Review: The Stratford Festival's ANNE OF GREEN GABLES is Incredibly Special

There is something very special taking place onstage at the Stratford Festival’s Avon Theatre this season, and if I accomplish one thing in all my writings about Opening Week, it will be to make sure everyone I know goes and sees Kat Sandler’s new adaptation of ANNE OF GREEN GABLES. Nothing quite matches the magic you feel when everyone in a room – both on stage, and in the audience, basks in the knowledge that an incredibly special new piece of Art is being shared with the world.

As this season’s Schulich Children’s Play, ANNE OF GREEN GABLES is tasked with capturing the interest of audiences of all ages. A key element here is pacing, and with this production, the pacing is perfect. It allows young audiences (as well as audience members who know this story front and back) to remain captivated throughout. Although it is certainly accessible to a younger crowd, it is equally as enchanting for adults. This delightful piece of metatheatre is comedically self-aware when it comes to updates and changes it makes and to how ‘Anne’ purists might react to this…but it is also self-aware in that the heart and the soul of the story remain firmly intact. The power of imagination is such a central theme in these stories, and it is used to challenge us as an audience even further, to look beyond what we think we know about this story and to expand our hearts and minds in an exciting an healthy way.

Sandler’s script, based on the novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery, is moving and funny and this ensemble of performers is game for all of it. Sandler also serves as Director, granting her the opportunity to fully realize this crystal clear vision she has for ANNE.

Caroline Toal is exquisite as Anne Shirley. From the moment she first appears on stage, she brings our beloved heroine to life. She is charming and funny and instantly root-able.

Maev Beatty is utterly perfect in embodying the character of Rachel Lynde. This starts before the play even begins when the perfectionist in her is trying to re-arrange set pieces. She and other cast members also act as a chorus for us, bringing us into the fourth-wall-breaking ‘Anne of Green Gables Book Club.’ Different members of this ‘book club’ take on various roles in the story – prompting the audience to do what Anne does best and use our imaginations to transport ourselves to Green Gables. Helping our imaginations along, is whimsically beautiful set design by Joanna Yu and Lighting by Davida Tkach.

Jordin Hill’s Gilbert Blythe is instantly loveable, Sarah Dodd wonderfully portrays the stern, yet big-hearted Marilla Cuthbert, Timothy Campbell is endearing as the kind, thoughtful, and shy Matthew Cuthbert, and Julie Lumsden brings a whole new lens to the character of Diana Berry. Rounding out this excellent cast are Steven Hao, Helen Belay, Josue Laboucane, and Jennifer Villaverde – each performer having multiple laugh out loud moments.

This adaptation takes liberties when it comes to the original story – in more ways than one, updating elements of it for today’s world. It is clear that Sandler takes great care in doing this – always centering the novel, and utilizing the established metatheatrical device to literally reassure us all that even if things have changed slightly, this is still our Anne and everything will be ok. The changes and twists that we see do well to keep this story fresh and allow us to expand our imaginations.

The absolute joy elicited from this production is the perfect way to end a glorious opening week at the Stratford Festival.

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES continues in Repertory at the Avon Theatre until October 25th.

 PHOTO CREDIT: David Hou