''Anne Of Green Gables: The Musical'' is a musical based on the 1908 novel ''

Anne of Green Gables ''Anne of Green Gables'' is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery (published as L. M. Montgomery). Written for all ages, it has been considered a classic children's novel since the mid-20th century. Set in the late 19th century, t ...

'' by

Lucy Maud Montgomery Lucy Maud Montgomery (November 30, 1874 – April 24, 1942), published as L. M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a collection of novels, essays, short stories, and poetry beginning in 1908 with '' Anne of Green Gables''. She ...

. The book was written by

Don Harron Donald Hugh Harron, (September 19, 1924 – January 17, 2015) was a Canadian comedian, actor, director, journalist, author, playwright, and composer. Harron is best remembered by American audiences as a member of the cast of the long-running co ...

exclusively, the music by Norman Campbell and the lyrics in a joint venture by

, Norman Campbell, Elaine Campbell and

Mavor Moore James Mavor Moore (March 8, 1919 – December 18, 2006) was a Canadian writer, producer, actor, public servant, critic, and educator. He notably appeared as Nero Wolfe in the CBC radio production in 1982. Life and work Moore was born in Tor ...

. The musical was Canada's longest-running musical, having been performed annually from its opening in 1965 until 2019, with the planned 2020 and 2021 productions cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. In March 2014, it was officially recognized as the longest running annual musical theatre production in the world by ''

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

''. ''Anne'' returned to the Charlottetown Festival stage for the 2022 season, however organizers announced late in the year that the show would be produced only in alternating years from then on. The musical is planned to return in 2024, coinciding with the 150th anniversary of Montgomery's birth.

Productions and background

Background

The idea for the musical version of the book came about when the Campbells (Norman and Elaine) visited Don Harron, and he gave them the book ''Anne of Green Gables'', suggesting that it would make a musical. The three prepared a musical version, which was broadcast in 1956 on the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

as a television movie. Mavor Moore, the founding artistic director of Charlottetown's

Confederation Centre of the Arts Confederation Centre of the Arts (french: Centre des arts de la Confédération) is a cultural centre dedicated to the visual and performing arts located in the city of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. History Construction of Confeder ...

, used a song from that Green Gables TV movie in the inaugural variety performance.

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

was in the audience. A stage version was then written, with the premiere in 1965 at the

Charlottetown Festival The Charlottetown Festival is a seasonal Canadian musical theatre festival which runs from late May to mid-October every year since 1965. Named after its host city Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and its Charlottetown Conference, since its inc ...

Productions

The musical was originally directed and choreographed by Alan Lund. It was performed every summer beginning in 1965, headlining the Charlottetown Festival at the

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...

, making this Canada's longest-running mainstage musical. Just before its 50th season, in 2014, it was announced that this production of ''Anne of Green Gables: The Musical'' had been named by

as the "longest-running annual musical theatre production" in the world. Its 2500th performance was given on August 23, 2017. A song from the musical was part of the feature performance at the opening of the Confederation Centre of the Arts on October 6, 1964, playing to Her Majesty

and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh as well as Prime Minister

Lester B. Pearson Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson (23 April 1897 – 27 December 1972) was a Canadian scholar, statesman, diplomat, and politician who served as the 14th prime minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968. Born in Newtonbrook, Ontario (now part of ...

. The production was not performed in 2020 as the Charlottetown Festival was cancelled due to the

, and was excluded from the Charlottetown Festival lineup for 2021 as public health restrictions in effect at the time made producing the show impossible. The production returned in 2022, and it was then announced that the show would be performed only in alternating years from then on. The musical has also toured outside of Prince Edward Island. Its first tour was in 1967, visiting the major Canadian cities. In 1970 the musical represented Canada at the World's Fair in Osaka, Japan. The second national tour took place in 1974, at 34 venues; the third national tour was in 1982 with 9 stops. In 1969 it opened in London's West End and won that year's Drama Critics Award for Best New Musical of that year with Canadian Barbara Hamilton playing Marilla."Anne of Green Gables, The Musical"
''The Canadian Encyclopedia'', accessed April 7, 2009
Archived
at the Wayback Machine. It played

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

in New York from December 21, 1971, to January 2, 1972, at the

New York City Center New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama,. The name "City Center for Music and Drama Inc." is the organizational parent of the New York City Ballet and, until 2011, the New York City Opera. and th ...

. During the 1980s and 1990s the musical was produced in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Gekidan Shiki is one of Japan's best-known and largest theatre companies. Shiki Theatre Company employs over 800 actors and staff, and stages about 2800 performances a year. Shiki Theatre Company operates nine theaters for their exclusive use. Originally, t ...

. An independent production opened on April 16, 1969, at the New Theatre, London, running for nine months and starring

Polly James Polly James (born 8 July 1941) is an English actress with a career in theatre, film, television and radio. Career Pauline James was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, under the name Pauline Devaney. After graduating from RADA, her TV career began ...

as Anne. In 1991, The Charlottetown Festival toured the musical to Japan on a 2-month, 8 city tour. The tour was organized by director Walter Learning, and starred Leisa Way as "Anne", Denise Ferguson as "Marilla" and David Hughes as "Matthew". In May 2009,

Dancap Productions Dancap Productions was a theatre production company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 2007 by Aubrey Dan. Since then, it has brought many productions to Toronto. Its longest running production is ''Jersey Boys''. The touring comp ...

brought the original Charlottetown Festival production starring Amy Wallis to Toronto for a limited run at the

Elgin Theatre The Elgin Theatre can refer to: * Elgin Theatre (Ottawa) in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, a former movie cinema that was the first twin cinema in North America * Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada * Elgin Theater, a former mov ...

