This year marks the 100th anniversary of one of Canada's most beloved stories, 'Anne of Green Gables', about a red-haired, orphan named Anne who comes to live in Avonlea.
The Scarborough Theatre Guild (STG) has chosen to kick off its 50th anniversary season in staging Anne, by Paul Ledoux, an adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic story.
Like the original, this play reminds us that sometimes we get what we need in unexpected ways and that perseverance and spirit makes anything possible.
The STG cast did a remarkable job capturing the spirit of friendship and community in their opening performance last Thursday, giving fans of the classic story a pleasant walk down memory lane and, for those new to the story, a great introduction.
Set in the 1800s in a town called Avonlea in Prince Edward Island, brother and sister Mathew and Marilla Cuthbert (Barton Graff, Candi Zell) are surprised when, after deciding to adopt a boy from the orphanage to help on their farm Green Gables, receive Anne Shirley (Clarisse Reid) instead.
With red hair and a temper to match, she's also a homely girl who has never belonged to anyone. To fill the void, she has replaced reality with imagination and will share her romanticized thoughts with anyone who'll listen.
Told in a series of flashbacks, the show begins with Anne announcing she has won a college scholarship, with her rival, Gilbert Blythe (Cole Reid) coming in second. Then, the story takes us back to the first day Anne arrived in Avonlea.
Early on, we see the bond that Mathew and Anne form. Marilla also warms up to her and they decide to keep her. When Anne begins to meet the rest of the townspeople, she imparts a unique impression on each one of them.
This play takes the audience through the lives of the people in Avonlea, and shows how Anne slowly sheds her orphan-girl identity, into belonging for the first time.
The story contained many favourite moments from the original story like Anne calling busy-body neighbour Rachel Lynde (Sue Glick) fat and hateful to her face and Anne dying her red hair black, but instead it turns green.
Another great scene has Anne accidentally getting her best friend Diana Barry (Chelsea Jones) drunk on currant wine; well played by Jones, who captured the persona of the sweet teen.
However, for those diehard Gilbert and Anne fans, their relationship isn't focused on in this play.
Instead, we see the friendship between Anne, Diana, Ruby (Stephanie Forcier) and Josie Pye (Elizabeth Graff). Both Forcier and Graff did an outstanding job bringing energy and levity to many scenes.
Reid did a fantastic job portraying the challenging role of Anne. Her range from chatty day dreamer to fiery-tempered and everything in between showed great future potential for the young actress.
There were many accidental blunders in the show that truly showed the talent of the cast as they kept going despite the mishaps. The play also ran slow at times and may seem even slower to those who don't know the story.
But the show is full of heart, memorable characters and relationships. If you love the story of Anne, or you want to introduce it to someone else, this show is the perfect way to do so.
Anne continues until Sept. 20, 8 p.m., with one 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Sept. 14, at the Scarborough Village Theatre, 3600 Kingston Rd. Tickets are $17 and $14 for students and seniors on Thursdays and Sundays only.
For tickets call 416-396-4049.