Sir John, Eh? The Musical at The Grand Theatre

Sir John, Eh? The Musical tells the story of Sir John A. Macdonald, first Prime Minister of Canada and our country’s Father of Confederation. However, alongside the story of Sir John, we will show you a rollicking good time; full of laughter, songs and yes, even some tears. Director and Playwright, Jim Garrard, says “Sir John, Eh? The Musical is about our history, but first and foremost it’s an entertainment.” So, close your history text books and come out to the Grand Theatre for a good time, and a history lesson like you’ve never heard before.

Isabella (Joanna Kellam) and Sir John A. Macdonald (David Rockne Corrigan).

Sir John, Eh? The Musical is at once a ghost story, a love story and a comedy. It is also a tragedy, as Sir John was dealt some pretty devastating blows in his lifetime, both professionally and personally. The scene opens with a struggling band of young musicians, who are filming a music video on a summer’s night in Cataraqui Cemetery. The very cemetery where Sir John was laid to rest. It is there that they encounter the ghosts of Macdonald and his first wife Isabella. The band members accuse Sir John of ruining the country, and subsequently their own lives. What follows is an exploration of Canadian history (the good and the bad), civic engagement amongst our country’s younger generations and ultimately, a fun entertaining piece of theatre.

The cast of Sir John, Eh? The Musical is made up of a talented group of young, professionally trained, talented performers, who make up the Kingston-based SALON Acting Company. As Jim Garrard notes, “Part of our mandate is to engage young Canadians in the stories of Canada. It’s about young people talking to young people.”

Not only that, but three of the main roles are being performed by home-grown

Courtney (Anna Sudac)

Kingstonians. David Rockne Corrigan will play the role of Sir John A. himself, exploring the good with the bad. This is Sir John, warts and all. Joanna Kellamwill be playing the role of the woman behind the man, Sir John’s first wife Isabella, who spent much of their marriage sick in bed (and addicted to opium), before succumbing to her illness in December of 1857. Anna Sudac will play Courtney, the apathetic and cynical lead singer of the band, who has an interesting connection to Sir John A.

David Rockne Corrigan, Joanna Kellam andAnna Sudac, on behalf of SALON Theatre Company and the Sir John A. Macdonald Bicentennial Commission, would love for you to join them for a performance of Sir John, Eh? The Musical at the Grand Theatre from January 9th—12th.