SYDNEY: After performances in front of full houses at the SAERC auditorium and 14 years on the road, ‘Tis the Season can be considered a Christmas classic.
‘Tis the Season 14 visited Port Hawkesbury on Dec. 11 and 12.
“We hear that from people all the time, they say that this is how they kick-off the holidays, and of course we love that,” Bette MacDonald said. “It is for us too, this is certainly a big part of how we celebrate the holidays.”
One of the showrunners and performers, Maynard Morrison, said the idea started after a show in Wolfville in 2007.
“On our way home from Wolfville, we just thought, ‘maybe this is something we can do every year.’ It built from that, and we’ve been touring for 14 years. We play about 10 shows, on average, lately between Glace Bay and Halifax,” he noted. “We have a ball with it, we have a great crew.”
Along with his wife and the show’s star, Bette MacDonald, Morrison said actor Mary-Colin Chisholm, singer/songwriter Jordan Musycsyn, and guitarist Joe Waye Jr. are part of the cast.
For the few who haven’t seen it, Morrison said the show is a mix of comedic skits – with familiar characters like Beulah Claxton, Mary Morrison, and Wayne Tomko – along with musical interludes.
“It’s more comedy than music but we do incorporate music. We like to do some of the traditional tunes, but also there’s original music in the show. Jordan is writing all the time, and Bette writes songs as well,” he noted. “We feature Joe Waye in a couple of spots; he does some incredible guitar solos. But we start with comedy and we end with comedy.”
Although the characters remain the same, Morrison said the material changes every year. Along with her brother Ed, also a writer, he said MacDonald helps keep the show fresh and full of holiday flavour.
“Honestly, I don’t know where it comes from, but they manage somehow to come up with new angles for these characters that we love to play,” Morrison said. “Every scene we do is somehow situated in and around the holidays. We celebrate what’s great and frustrating about the holidays.”
To start the writing process early, Morrison said they’ll start listening to Christmas carols, or watch Christmas movies in July or August, just to get ready.
“It’s a long process but once we’re on the road, we’re very comfortable with everything we’re doing. We’ve had a great time with it,” he said. “We haven’t done it since 2019 so we didn’t know coming back, would people be reluctant, but they’re not and they’re having a great time. It seems like the people that are coming can’t wait to get out and the audiences have been just fabulous, we’re having a wonderful, wonderful year.”
The sets provide the Christmas tone, with a fireplace, a mantle with stockings, and a Christmas tree, Morrison said.
“When you walk into the theatre and see the sets, it feels very much like you’re looking at a Christmas card,” he stated. “We absolutely love this season and this is one of our favourite things to do.”
On April 3, the show Island Girls is scheduled to appear at the SAERC Auditorium, after starting the tour on April 1.
“Starting on April Fool’s Day seems very appropriate for us,” MacDonald remarked. “There’s a lot of comedy in this show. There are four very eager fools to get on the road.”
In addition to MacDonald, the show features singer/songwriters Lucy MacNeil, Heather Rankin, and Jenn Shepherd.
“It’s a bigger cast and there are four of us covering a lot of material,” she said. “I have to say, I love the vibe of this show, it’s like a big love fest for us. We’re just so happy to be together, hanging out and laughing our heads off, we’re having a great time.”
Rankin and MacDonald worked together decades ago in the Cape Breton Summertime Review and although they’ve known each other for years, MacDonald and MacNeil just started working together.
“Heather and I worked together years and years ago so it’s nice to be working together again,” she said. “Of course, Lucy and Jenn are fantastic. We work together as much as we can.”
The all-female cast of Island Girls will be backed up by musicians Stephen Muise, Fred Lavery, Brian Talbot, Emily Dingwell, Richard Burke, and Colin Grant. MacDonald said the show pays tribute to singer/songwriter Rita MacNeil, who MacDonald considers the greatest of Cape Breton’s female songwriter.
“Island Girls is mostly music, but with a good heaping helping of comedy,” MacDonald explained. “I love working with these women, but they’re also friends. The shows are always about love of the island, and hearing it from womens’ perspectives is really quite lovely.”
MacDonald said it will be great to return after last year’s shutdown. With the number of tickets being gobbled up so fast, she said it shows audiences are also enthusiastic.
“It has made all the difference. It feels pretty exciting to be in a theatre knowing that all protocols are followed, people are double-vaxxed, so there’s a big comfort level there. People are moving around and mingling. It just feels very safe and we’re thrilled to bits to be back,” she said. “These shows sold faster than any of the others. We’ve always been very fortunate to have very loyal attendees of this show, so we’re very grateful for that.”
MacDonald added she is looking forward to their show in Port Hawkesbury.
“There’s not a bad seat in the house at SAERC,” she added. “Capers love to play at home, that’s just the way it is and we certainly do. We always have a ball at SAERC.”