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November 15, 2024 – Tell Tale Harbour, an original Canadian musical starring Alan Doyle, is returning to The Charlottetown Festival next summer with a newly reworked production.
The musical full of East Coast pride delighted audiences when it made its world premiere at The 2022 Charlottetown Festival and completed a cross-province tour of Newfoundland and Labrador. Since then, the musical has been workshopped by its creative team for a return in 2025.
Once its summer run at The 2025 Charlottetown Festival concludes, Tell Tale Harbour will make its mainland debut in Toronto with co-producers David and Hannah Mirvish. Further details will be announced at a later date.
“The Charlottetown Festival has a long history of producing new Canadian musicals, and an important part of that process is to revisit works to help them evolve so that they can be shared on stages across the country,” says Adam Brazier, the Centre’s artistic director of performing arts and one of the co-creators of Tell Tale Harbour. “The 2025 version of this musical is the same story audiences fell in love with, but the entire world has been reimagined with new characters, additional songs, more dancing, and fresh set and costume designs.”
The musical is co-written by Alan Doyle – one of the nation’s most treasured songwriters, revered for his solo material and the iconic band Great Big Sea. Doyle starred in the 2022 production and will return in the lead role for 2025 performances.
“We’re coming back! I am wicked excited to spend another summer in Charlottetown,” exclaims Doyle. “Folks on the Island gets the first chance to sing, laugh, cry, and dance us with before we proudly bring the show to Toronto with Canada’s largest commercial theatre producer. We’re gonna have a time!”
Tell Tale Harbour tells the story of a struggling Atlantic fishing village looking for a miracle when an opportunity arises to bring a state-of-the-art frozen french fry facility to town. There’s just one major obstacle – to secure the factory, the harbour must have a full-time resident doctor. Realizing this might be their last chance to save their beloved community, the townspeople come together to charm an interim doctor into moving there permanently.
Developed with support from the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund, the musical comedy celebrates the people, the trials, and the triumphs of living in a small community in Atlantic Canada. The musical is based on the screenplay The Grand Seduction (2013) by Ken Scott and is co-created by Brazier, Doyle, Bob Foster, and Edward Riche. The 2025 production will be directed by Brian Hill, with choreography by Tracey Flye.
Tell Tale Harbour runs from June 14 – August 29, 2025 at the Sobey Family Theatre.
Playing alongside Tell Tale Harbour at The 2025 Charlottetown Festival is the wildly popular jukebox musical Million Dollar Quartet. The show is set on December 4, 1956, when an extraordinary true-life twist of fate brought Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins together at Sun Records in Memphis. Their first and only time playing together would go down as one of the greatest jam sessions in the history of rock and roll.
This smash-hit show brings that legendary night to life with an irresistible tale of broken promises, secrets, betrayal, and celebrations. The score features hit songs that defined an era, including “Blue Suede Shoes”, “I Walk the Line”, “Great Balls of Fire”, “Folsom Prison Blues”, and more. Million Dollar Quartet has been staged around the world, including at The 2017 Charlottetown Festival.
“This show lets audiences be a fly on the wall during a magical night when four men on the brink of stardom created music history,” says Brazier. “It is a high-energy production that dazzled audiences at the 2017 Festival, and I have no doubt they will love it again next summer.”
Million Dollar Quartet runs from June 17 – August 30, 2025 at the Sobey Family Theatre.
Tickets for The 2025 Charlottetown Festival are on sale now to Centre members, and to the public on Saturday, November 16. Patrons who are not yet Centre members can sign up now to gain early access to Festival tickets.
From now through Saturday, November 23, patrons can get 50% off tickets for both shows for select June performances using the code ‘FESTIVAL50’. This discount is valid for Tier 2/3 seating.
Tickets can be purchased at confederationcentre.com/festival25, via phone at 1-800-565-0278, or in person at the Centre’s box office.
The 2025 Charlottetown Festival will also feature shows at The Mack, which will be announced at a later date.
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Reviews of Tell Tale Harbour at The 2022 Charlottetown Festival
“This is as good of a night in the theatre as you’re possibly going to get … It’s a show that makes you feel like you’re home.” – Mark Critch, Son of a Critch, This Hour Has 22 Minutes
“Alan Doyle [knocks] it out of the park.” – Rick Mercer, Rick Mercer Report, This Hour Has 22 Minutes
“It’s a profound, beautiful, genuine, authentic performance.” – Tom Power, Q with Tom Power
Media Contact:
Emily McMahon, Communications Manager, Confederation Centre of the Arts
[email protected] | 902-628-6135