About seven years ago I became aware of a woman named Shirley Campbell, a character created by Heather Rankin when she was in the Cape Breton Summertime Revue in the late 1980s, before The Rankin Family found international success. The name of the character, who is basically Cape Breton’s answer to Roseanne Rosannadanna, is significant to me because Shirley Campbell is also my mother’s name. I began to read more about The Cape Breton Summertime Revue and watched several YouTube videos of its predecessor The Rise and Follies of Cape Breton, where a very young Raylene Rankin first sang her anthemic rendition of Garth Drabinsky’s “Rise Again.” There is also this amazing sketch featuring Raylene Rankin and Mary-Colin Chisholm where they sing this song “(Everybody’s Going To The) Bungalow,” which is so catchy and utterly delightful and Raylene’s dancing is among the funniest things I’ve ever seen in my life. It became apparent to me then that The Rise and Follies of Cape Breton and the Cape Breton Summertime Revue were an important part of Nova Scotian theatre history, and I wondered why I hadn’t encountered these shows before (specifically during my undergraduate and graduate university degrees in which I studied Canadian Theatre). In fact, I realized, I hadn’t learned anything about the theatre history of Cape Breton in school, beyond, of course, reading the plays of Cape Breton playwrights, but most, if not all, were first produced on the Mainland or in Toronto. The Cape Breton Summertime Revue has been a launchpad for many Cape Breton musicians, but it also has beloved Canadian actors amid its alumna, Bette MacDonald, of course, Heather Rankin, and Julie Martell. In 2015 The Cape Breton Summertime Revue- The Next Generation returned to its home theatre, The Savoy in Glace Bay and also had stops in Mabou and Pictou. This year the revue celebrated the return of Bette MacDonald to its cast and stopped at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium in Halifax for a sold-out show. I knew I HAD to go to experience the show I had read so much about. It was very much like I had imagined it to be, with a few surprises, lots of laughs, incredible music and dancers, and ultimately a funny and sweet love letter to Cape Breton Island and its people.
The revue is a mixture of music and sketches, some of which feature iconic characters of MacDonald’s such as Mary Morrison and Beulah Claxton, and Jenn Sheppard’s recurring character Elsa Hughes and some of which feature new characters. Two of my favourite sketches of the evening were Peter MacInnis as a fella who realizes that his relationship dealbreaker includes The Rankin Family’s “Mull River Shuffle” (you may agree with him, as I was inclined to) and Maynard Morrison and MacInnis as two old fellas with a very unique idea for Cape Breton tourism that combines the Island’s culture and heritage with its proud farming tradition. Bette MacDonald gave us two gems from Mary Morrison: one scene in which her curiosity leads her down an awkward road with Dr. Phil and then segues into even more icky territory with Donald Trump- although Mary’s mispronunciation of Melania makes the ickiness worth it- and one where she tells this amazing moose story that I think I could listen to a hundred times and still laugh just as hard. Jenn Sheppard gives us her senior citizen character’s perspective on Millennial parents. Sheppard’s characterization of Elsa is beautifully done, she manages to simultaneously be hilariously broad and hilariously specific. MacDonald’s Beulah Claxton performed her interesting arrangement of “Mary Mac,” essentially through the lens of Mariah Carey, she also sang “Getting Dark Again:” sing along at your own risk.
I loved the ensemble sketch, the political Doo-Wop band, who sing satirical political songs to the tunes of popular Doo-Wop songs. It was a bit difficult to make out all the lyrics of every song, but I caught enough Andrew Sheer, Donald Trump, Jason Kenney, Stephen MacNeil, and Doug Ford jokes to fill my heart with the warm fuzzies. There is nothing lately that makes me happier than hearing a whole room full of white people boo voraciously when someone says Andrew Sheer. Good job, Halifax!
I was surprised how many songs in the revue were unfamiliar or less familiar to me, a solid reminder that no matter how many Cape Breton folk and contemporary songs you have in your collection, there’s always a treasure trove more to find. Jordan Musycsyn, Jenn Sheppard and Margaret MacPherson all have beautiful and powerful voices, and Sheppard and MacPherson sound especially glorious in harmony together. The band, Stephen Muise, Fred Lavery, Allie Bennett, Darren McMullen, Rachel Davis and Brian Talbot are stellar. Davis (from the band Còig) performed their haunting and increasingly frenetic Gaelic song “Am Bothan a bh’ big Fionnghalla,” which is one of my favourites from their album Rove. The band also provided music for the extremely talented MacArthur Dancers (Drea Shepherd, Olivia Burke, Isabelle Pilling, Zoe MacIsaac and Bradie MacKay, under the direction of Kelly MacArthur), who performed a couple of pieces, each with enviable precision and sharpness of movement that make them truly mesmerizing. The end of the show was full of favourite songs that the entire crowd could sing along with, and the show ended on a rollicking note with a Rankin Family medley.
With theatre in Cape Breton flourishing, with entire seasons at the Highland Arts Theatre in Sydney, shows at the Savoy Theatre in Glace Bay, and summer seasons at Theatre Baddeck, it is apt that the Cape Breton Summertime Revue has returned, and with Bette MacDonald and Maynard Morrison back in the cast. It was a full circle moment that I’m glad I didn’t miss.
The 2019 Cape Breton Summertime Revue plays at the Savoy Theatre in Glace Bay August 6, 7, 8, 14. Tickets are available at the Savoy Theatre Box Office (116 Commercial Street, Glace Bay), by phone 902-842-1577 and online.
