July 18 and 19), the beloved Lakefield Literary Festival returns.
First held in 1995 as a celebration of Margaret Laurence, who lived in Lakefield from 1974 until her death in 1987, the festival has since evolved into a celebration of the rich literary heritage of Lakefield and the surrounding area. Besides Laurance, Catharine Parr Traill, Susanna Moodie, and Isabella Valancy Crawford all lived and wrote in Lakefield.
Jane Urquhart jumps off the list of featured authors, and well she should. The Colborne resident has written eight internationally hailed novels, including her debut book, The Whirlpool, which remains the only Canadian novel to win France’s Prix du Meilleur livre etranger (Best Foreign Book Award). More success followed with Away and The Stone Carvers. Urquhart’s most recent book is In Winter I Get Up At Night.
But Urquhart’s appearance is just the tip of iceberg, with authors Jennifer Robson, Helen Humphreys, Martha Baillie, Adelle Purdham, Sheung-King a.k.a. Aaron Tang, Canisia Lubrin, Lana Button, and Nadia Hohn also appearing. In addition, there’s the always popular Children’s Tent in Cenotaph Park, and its related encouragement and fostering of a love for reading by young people.
All the author presentations and book signings will take place at Lakefield College School’s Bryan Jones Theatre over two days.
Admission to individual events is $30 (except for the July 19 5 p.m. Meet The Author Reception, which costs $50), with a $100 pass available for all the events except the reception, and a $135 all-access pass for all events including the reception.
Visit lakefieldliteraryfestival.com for the full festival schedule and to order tickets.
Music from Phantom of the Opera get its due at Westben in Campbellford
What’s not to love about Westben in Campbellford?
With performances at The Barn on multiple nights this summer, there is truly something for everyone’s tastes, be that in the form of live music of various genres, comedy, and wholly immersive experiences that combine food, outdoor adventure, and wellness.
That said, why not feature a performance of the music from one of the most popular theatrical pieces in history? To that end, “Phantom of the Opera: In Concert” will be presented July 23 to 31 at Westben’s exceedingly pretty venue off County Road 30.
There’s a reason Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical was the longest-running show on Broadway, closing in 2023 after a remarkable 35 years. That reason can be found in the powerful score of Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel.
Adapted in many forms over the years, including multiple film versions, the story of a disfigured musical genius who haunts the Paris Opera House and becomes obsessed with young soprano Christine Daaé still captivates with its themes of love, obsession, isolation, and the nature of beauty and deformity.
For the Westben production, Adam Fisher portrays The Phantom while Meher Pavri plays Daaé. Also in the mix are David Michael Moote, Kim Dafoe, Ian Simpson. and Lauren Lafayette Brooks. It’s the same lineup that brought Les Mis to Westben prior.
Showtime is 2 p.m. from July 23 to 25 and 29 to 31, with tickets priced at $58 for adults, $56 for seniors, $30 for people under 30, and $5 for those under 18. For tickets, visit www.westben.ca.
The Spades and The Weber Brothers join forces yet again at Peterborough Musicfest
VIDEO: The Spades perform at the Peterborough Folk Festival (2024)
When The Spades and The Weber Brothers combined their considerable talents to close out Peterborough Performs V in March at Showplace, someone got word of what ensued to the team at Peterborough Musicfest.
It was a remarkable, high-energy performance — one that saw James McKenty, Josh Robichaud, and Tommy Street of The Spades perfectly complement the talents of Ryan and Sam Weber, and vice versa.
Strange thing is, it almost wasn’t to be. Both acts were scheduled to perform separately until McKenty suggested that a two-headed roots-rock music monster would be more fitting as a grand finale. Oh boy, was he right. Their set was one for the ages. That’s not my opinion only. Talk to anyone who was there that night.
VIDEO: “Take the Backroads” – The Weber Brothers (2025)
On Saturday, July 26 at Del Crary Park, The Spades and The Weber Brothers — both huge players on the local music scene and abroad — will again stand elbow-to-elbow for a what promises to be another remarkable display of musicianship and stage energy.
Good on Musicfest for knowing a good thing when it hears of it and acting upon it, and for bringing local music to its stage.
Admission to the 8 p.m. concert is, as always, free, thanks in no small way to a host of generous sponsors, kawarthaNOW among them for years now.
Encore
- Allow me to join the long list of folks congratulating Jeanne Truax on her receiving the Emerging Artist of the Year Award from the Peterborough Folk Festival. The Dunsford-raised musician joins a long list of accomplished performers who have won that distinction, among them inaugural recipient Serena Ryder in 2001 and the aforementioned James McKenty the year after. Of note, Jeanne’s brother older brother Nathan was also honoured back in 2022. A regular performer at Jethro’s Bar + Stage and the Black Horse Pub, the 22-year-old rockabilly-roots artist released her debut single “I Know What You Like” in May. As part of her award, she’ll open for Basia Bulat on August 14 at the Peterborough Folk Festival’s kick-off concert. It’s clearly a good time to be Jeanne Truax.
- Peterborough Musicfest doesn’t have the only free music offering in town. For years now, Riverview Park and Zoo has presented a summer lineup of live music at its gazebo. Admission to the zoo is free, and that clearly includes the Sunday 2 to 4 p.m. concerts. It’s a pretty setting awaiting you, your lawn chair and, depending on the weather, maybe a shade umbrella. The summer music staple started in late May, but it’s not too late to check it out, the remaining schedule being as follows: the Peterborough Concert Band on July 20, Wylie Harold and Radio Flyer on August 3, the Northern Spirit Big Band on August 17 and, closing things out on August 31, Knightshift.
