THE
      GREAT
     
     
      ADVENTURE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ...opened
      for
      its
      last
      performance
      on
      September
      fourth,
      and
     
     
      the
      crowds
      were
      enthusiastic
      even
      if
      the
      critics
      weren’t.
     
     
      One
      could
      look
      at
      the
      show’s
      fortunes
      as
      a
      microcosm
      of
      the
     
     
      country
      whose
      history
      it
      chronicles,
      Canada:
      an
      impressive
     
     
      but
      underrated
      phenomenon.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Canadians
      often
      shy
      away
      from
      the
      idea
      of
      patriotism.
      It’s
     
     
      that
      golly-gee-whiz,
      self-
      effacing
      mindset
      that
      perhaps
     
     
      prods
      critics
      to
      look
      doubtfully
      upon
      anything
      that
      tries
      to
     
     
      make
      a
      big
      deal
      of
      our
      checkered
      past,
      thinking
      it
      a
      forced
     
     
      attempt
      at
      self-glorification,
      especially
      at
      a
      time
      when
     
     
      Canada
      is
      both
      celebrating
      its
      national
      birthday
      and
      yet
     
     
      again
      arguing
      over
      how
      to
      define
      itself
      in
      the
      constitution.
     
     
      THE
      GREAT
      ADVENTURE
      doesn’t
      really
      preach
      patriot-
     
     
      ism,
      though,
      nor
      does
      it
      try
      to
      force
      a
      single
      definition
      of
     
     
      Canada
      upon
      us.
      What
      it
      does
      instead
      is
      celebrate
      the
     
     
      diversity
      of
      the
      Canadian
      people
      and
      their
      histories,
      and
      the
     
     
      titanic
      and
      sometimes
      tragic
      efforts
      made
      to
      hold
      these
     
     
      diverse
      elements
      together
      as
      an
      alliance
      richer
      than
      any
      one
     
     
      of
      its
      parts.
      It’s
      not
      the
      country
      itself
      but
      its
      people
      that
     
     
      define
      its
      character,
      and
      as
      the
      show’s
      recurring
      theme
      song
     
     
      often
      asks,’’
      What
      is
      a
      country
      without
      its
      people?’”
      There’s
     
     
      no
      hard
      sell.
      All
      the
      show
      does
      is
      show
      you
      the
      people,
      and
     
     
      when
      you
      see
      them
      in
      all
      their
      vices
      and
      virtues
      you
      cannot
     
    

    
     
      ‘help
      but
      identify
      with
      them
      and
      to
      sympathize
      with
      their
     
     
      struggle
      to
      unite.
      In
      their
      differences,
      the
      people
      who
      come
     
     
      to
      make
      up
      Canada
      are
      almost
      like
      a
      microcosm
      of
      the
     
     
      brotherhood
      of
      humankind
      that
      seems
      both
      an
      impossible
      and
     
     
      an
      immaculate
      conception.
      You
      can’t
      help
      but
      root
      for
      the
     
     
      people
      as
      they
      struggle
      for
      unity,
      and
      the
      less
      jaded
      among
     
     
      us
      might
      even
      feel
      a
      twinge
      of
      pride
      as
      we
      watch
      the
      Fathers
     
     
      of
      Confederation
      put
      pen
      to
      paper
      in
      the
      end,
      as
      most
      of
      us
     
     
      hope
      to
      see
      our
      leaders
      do
      again.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      National
      pride
      aside,
      THE
      GREAT
      ADVENTURE
      isn’ta
      bad
     
     
      little
      production
      from
      an
      artistic
      standpoint.
      One
      complaint
     
     
      of
      some
      of
      the
      critics
      was
      that
      the
      musical
      lacked
      a
      plot,
      but
     
     
      that
      just
      isn’t
      the
      case.
      The
      show
      does
      jump
      back
      and
      forth
     
     
      from
      one
      era
      to
      another
      as
      it
      chronicles
      Canadian
      history,
      but
     
     
      it’s
      more
      than
      a
      collection
      of
      cultural
      vignettes,
      thanks
      to
      a
     
     
      clever
      framing
      sequence
      that
      unites
      all
      the
      disparate
      tales.
     
