Exciting news for lovers of musical theatre: Prince Edward Island’s Confederation Center has announced the 2019 playbill for The Charlottetown Festival and they’re bringing back some popular shows from years past. As the largest musical theatre festival in Atlantic Canada, the list of performances for the upcoming year is packing a big punch.
The Charlottetown Festival was founded in 1965 and offers more than 100 performances every summer. It’s possible to take in 6-7 shows each day at the Confederation Centre, which welcomes more than 250,000 a year.
The festival will be starting on June 28, 2019, with productions spanning the few months following. Alongside the annual performance of Anne of Green Gables—The Musical starting June 29th, the festival will also see the return of Mamma Mia! starting August 9th as well as Kronborg—The Hamlet Rock Musical on September 28th.
A fan favourite since its last performance on the Island in 1975, Kronborg is based on the Shakespearean tragedy. It is the only show in the history of the festival to be produced on Broadway and will star Aaron Hastelow, who starred in this year’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar.
Having its Charlottetown Festival debut this year starting August 2nd will be Atlantic Blue, Tara MacLean‘s love letter to Atlantic Canada and its songwriters. Combining live musical performances and video biographies, this production will take you on a journey into the past to tell you the story of how music came to be what it is on Canada’s East Coast and aims to incite pride in Atlantic Canadians.
And in keeping with the theme of love for Atlantic Canada, starting on July 20th the Festival will be hosting the production of Spinning Yarns, a story that depicts the life of Newfoundlanders in the early ’80s and carries the themes of the strong bond that stems from family love, and a longing for home.
With 9 months before the festival begins and still more announcements to come, the Charlottetown Festival is giving Islanders something to look forward to over the oncoming cold months.