Oh Canada Eh?! confident in return to Ottawa stage in 2021
Stage family behind production committed to safe return of live performances
You’ve got to be just the tiniest bit crazy to be a member of the show business family behind Totally Legit Productions (TLP). And you’ve also got to have an extraordinary love of live theatre to have spent the last year pouring your hearts and energies into the safe return of the Ottawa production of Oh Canada Eh?! But the TLP family has managed to pull a moose (Melvin by name) out of a hat with an announcement of the re-opening of the popular patriotic musical dinner theatre show, adjusted for physically-distanced audiences in September.
The talented family members have spent years appearing in other productions of Oh Canada Eh?!, a high-energy, all-ages show that leverages songs either written or made famous by 70 Canadian artists including Paul Anka, Celine Dion, Shania Twain, the Barenaked Ladies, Avril Lavigne, and Justin Bieber.
TLP’s artistic director Meaghan Chapin and operations manager Jean-Francois (JF) Grenier met and married as performers on the show and continue to bring their creative energy to the production.
They’ve also been busy raising triplets Millie, Henry and Charlie, born in January 2020. “They’re music babies and already enjoy clapping to the songs,” says Chapin. “Oh Canada Eh?! is already Canada’s longest running musical, and
we’re considering them for parts in the 2037 season.”
Production manager Michelle Chapin is Chapin’s sister and continues to perform in the current production.
“I remember seeing JF’s first performance as the FrenchCanadian trapper and emcee when I was 13,” says Chapin. “I grew up with this show and now I’m on stage, performing songs with a Mountie in a wildly rocking canoe.”
The show lavishes Canadiana on its audiences like a sugar maple produces abundant sap in spring. The venue is divided into sections representing the north, south, east and west of Canada and decorated accordingly. On-stage characters include a singing Mountie, a hockey player, Anne of Green Gables, and gold-rush gal, Klondike Kitty.
The “dinner” part of the theatre features an all-Canadian menu, including French-Canadian pea soup and a chocolate-maple swirl cake for dessert — nothing says Canada quite like maple! The feast will
be prepared by award-winning chef Ric Watson and his team at Elite Catering.
More than just an audience pleasing-evening and a belly full of fine food, the show will open at the event hall of the Royal Canadian Legion’s Montgomery Branch, where venue rentals will help to support the legion’s extensive community work.
TLP is committed to the principle that if “the show must go on”, it will do so only when all conditions are met to ensure the safety of staff and guests. They’ve taken every precaution to make the venue safe, according to the standards of a Safe
Travel Destination. Total audience capacity is being reduced from 180 people to 75 guests,
and tables will be spaced a minimum of six feet apart. Guests will be seated according to their own social “bubble” of familiar faces. In addition to a mandatory mask policy, enhanced hygiene protocols, and health checks for staff and guests, the stage has been
modified to immerse the audience in the show while ensuring safe distancing between performers and the audience.
Advance tickets will be fully transferable in case a performance is delayed out of an abundance of caution.
For Grenier, the show represents an expression of the family’s commitment to its audience.
“When we had to suspend performances last year, so many people who had bought tickets told us they didn’t want a refund,” he says, “They wanted a gift certificate for the
day when the show would be back in production. We’re back for them.”
For the entire TLP team, Oh Canada Eh?! will provide an opportunity to re-establish a unique and personal bond between audiences and performers.
“We’re all looking to feel something again and live theatre is a public art form that can make you forget the present for two hours, experience a full range of emotions and bring you back to a special
time when you first heard one of these songs,” says Chapin. “The other day I asked Michelle
when she last heard an audience applaud in person. I think the first time we hear applause after such a long time out, a lot of us are going to be holding back tears.”
To purchase tickets going on sale August 16 for opening night September 24,, 2021, visit www.ohcanadaehottawa.com