Who was Tom Thomson? That’s the question at the heart of the musical “Tom Thomson’s Wake” by folk musicians, Shipyard Kitchen Party, coming to Huntsville’s Algonquin Theatre on Sept. 27, 2024.
Thomson is best known for his iconic paintings The West Wind, Northern River and The Jack Pine. But despite this fame and his mysterious death in Algonquin Park 1917, relatively little is understood about the painter’s personality and the forces that drove his art.
“Tom Thomson’s Wake” follows three of Thomson’s friends – mentor A.Y. Jackson, companion Winnie Trainor and Algonquin guide, Larry Dixon – as they piece together the last years of his life. But did any of them really know the man?
“Each character has a different view of who Tom was and what inspired him,” says show writer, Jason Murphy. “Part of the musical’s appeal is that the audience can choose one story over the other or take a little from each to create their own portrait of the artist.”
Featuring Canadian Opera Company veteran, Craig Ashton as A.Y. Jackson, Zoomer Radio’s Dean Hollin as Larry Dixon, and veteran actress Julie LeBlanc as Winnie Trainor, the show features a rousing original music score by the Shipyard Kitchen Party band, creators of the musical “100 Years from Now”, which visited Huntsville last November.
Complementing the music and acting is high-definition imagery of Thomson and Group of 7 paintings from the Art Gallery of Ontario.
“Huntsville is holy ground for Thomson fans. So we’re thrilled to be bringing a new version of his story to Algonquin Theatre as part of our Fall tour,” says Murphy. “It’s been more than a century since Tom’s death. But his story and his work still inspire countless artists, globally and locally.”
Tickets can be purchased online at www.TomMusical.com; through the Huntsville Theatre Box Office (www.algonquintheatre.ca), or by phone at 705-789-4975.
From the performance in Guelph.
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The Real Person!
The Real Person!
We saw this and it is a wonderful, toe-tapping performance — a must-see for anyone who is enjoys a mystery! It lays out the clues and asks you to come to your own conclusion.
Happy it is back!