Sir John A. Macdonald musical ‘not totally laudatory’
A new musical about Sir John A. Macdonald strives for balance in portraying Canada’s first prime minister.
“This is not totally laudatory,” said the veteran ACTRA awardwinning playwright/composer Gord Carruth, 84, of his eighth production.
“I mean, I talk about his warts: The questions about the Riel trial, the Canadian Pacific scandal and certainly his personal sadness. He also had to overcome his own demons of alcohol, that’s in there, too. Is he the Father of Confederation or the Father of Apartheid? I’m not rewriting history, but I think I’ve given a fair and balanced shot.”
Sir John A. Macdonald: The Musical is produced by Maple Leaf Theatre Productions, a not-forprofit organization that specializes in works of Canadian theatre.
It features a cast of 18, including Andrew Galligan as Sir John A. Macdonald, Ron Clarke as Louis Riel, Richard Cliff as GeorgeÉtienne Cartier and Reba Sigler as Agnes Macdonald.
Carruth, who began his career in Hamilton, but is now based in the Ottawa area, may be Canada’s most prolific composer of historical musicals.
Past works include Joey: The Musical, about Newfoundland premier Joey Smallwood, and Just Watch Me: The Musical, about former prime minister Pierre Trudeau.
The new production runs Nov. 2-4 at Centrepointe Theatre. Tickets range from $20 to $45, plus surcharges, available at the Centrepointe box office and centrepointetheatres.com.
Curtain time is 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday; Saturday’s performance is a 1:30 p.m. matinee.