Quirky Entertainment with a Fabulous Band
Reviewed by Kim Kaitel
The Grand Ole Opry, the famous venue that turns country music artists into stars, has moved from Nashville to Port Stanley. If you can get past a bit of cheesy comedy you will have a toe tappin’, hand clappin’ good time at Leisa Way’s Opry Gold showing now at the Port Stanley Festival Theatre.
Opry Gold is a Hee-Haw style music show reminiscent of the televised music shows of the late 60’s and early 70’s replete with Dad jokes and corny sketch comedy that will have you laughing and maybe even cringing at the same time.
The stage is set with hay bales and cowboy hats strewn about, the band in cowboy shirts and boots and our songstress of the evening has so many dazzling costume changes it makes your head spin.
This performance features The Wayward Wind Band which includes the indomitable Leisa Way on lead vocals backed up by a solid crew of talented musicians featuring Bruce Ley, Don Reid, Alex George, Mark Dunn, Brant Garratt and Jack Gaughan (the latter three also sharing lead vocals).
Many great hits of the Grand Ole Opry are covered in fine form from Tammy Wynette and Garth Brooks to Shania Twain and Chris Stapleton.
Leisa comes on strong with powerful vocals on the oldies-but-goodies such as “Coal Miners Daughter” (Loretta Lynn), “Stand by Your Man”, (Tammy Wynette) (which had me singing along!) and “These Boots are Made for Walking” (Nancy Sinatra) among others. Her dazzling costume changes for every song from gowns to mini dresses were a feature in the show and I lost count of how many times she skipped backstage to change. I envied her ability to run around in 5 inch heels without tripping over guitar cords. Her energy and enthusiasm is engaging and wonderful to watch. You can tell her smile is genuine and she puts her heart and soul into her performance.
I must absolutely make special note of Brant Garratt and Alex George. These two young musicians are going places! Brant takes over the mic over for several songs , in particular “Tennessee Whiskey” (Chris Stapleton) and has one of the best country singing voices I’ve heard in awhile; strong, rich and soulful with a sensitivity toward the lyrics. I will be following his career! Alex George is a fiddling wizard and I hope to hear more from him in the future as well. The two of them together are surely Opry Gold!
I wish I could have heard more from Jack Vaughan. Literally. His banjo and guitar are so buried in the mix I could barely hear him. I was sitting in the fifth row, center and pretty sure all I could hear was his onstage amp. This is very disappointing as I could tell by the way he plays that he was offering up some ripping solos. Modern country especially, is all about the shred so it would have been appropriate to turn it up loud, and I would love to experience that on “Somebody Like You” (Keith Urban).
That being said, the band is tight, well rehearsed , professional and very enjoyable.
Although the program touts this as family entertainment, I did find the humour to be geared toward an older crowd, more apropos to those who may have watched TV shows much like Hee-Haw or The Porter Wagoner Show and other musical variety shows. In order to appeal to a wider audience, some of the comedy could be refined and updated.
Overall however, this show is entertaining and enjoyable. The band is having fun and the audience picks up on that. It is also informative with interesting little tidbits about the Opry and the artists that I hadn’t heard previously. The musical choices are great and the musicians exceptional.
If you are in the Port Stanley area, grab a friend, a couple of tickets and go. You will have a Grand Ole time!
Leisa Way’s Opry Gold continues with more shows this week at the Port Stanley Festival Theare, Port Stanley,ON until June 14. Visit www.psft.ca or call 519-782-4353
Photo: Leisa Way and The Wayward Wind Band. Photo by Sylvia Sturm.
Leisa Way’s Opry Gold
Music Arranged by Bruce Ley
Sound Design by Stephen Morris
Costumes Design by Way-To-Go Productions
Wig Styling by Sharyn Ayliffe Creative
Performed by Leisa Way, Mark Dunn, Jack Gaughan, Brant Garratt, Alex George, Bruce Ley, Don Reid
Port Stanley Festival Theatre 6-302 Bridge Street, Port Stanley
June 3 to June 14 2025
Reviewed by Kim Kaitell