We went to see Makin' Time with the Yanks, the remounting that Resource Centre for the Arts has done at the LSPU Hall of a Mummers Troupe show from (believe it or not) 30 years ago. Mary Walsh returned to direct the show, which is about young women in St. John's meeting up with young Americans while the war was raging in Europe.
I was in high school when the first production was made, and there was plenty I didn't appreciate at the time - the history and complexities of the U.S. presence in Newfoundland during the Second World War, for starters, plus how lucky we were at the time to have had so many original productions that were written and performed by the casts. Like others, Makin' Time With the Yanks followed interviews and research, and three decades later, those stories (clarified through comedy) are more precious because there are far fewer people around to recall the era.
I found the new production much more polished, even elegant, and more tuneful somehow. Still, I remember laughing more during the original show. It was certainly a pleasure, though, to have the characters back, and the stories.
The show is sold out, but it appears that it may be extended. I'd definitely recommend it.
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