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Waitress
June 16, 2025
For the Love of Pie Reviewed by Mary Alderson Don’t go to the theatre hungry when you see Waitress, now on stage at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre. The amazing set takes us to Joe’s Pie Diner, where the shelves are filled with realistic pies which look delicious. Your mouth will water and you will want to taste them all. Similarly, you will want to hear more of the singing in this musical and learn more of the story. It’s a bit of a sad story, and one we hear too often. Jenna, the waitress, is stuck in a bad marriage. Yet, by the time dessert comes around, she is single and strong, and that’s what makes this piece of pie special. Jenna has two zany friends, Dawn and Becky, also waitresses at the diner. Like every small-town diner, there is plenty of drama going on. Dawn finds love, Becky finds a satisfactory situation, and Jenna has a fling, which is just enough to make her realize there is hope for her in the future. An assortment of interesting people come into the diner, each of them trying to improve their lot in life. Jenna’s husband Earl is a nasty piece of business. She is fed up with his jealousy, abuse, and obsessive control of her, but she can’t see a way to leave him. Then, to her surprise, she is pregnant, which makes her feel even more trapped in her loveless marriage. In the meantime, Dawn starts dating Ogie, who gets her attention with some weak magic. Becky and Cal, the cook at the diner, commence an unlikely but heartwarming affair, with both professing love for their spouses – her husband is sick and disabled, his wife is gay. At the same time, Jenna becomes involved in an affair with ...
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Mary's Musings
Young Star of Annie has a Very Bright Tomorrow!
May 22, 2025
Annie By Mary Alderson “This is not your Granny’s Annie.” So says 11-year-old Harper Rae Asch, who has the role of Annie at Stratford’s Festival Theatre. By that, she means It isn’t like productions you may have seen in the past, nor is it like the movie versions. Harper knows; she has watched the various movies, and she took in the U.S. national tour version live on stage. So, in the young actor’s opinion, what makes Stratford’s Annie different? “There are lots of dance breaks, with flips and tricks,” she explains. That’s not a surprise. With Donna Feore as the Director/Choreographer, one can expect her trademark impressive dance numbers. Harper also hints that the characters’ appearances might not follow the traditional looks that were originally based on the Little Orphan Annie comic strip which debuted in 1924, Yes, Harper wears a red wig (in fact, she has two of them) but it might not look quite the same as the tousled curly bright red hair you’ve seen on past Annies, Harper was shocked and then thrilled when she was offered the iconic role in Annie, “It took a moment to process because there were so many talented children at the audition. It was a nation-wide call,” she says. Some of those girls now share the stage with her, as orphans in Miss Hannigan’s orphanage. Harper is no stranger to being on stage. At age 5, she appeared in the show, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Since she was 9, she has been doing voice-overs for animated TV shows. “She has a career ahead of her: she’s a mini-star,” says Stratford Festival’s Publicity Director Ann Swerdfager. “She is a remarkable human being, packed with talent, and her beautiful composure and poise take her to the next level. Plus, she’s super-smart,” Swerdfager ...
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