. In May 2013,

Theatre Calgary Theatre Calgary, is a theatre company in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, established as a professional company in 1968. It was preceded by Workshop 14, a theatre study group founded in 1944 by Betty Mitchell. Calgary's ''Betty Mitchell'' awards are ...

produced a new production with new arrangements and orchestrations by Dave Pierce. In December 2019, EK Productions staged an immersive version in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

starring Issy Darwent and directed by

Benjamin Maio Mackay Benjamin Scott Maio Mackay (born 9 September 1999) is an Australian actor, director, writer, comedian, podcaster and musician. He is the artistic director of Preachrs Podcast OnLine & OnStage and hosts the entertainment podcast Benjamin Maio M ...

Musical numbers

The musical numbers vary with the production, but this is the list as it appears on the cast recording. ;Act One * Overture/Great Workers For the Cause/Where is Matthew going? – Full Company * Gee I'm Glad I'm No One Else But Me – Anne Shirley and Matthew Cuthbert * We Clearly Requested a Boy – Marilla Cuthbert, Anne Shirley and Matthew Cuthbert * The Facts – Anne Shirley, Mrs Spencer, Marilla Cuthbert and Mrs Blewett * Humble Pie – Matthew Cuthbert and Anne Shirley * Apology – Anne Shirley * Back to School – Mr Phillips and Students * Wondrin' – Gilbert Blythe * Did you Hear? – Josie Pye, Mrs Pye, Lucilla, Mrs Barry, Rachel Lynde and Marilla Cuthbert * Ice Cream – Diana Barry, Anne Shirley and Ensemble ;Act Two * Summer – The Students * Kindred Spirits – Anne Shirley & Diana Barry * Open The Window – Miss Stacy and the Students * I'll Show Him – Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe * General Store – Lucilla, Matthew and the Townspeople * If It Hadn't Been For Me – Full Company * Anne of Green Gables – Matthew Cuthbert * The Words – Marilla Cuthbert * Wondrin' (reprise) – Gilbert Blythe and Anne Shirley For the showings in the year 2008 in Charlottetown, commemorating the 100th "ANNE"iversary, a portrayal of L.M. Montgomery and the students sang a reprise of "Anne of Green Gables" in the beginning, following a bit of history of how Montgomery arrived at the plot of "Anne". School productions typically either cut out a few tracks (Humble Pie, I'll Show Him, to name a couple) or change the key to better suit some of the more inexperienced student vocalists' ranges, as well as keep the plot fast-paced.

Actors in the role of Anne

Charlottetown Festival

* Jamie Ray (1965–67) * Gracie Finley (1968–74, 1984–85) * Malorie-Ann Spiller (1975–78) * Susan Cuthbert (1979–80) * Thea MacNeil (1981–83) * Tracey Moore (1986) * Leisa Way (1987–90, 1993) * Glynis Ranney (1991–92) * Tracy Michailidis (1994–96) * Samantha Winstanley (1997) * Sharmaine Ryan (1998–99) * Chilina Kennedy (2000–01) * Jennifer Toulmin (2002–05, 2010) with Lisa Messina as an alternate in 2003 and Allyson Pratt as an alternate in 2010 * Amy Wallis (2006–09) * Tess Benger (2011–12) * Katie Kerr (2013–14) * Jessica Gallant (2015–16) * AJ Bridel (2017–2018) * Emma Rudy (2019), was scheduled to perform the role in 2020 * Kelsey Verzotti (2022)

Film adaptation

In 2013, Canadian indie film producers The Film Farm and Side Road Media announced plans to turn the long-running musical into a feature film, written by actor and playwright Kristen Thomson. The film was cancelled, due to the ''

Anne with an E ''Anne with an E'' (initially titled ''Anne'' for its first season within Canada) is a Canadian television series loosely Literary adaptation, adapted from Lucy Maud Montgomery's 1908 classic work of children's literature, ''Anne of Green Gables' ...

'' CBC/Netflix television series.

Disambiguation

''Anne of Green Gables: A New Musical'', a new adaptation of the story with original songs by Matt Vinson and Matte O'Brien, premiered at Finger Lakes Music Theatre Festival in 2018 before releasing a concept recording in November 2020. A follow-up production is set for

Goodspeed Opera House Goodspeed Musicals is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theater and the creation of new works, located in East Haddam, Connecticut. A distinctive feature of the view from the Connecticut River, th ...

in 2022.

References

External links

*
Anne of Green Gables: The Musical
, official website *
Anne of Green Gables
', Confederation Centre of the Arts *

, on ''Musical Theatre Audition'', includes audition advice and show information *
Behind Anne of Green Gables: The Musical
, The Charlottetown Festival/Confederation Centre of the Arts, 2017 {{DEFAULTSORT:Anne Of Green Gables - The Musical Anne of Green Gables Plays set in Canada Musicals based on novels 1965 musicals Canadian musicals