Great to see Karen on stage!

By Mary Alderson, June 14, 2026

It was a delight to see the beautiful and very talented Karen Coughlin-Melo in a tribute concert as Linda Ronstadt last week. We used to see Karen on a regular basis, starting in 2005, when she had a lead role in a cute little musical called Suds. Suds was presented at the Hiawatha Horse Park near Sarnia. At the time it was touted to be a future location for musical theatre, but I think Suds was the only show presented there.

The next time we saw Karen on stage was also in 2005, when she starred as Belle in Beauty and the Beast at Huron Country Playhouse in Grand Bend. She performed the same role the next year at the Grand Theatre in London. She sang all the Belle songs beautifully.

Also in 2006, she played Patsy Cline in the musical A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline at Victoria Playhouse in Petrolia, where she wowed the audience with her country sound.  In 2007, she was the beloved Miss Stacey, the school teacher, in Anne of Green Gables at the Grand Theatre.  Her clear, bell-like voice was perfect for the role of everyone’s favourite teacher.

In 2010, she was back at Huron Country Playhouse as part of the Country Legends show, where Karen again sang some Patsy Cline favourites, among others. Later in 2010, she played the prim and proper Sarah Brown, the Salvation-Army-type woman, in the hit musical Guys and Dolls at Drayton Theatre.

To finish off 2010, Karen was the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat at the Grand Theatre in London.  Here’s what I had to say about Karen in my review: “Karen Coughlin is incredibly good as the Narrator. Her voice is in fine form as she belts out the story, and she is very comfortable with a stage full of children.”  Well, it’s a good thing she liked children, because shortly after that performance, she and her husband welcomed a baby boy, with a second boy coming along a few years later.

As you can see, I reviewed shows Karen was in many times over the years, and became a big fan. So after her busy 2010 year, and her babies arriving, we didn’t see Karen on stage for a few years.  Then I left the Strathroy and Grand Bend area, moving east to Port Hope.  So we were thrilled to see a poster announcing Karen Coughlin-Melo in a Linda Ronstadt tribute concert on Thursday, June 12 at Victoria Hall in Cobourg!

Linda Ronstadt is an amazing artist who re-invented herself many times – country, rock, pop, operetta (Gilbert & Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance), musical theatre, Linda did it all. Likewise, Karen can do it all with her amazing voice.

This tribute show is Karen’s creation.  She selected video clips that are presented on the big screen on stage, telling us all about Linda’s life and the challenges she faced as the first female recording star to achieve all that she did.  For example, the video shows Linda’s time with Stone Poneys, including the song “Different Drum”, one of my favourites. The lyrics “You and I travel to the beat of a different drum, Oh, can’t you tell by the way I run, Every time you make eyes at me?” will carry you right back to 1967.

Karen lives the part of Linda – she changes costume several times during the show, representing the era and the type of music Linda was singing.  She also has a host of wigs, for each time Linda changed her hair style. She sings most of Linda’s own hits, like favourites “Blue Bayou” and “You’re No Good”. And she sings some of Linda’s covers like Buddy Holly’s “That’ll be the Day”. Linda also spent time with Eagles when they were just forming and getting started. Karen sings “Desperado”, as Linda did with the Eagles. The entire evening is a wonderful nostalgia trip, carrying you back to Linda’s golden years.

Karen is backed by an excellent all-Canadian band – Ed Mortenson on drums, Alex Harrison on guitar,  Bruce Tournay on piano, and Steve Skingley on bass.

It was great fun to see her on stage again, and hear her powerful voice again.  She creates the amazing Linda Ronstadt right before your eyes.  And after singing her heart out, Karen is happy to chat with fans.

Let’s hope we get the chance to see more of Karen again soon – whether it’s a tribute concert, or maybe in a musical.