Reviewed by James Karas
Tell Tale Harbour is a warm-hearted, very funny and beautifully executed musical now playing at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto. It is all-Canadian, based on the original screenplay The Grand Seduction by Ken Scott. The musical adaptation is by Adam Brazier, Alan Doyle, Bob Foster and Edward Riche. That’s all you need to know before you head for the Royal Alexandra Theatre.
Tell Tale Harbour is a small community on an island on the east coast of Canada. I quickly decided that they mean Prince Edward Island and if I am wrong, they can sue me. Tell Tale Harbour is doing just fine with all those lobsters around and they sing to us that it is “The Greatest Place on Earth.” It is until they are notified that the factory will be closed and that means good-bye jobs. A french-fry making company is interested in opening a plant there but they impose conditions. The population number must meet a threshold and the town must have a doctor. Yikes.
This calls for serious action in census taking but more drastically in finding a physician. The townspeople roll up their sleeves and go to work. There is Dr Chris (Kale Penny) a young doctor visiting from England. They need to convince him that Tell Tale Harbour is the most beautiful town and a great place to settle in. The inventive, boisterous and marvellous Frank (Alan Doyle) takes the lead in fulfilling all the conditions. He introduces Dr. Chris to the winsome Kathleen (Melissa Mackenzie) and instructs her “to put out” for him. No, he does not mean country matters. There are some glitches in the course of love (we all know that) but we are certain that things will work out.
Frank takes Dr, Chris fishing and doesn’t he catch a huge one. Well, yes, a diver with a big fish did help a bit. The fish that the doctor caught was still frozen betraying its origin but one must try. The good doctor likes cricket and Frank immediately organizes a cricket team. And there is more than one way of counting the number of residents!
But there are impediments. The doctor is engaged and he sings “I Gotta Go Home” and speaks wistfully of his fiancée.
The townspeople want to show him how much fun one can have with a wedding. The bride is dressed and they are ready to party. But Dr. Chris does not like weddings. Oops. The bride strips her wedding dress and the groom Yvon (Laurie Murdoch) jumps in the casket-like box and the wedding becomes a funeral and a hilarious scene. Yvon appears later to hilarious effect.
The voices range from decent to good but the genial atmosphere of the town carries us along. The orchestra under Music Director Bob Foster is excellent and the songs with their Celtic overtones are delightful. The musical has seventeen songs plus reprises from the boisterous “Payday”
The sets by Michael Gianfrancesco depicts the small town with miniature houses and we see the general store, the dock and the legion, efficiently and appropriately.
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Tell Tale Harbour adapted by Adam Brazier, Alan Doyle, Bob Foster and Edward Riche continues until November 2, 2025, at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King St W, Toronto, Ont. www.mirvish.com
