GHOSTS OF THE ROYAL ALEX Concludes

The sixth and final instalment of Ghosts of the Royal Alex, the online series of story and song, is published today online at mirvish.com and on then usual purveyors of podcasts.

After a harried journey through the backstage world of 1959 Toronto, Herbie McGill, the beleaguered manager of the Royal Alex, discovers the truth of the ghosts that have been haunting his beloved theatre.

The concluding chapter takes Herbie to St. Michael's, a Catholic cemetery consecrated in 1855. It is located just southwest of Yonge and St. Clair. When it first opened, this was countryside, far from the city. As Toronto grew, streets were built around it. When Herbie is taken to it, it is invisible from the street, because it is ringed by homes, stores and apartment buildings. Here he discovers how Yvette Lafayette became a ghost.

The final song in the series is called "Shadows of Paris" and recalls a time when life for Yvette was carefree and easy; when she was the toast of Parisian bohemian cabarets; when love and art were all she needed to sustain her.

It is sung by the luminous Steffi DiDomenicantonio, also known as Steffi D, one of the stars of Toronto's Come From Away and the co-host of Check In From Away. Steffi sang the first song in the series. It is only fitting that she also sings the concluding one.

In the music video of the song, filmmaker Tristan Gough frames her in historic footage of early 20th-century Paris. A beautifully haunting song set against haunting images to end a haunting story.

The entire six-part series: Ghosts of The Royal Alex is online at mirvish.com