David and Hannah Mirvish/Inside American Pie, created by Mike Ross and Sarah Wilson, music direction and arrangements by Mike Ross, CAA Theatre, closes Mar. 30. Tickets here.
Here’s a new word for you: Docu-concert.
Definition
The concept is the brainchild of Mike Ross, whom some of you will know as Soulpepper’s long-standing music director. Docu-concert combines songs, (that’s the concert part), with factual material, (the documentary component). The latter can contain, for example, a mix of biography, history, communal themes, philosophy or cultural mores, but its main function always is to provide context for the musical score.
In short, docu-concert is basically a combination of song and story.
Obviously, a docu-concert should be entertaining. It is a piece of theatre after all. Happily, Inside American Pie is very enjoyable and a delightful way to spend an evening. At concert’s end, the enthusiastic audience was literally brimming with love for Ross and his musical colleagues.
The Song
American Pie, written by singer/songwriter Don McLean in 1971, was described by a music guru “as one of the most successful and debated songs of the 20th century”. At 8 minutes, 42 seconds, it is also one of the longest.
Very important to the song is the repeated line, “the day the music died” that ends the chorus. This refers to the 1959 airplane crash that killed comedy singer The Big Bopper, rising star Ritchie Valens, and the most important and influential of the three, rock ‘n’ roll innovator Buddy Holly.
The plane crash may have been the wellspring for McLean composing American Pie, but the song goes far beyond that beginning. McLean’s lyrics are filled with opaque symbolism and obscure references, and it is American Pie’s very ambiguity that must have inspired Ross and co-writer Sarah Wilson to create a docu-concert that centres on this enigmatic song.
The narrative they fashioned is as fascinating as the songs are memorable. For example, we learn details about MacLean’s background, the plane crash, and the culture of early rock ‘n’ roll, gilded with songs by Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Creedence Clearwater Revival.
The Performance
The format for the evening has Ross as the storyteller. He is an amiable, informative and enthusiastic host who is eager to tell us all about American Pie. In fact, the research that Ross and Wilson do for their docu-concerts is monumental. No stone has been left unturned in an effort to uncover the mysteries of American Pie.
The structure of this docu-concert is built around the six verses of the song.
After host Ross dissects/analyzes/edifies/interprets a verse of American Pie, he and his four excellent colleagues perform a song that was inspired by or gives context to that particular text. Of interest is the fact that singers Alicia Toner, Brielle Ansems and Greg Gale, along with drummer Kirk White are all from Prince Edward Island.
Whoops! We have to pause here to relay some important information.
Harmony House
In 2020, Ross, his wife pianist/vocal coach Nicole Bellamy, and their two children relocated to Prince Edward Island, the couple’s original home and native land. Ross and Bellamy surprised themselves by buying an intimate 140-seat music hall called Harmony House where they stage music theatre throughout most of the year (except in the coldest months of winter).
Inside American Pie debuted in 2021 and continues to be a crowd pleaser. Ross and Wilson have also created docu-concerts about Leonard Cohen, rocks stars who died at age 27, and even one on Lucy Maud Montgomery.
The Music
The four islanders are immensely talented. Whether singing solo or in harmony, they, like Ross, play a plethora of instruments as needed. The women in particular have many voices, ranging from a sweet soprano to a raw Janis Joplin and everything in between. Judging from Toner, Ansems, Gale and White, PEI has some very gifted musicians.
Which brings us to the glory of this docu-concert, and that is Ross’ musical arrangements.
Familiar songs are elevated to a higher plane by imaginative and surprising, even astonishing vocal lines and choice of instruments. Ross even dares to have two contrasting songs sung at the same time, putting Marty Robbins’ White Sport Coat with Pete Seeger’s Where Have All The Flowers Gone? together.
The Toronto Tour
How did this seminal Harmony House production end up at the CAA Theatre? The answer is pure serendipity.
Brian Sewell, Mirvish executive producer, heard about the show from his brother who had seen it at Harmony House. In short, Inside American Pie is having a Toronto run because the Mirvish folk know a good thing when they see it.
The only change is that Inside American Pie has been tarted up for the Toronto performances by A-team designers, with sets by Lorenzo Savoini and lighting by Simon Rossiter.
In truth, the very engaging docu-concert, Inside American Pie, could be seen as a gift to Toronto from Prince Edward Island.
The one downer is you can’t get the damn tune out of your head.
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