David Mirvish and Hannah Mirvish & Confederation Centre for the Arts/Tell Tale Harbour, musical adaptation by Adam Brazier, Alan Doyle, Bob Foster, and Edward Riche, based on the original screenplay The Grand Seduction by Ken Scott, choreographed by Robin Calvert, musical direction by Bob Foster, directed by Brian Hill, Royal Alexandra Theatre, until Nov. 2. Tickets here.
The original Canadian musical Tell Tale Harbour is guaranteed to leave a smile on your face and a song in your heart.
Background
Inspired by the 2013 Canadian film The Grand Seduction, which itself was based on the 2003 Quebecois film of the same name, the show had its wildly successful world premiere at the Charlottetown Festival in 2022, followed by an equally successful tour of Newfoundland and Labrador that same year.
A revival in Charlottetown in 2025 featured a much-revamped show which earned critical praise, and it is this new iteration that is making its mainland debut in Toronto at the Royal Alex.
The Story
The story begins when the small Newfoundland fishing village of Tell Tale Harbour gets the bad news that all the fish processing plants are going to close.
The company man Chip (Jacob Hemphill) says that one town will still have work if it gets the new French fry plant.
There are two conditions. The population must have 3,000 people, and there has to be a resident doctor.
Enter Frank (Alan Doyle) the town dreamer and loyalist. He will come up with a game plan to get the chip plant for Tell Tale Harbour.
Frank is not worried about the 3,000 people because that can always be fudged. It’s the doctor that’s the problem, but it just so happens that a British doctor has just arrived in the area on a 30-day locum.
The salty and lovable Vera (Susan Henley) has looked up this Dr. Chris with three names on Facebook and discovered he’s a real wanderer who’s been all over the world working for Doctors Without Boundaries, never resting in one place for very long, so keeping him beyond 30 days is going to be a real challenge.
And so the town led, by Frank, swings into action to get Dr. Chris to stay permanently, and the shenanigans that they undertake to make this happen are absolutely hilarious.
Be prepared for more than a few genuine belly laughs.
I don’t want to give anything away to spoil the fun but I will give you one clue: cricket.
The Characters and The Actors
There are some wonderfully colourful characters in the show, as is typical of Newfoundland. This is a cast full of personality.
The aforementioned Vera has her French-Canadian lover Yvon (Laurie Murdoch). Then there’s the outspoken Gina (Gabrielle Jones), and Frank’s buddies Henry (Daniel Williston), Gord (Stephen Guy-McGrath) and Gus (Joel Cumber). On the distaff side you have Marie (AP Bautista) and Louise (Karen Burthwright).
The only level-headed person in town seems to be Frank’s wife Barbara (Alison Woolridge), who happens to be married to the least level-headed person in town, but it’s a warm and loving relationship, nonetheless.
The romantic couple, (and yes one does develop), are Frank’s niece Kathleen (Melissa Mackenzie) who has a sad story of her own, and of course Dr. Chris himself (Kale Penny).
The glory of this relatively small ensemble is that they are literally all shapes and sizes, and yet they sing and dance with great gusto. You can’t help loving them for giving their all in punching through Calvert’s very vigorous choreography.
Everyone can belt out a tune big time.
Doyle of course is the engine that drives the show, and his energy is unstoppable. He is like a perpetual motion machine, even seeming to dance when he’s standing still.
Woolridge is his anchor, McKenzie is his resistance, while Penny falls into Frank’s charm offensive like a bee to honey.
You really feel the pull of this ensemble.
Only Chip the company man is the perfect pill throughout.
The Music
There is lots and lots of original music in the show and every tune is hummable.
Much of the music is of the raucous Down East roots, Celtic, folk, family kitchen, toe tapping variety, but there are several ballads that have great meaning, particularly for Frank and Barbara.
One song is absolutely beautiful. “My Family” is a hymn to Newfoundland and nature and deserves to become a standard in the repertoire.
In fact, the lyrics of the songs in Tell Tale Harbour are uniformly clever, which adds to the enjoyment factor of the show.
This is a musical where the name musical means something.
What’s interesting is that the orchestra has not picked up local musicians. Led by co-creator Bob Foster, the show has brought its orchestra with it, so this is the real deal of East Coast musicians.
The Design
Top of the line designer Michael Gianfrancesco, who is certainly well known to Toronto theatre goers, was brought in to do the revamp sets, and his experience really shows.
Little wooden houses evoke the Newfoundland fishing village, and the well-worn Legion Hall is bang on, as are his clever moveable set pieces, including the wharf and the hill.
Davida Tkach has provided the appropriate lighting of many moods particularly for the cyclorama sky, while Joyce Padua’s costumes are perfectly character specific.
And Finally….
Tell Tale Harbour is endearing, charming, warm hearted, and not to be missed.
It’s Canadian, and whether you’re from the East Coast or not, it’s still all about us.
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