VINYL CAFE: THE MUSICAL Will Make World Premiere at the Citadel Theatre
The production is playing in the Shoctor Theatre from November 8 to December 7, 2025.
A brand-new Christmas musical will make its world premiere at The Citadel based on the classic and beloved Vinyl Cafe stories of Canadian icon, Stuart McLean.
The musical weaves together some of McLean's most popular stories, such as: “Dave Cooks the Turkey” and “Rashida, Amir and the Great Gift-Giving” into a hilarious celebration of the highs and lows of the holiday season and the importance of community and family. Those stories intertwine to make the main narrative of the musical and there are also lots of other fun moments and characters pulled from other Dave & Morley stories that Vinyl Cafe fans will appreciate.
This is the first time that these characters will be brought to life on stage, having existed up to this point, only in McLean's stories. The new music by Colleen Dauncey with lyrics by Akiva Romer-Segal will delight audiences and add to the magical holiday festivities of the show. Dauncey and Romer-Segal also wrote the musical Grow, which is playing at the Segal Centre in Montreal next year, and the musical The Louder We Get, which played at Theatre Calgary in 2020.
The book for the musical is written by Georgina Escobar with Jess Milton. Jess Milton, who originally produced McLean's CBC Radio show, now hosts the podcast Backstage At the Vinyl Cafe, in which she takes listeners behind-the-scenes with stories of the show.
Directing this production is Citadel's Artistic Director, Daryl Cloran who has this to say about what he wants audiences to take away from the story. "The hope, humour and humanity of Stuart's stories and his vision for a community of kindness is still carried in so many of our hearts. The Citadel is thrilled to bring Stuart's memorable characters to life on our stage. Whether you are a long time Vinyl Cafe fan, or someone coming to the stories for the first time, we are sure you are going to love this musical adaptation."
The production is already highly anticipated by audiences - breaking records for ticket sales ahead of its opening performance. The show was originally planned to run until the end of November and has been held over for an additional week due to popular demand.
Vinyl Cafe: The Musical is playing in the Shoctor Theatre from November 8 to December 7, 2025.
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