ANNE OF GREEN GABLES A Musical in 2 acts, 23 scenes: From the novel by L M. Montgomery; Adapted by Donald Harron: Lyrics by Donald Harron and Norman Campbell; Additional Lyrics by Mavor Moore and Elaine Campbell; Music by Norman Campbell Produced at the New Theatre, London - 16 April, 1969 New York City Center 21 December 1971 (16 perfs) SYNOPSIS Ageing Matthew Cuthbert suffers a heart attack during harvest, 1903, and his grim-visaged sister determines to adopt an orphanage boy to help with the farm work at Green Gables. By mistake, a girl arrives, red-haired, freckled and over-talkative. Her vivid imagination and entertaining flow of chatter endear her to Matthew, but sister Marilla is set on packing her back as soon as possible . For once, Matthew wins, and this enchanting musical tells how young Anne Shirley finally overcomes the hostilities of her companions at the local school, and wins the hearts of the gossiping inhabitants of a close-knit Canadian community - even Marilla's. Laughter comes far too often the great for the sentiment to cloy. performances. STORY Anne Shirley, a young orphan from Nova Scotia, is mistakenly sent to Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, a middle-aged brother and sister, who live on a farm called Green Gables on Prince Edward Island. Having sent for a boy to help out on the farm, Marilla insists that she be returned to the orphanage, but when she learns of Anne’s difficult childhood she decides to allow Anne to stay and raise her properly. With a vivid imagination, the red-headed, freckle-faced Anne takes much joy in life and is never at a loss for chattering about how she feels – often driving the prim, duty-driven Marilla to distraction. But shy Matthew falls for her immediately, and they become what Anne calls “kindred spirits.” Audiences will delight in Anne’s humorous adventures at school – her friendship with Diana Barry, her “bosom friend” – her academic rivalry with classmate Gilbert Blythe who, having teased her about her red hair, earned Anne’s instant and ongoing hatred – and Anne’s endearing way of getting into trouble, yet finding ways to make it all work out. The once quiet lifestyle of the small farming community will never be the same. Near the end of the musical, the happy anticipation of Anne furthering her education and earning her teaching certificate is turned to sadness when her friend, the kindly Matthew, suddenly dies. Soon after, Marilla decides to sell the farm at Green Gables – as she cannot manage it on her own. Learning of this, Anne decides to give up her ambition of going away to school and stay at Green Gables to care for Marilla and help manage the farm. When Gilbert hears of Anne’s self-sacrifice, he offers his help – and the two finally reconcile. Anne, however, is determined and stubborn as ever. She decides that she will earn her teaching degree at home through correspondence, that she and Marilla will be just fine, and that “all’s right with the world.” FOR THE CHORUS Originally produced without "general company", the musical nevertheless offers some thirty roles of varying lengths: and who minds if twenty singers arrive when the script calls for a farmer, a townsman, and three ladies of Avonlea'? A vastly tuneful score uses harmony sparingly for voices making it all the more effective when it arrives. General company should sustain individual character throughout as "the good people of Avonlea". These, naturally, include the younger generation-the school pupils -who should be played as teenagers, not 'stage babes'. Dancing is an important feature of the performance.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODU3MzQ=