I married into the family

It’s not what you’re thinking.

Twenty or so years ago, I met a wonderful woman who made few demands of me, other than that we’d have to travel to North Bay, Ontario, during the second week of August every year to see “Mom’s show.”

It wasn’t just Mom’s show.  Marty Southcott was the creative genius behind TOROS, the group that presented Broadway shows featuring high school and post-secondary students for more than 30 years.  Her husband Art played an integral role behind the scenes, and over the years, their youngest son, Shane, assumed the director’s job. 

I might be a bit biased, but every TOROS show I attended was exceptional. One summer, they even made me like Cats, which has to be the worst musical ever written. (If you disagree, I guess you’re okay with stories without plots.)  TOROS routinely packed a 900-seat theatre for four or five performances.  The shows were the highlight of the summer cultural season, and provided valuable experience in performance and teamwork to hundreds of young people, many of whom had never set foot on stage before Marty got hold of them. Some of them made it to Broadway, Stratford and network TV gigs.  Few of them will forget their experience.  We know, because we still hear from them.

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice might have had a dud with Cats, but they hit the mark with Jesus Christ Superstar, a show that still hits the mark more than 40 years after its debut. When Shane and Jerri (that woman who insisted I attend TOROS shows back in the day) started talking in late winter about bringing TOROS to the South Shore and staging JCS, I was skeptical about them getting it off the ground for this summer (I shouldn’t have been) and confident that it will become a summertime institution here (I’m willing to bet it will).

I’m humbled, and I know everyone associated with this production is too, with the level of support South Shore Summer Theatre has received before it’s staged a single production.  Local businesses and individuals have stepped up with the financial support to get the show off the ground, and there were further contributions from friends and alumni in Ontario. A strong and active board of directors has come together to help in any way it can, and volunteers have stepped forward to assist with everything from building the set to helping out at rehearsals.

The story about how the cast came together will best be told another day. For now, it was a combination of hard work and luck that brought this eclectic and dedicated gang together.  There have been a few setbacks (there’s this virus going around….have you heard about it?) but after having witnessed a few rehearsals recently, I know they’ll be ready on Opening Night.  The director, my brother-in-law Shane, and the producer, my wife Jerri, deserve a good deal of the credit for that.

What you’ll see on stage in Lunenburg on August 11, for the gala concert, and particularly in Liverpool from August 18, 19 and 20 for the full production, is unlike anything you’ve likely seen in these parts.  With a live band, professional sound and lighting and a talented cast, you’ll be forgiven for thinking you’re at a Broadway show.  Just as I was after I married into the family.