Mamma Mia, Kronborg and, of course, Anne, all returning to Charlottetown Festival
Anne is back for its 55th consecutive summer
The Charlottetown Festival lineup for 2019 will include a perennial favourite, a revival, and a recent hit.
The festival announced its lineup for 2019 Thursday.
Mamma Mia! will be back. The festival put on the show in 2016 and it was one of its most successful productions ever. Mamma Mia! will be a co-production with the Grand Theatre in London, Ont., in 2019, and be in Charlottetown from Aug. 9 to Sept. 28.
The return of the musical, written around hit songs by Abba, has been rumoured for a return since an announcement by the Grand Theatre in March.
The festival is also digging back further in its repertoire to revive Kronborg, which it produced in 1975.
Kronborg is an original Canadian musical based on Shakespeare's Hamlet. Concert versions of the musical were presented in 2017 at St. Mary's Church in Indian River and at Confederation Centre. Charlottetown's Aaron Hastelow, currently starring in the title role in Jesus Christ Superstar at the festival, will take the role of Hamlet.
"We did it in concert at the Indian River Festival and blew the roof off the place," said festival artistic director Adam Brazier.
"It only seemed fitting at that point to look at the work and develop it for the stage. We're very excited to be bringing back Kronborg."
Anne of Green Gables — The Musical will be back for its 55th consecutive summer. It is the world's longest running seasonal musical, and has been part of every Charlottetown Festival.
Tara MacLean's Atlantic Blue will take over the Mack next summer. Atlantic Blue, a celebration of East Coast songwriters, ran at The Guild in Charlottetown this summer.
Atlantic Blue will share the Mack with Spinning Yarns, featuring festival veteran Stephen Guy-McGrath.
"Stephen's show is about his wonderfully loving and zany Newfoundland family, told on the backdrop of six other stories about Newfoundland as well," said Brazier.
"There's fiddle, there's guitar, and it's a beautiful celebration of family and of home."
Kronborg will open the festival on June 28. Shows will run through to the end of September.
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With files from Angela Walker