Fiddler on the Roof 2018. Photo by Alana Lee 30 | <strong>2019</strong> <strong>Port</strong> <strong>Hope</strong> visitor <strong>Guide</strong>
port hope feature EXTRAORDINARY SONGS AND PERFORMANCES IN THE HEART OF PORT HOPE www.capitoltheatre.com Walk into the Capitol Theatre and you’ll find yourself in a medieval castle courtyard surrounded by forest beneath a starry sky—a playful and perfect setting for the magic on stage. “It’s captivating—the theatre and the town as well,” says Susan Ferley, the new Artistic Director who moved from Toronto to <strong>Port</strong> <strong>Hope</strong> in February. “There’s such a richness, and affection and respect for the theatre. When you talk to artists who’ve performed here, they say ‘Oh, it’s such a great community. The community embraces the theatre, the artists on stage and the story being told.’” Those stories become big, fabulous productions, bringing people from the GTA and beyond for soldout performances, extended runs, and actors that come straight from Broadway and Mirvish shows to be a part of it. The Cameco Capitol Arts Centre is not your typical small-town venue. “Because it’s live, it speaks to us emotionally, it touches us in ways we don’t always anticipate and it brings people together,” Ferley says. She’s a Winnipeg native who has worked with the celebrated Globe Theatre in Regina and the Grand Theatre in London, Ontario. She also worked at the Stratford and Shaw Festivals in her early career. and connections to jazz, so they’re vibrant pieces, with two very different perspectives on that time and place. Guys and Dolls, based on stories by Damon Runyon, tells a tale of high romance, with extraordinary songs like “Luck Be a Lady” and, of course, “Guys and Dolls.” “All these gamblers are trying to hit it big and ultimately, it’s about finding someone. Someone to share life with, surprisingly,” Ferley says of the American musical classic that became a hit 1955 film with Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando. “It’s about opposites attracting and finding love.” Then there’s Million Dollar Quartet which is based on a very real event that happened when these four young men in their 20s, who happen to be Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, find themselves together at Sun Studio in Memphis (which is why it’s considered the birthplace of rock and roll). “You’ve got incredible music live on stage so it’s right there and immediate” with these four young men talking about their history, often coming out of poverty with these talents that a man named Sam Phillips recognized. “I keep going back to community. It’s about the stories we tell, theatrically, playfully and musically —it will all be there.” So get ready for headliners Guys and Dolls (May 1 to June 16) and Million Dollar Quartet (August 1 to September 1)! Both these musicals have roots “They’re young and in some cases insecure and they need this encouragement from this man they refer to as Mr. Phillips who also narrates throughout the play,” Ferley says. “Elvis is the only one who has any public recognition at that point. And we see through his eyes the challenges that come from being a celebrity. It’s quite extraordinary.” Advertisement | <strong>2019</strong> <strong>Port</strong> <strong>Hope</strong> visitor <strong>Guide</strong> | 31