     
      This
      framing
      sequence
      involves,
      fittingly
      enough,
      a
      train
     
     
      station.
      Trains
      had
      once
      been
      instrumental
      in
      founding
      and
     
     
      uniting
      our
      country
      but
      can
      no
      longer
      compete
      with
      other
     
     
      forms
      of
      transportation,
      and
      are
      gradually
      being
      phased
      out
     
     
      of
      use.
      As
      the
      musical
      opens,
      the
      abandoned
      train
      station
      in
     
     
      question
      has
      become
      a
      hangout
      for
      juvenile
      delinquents
      and
     
     
      is
      slated
      for
      demolition.
      That’s
      why
      a
      retired
      railway
      man
     
     
      named
      Charlie(played
      by
      Bill
      Hosie)
      comes
      back
      on
      this
      day
     
     
      to
      reminisce
      and
      finds
      instead
      a
      gang
      of
      street
      punks,
      one
      of
     
     
      whom
      he
      takes
      under
      his
      wing
      in
      an
      attempt
      to
      explain
      what
     
     
      made
      the
      station
      so
      special
      and
      what
      makes
      Canada
      special,
     
     
      trying
      to
      pass
      on
      his
      appreciation
      of
      his
      country
      and
      its
     
     
      history
      and
      in
      so
      doing
      give
      the
      cynical
      boy
      something
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      believe
      in.
      Both
      Charlie
      and
      the
      boy,
      Cayo
      (played
      capably
     
     
      by
      Craig
      Fair),
      find
      each
      other
      as
      orphans.
      Both
      have
      lost
     
     
      their
      families
      and
      both
      are
      also
      orphans
      in
      a
      larger
      sense,
     
     
      Charlie
      watching
      his
      past
      disappear
      and
      Cayo
      asa
      child
     
     
      without
      a
      purpose
      or
      future.
      The
      musical’s
      story
      or
      conflict
     
     
      comes
      in
      Cayo
      finding
      something
      to
      believe
      in
      as
      Charlie’s
     
     
      storytelling
      brings
      different
      eras
      of
      Canadian
      history
      to
      life,
     
     
      and
      it
      also
      follows
      the
      tentative
      friendship
      that
      develops
     
     
      between
      these
      loners
      as
      they
      come
      to
      share
      a
      dream.
     
     
      There’s
      even
      some
      more
      forceful
      suspense
      in
      the
      countdown
     
     
      to
      the
      station’s
      destruction
      as
      the
      two
      friends
      go
      on
      their
     
     
      vision
      quest
      inside
      it.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Story
      aside,
      a
      major
      element
      of
      any
      musical
      is
      the
      music,
     
     
      and
      this
      musical
      delivers
      more
      than
      its
      share
      of
      tuneful
     
     
      numbers.
      One
      of
      the
      most
      satisfying
      things
      about
      the
      produc-
     
     
      tion
      musicallly
      is
      its
      impressive
      variety.
      As
      the
      show
     
     
      progresses
      the
      production
      showcases
      songs
      from
      just
      about
     
     
      every
      era
      of
      musical
      history,
      beginning
      with
      the
      streetdance
     
     
      that
      opens
      the
      show
      in
      ‘‘Invitation
      to
      a
      Rap’’,
      and
      moving
      on
     
     
      to
      include
      numbers
      like
      ‘‘Rainbow
      in
      my
      Mind’’
      a
      very
     
     
      Sixties
      number
      which
      reminds
      us
      that
      not
      all
      of
      the
      flower
     
     
      children
      were
      down
      in
      Woodstock
      .
      At
      the
      same
      time
      it
     
     
      plays
      up
      the
      similarities
      between
      that
      spiritual
      movement
     
     
      and
      the
      naturalistic
      philosophy
      of
      Native
      Americans,
      a
     
     
      people
      with
      whom
      many
      children
      of
      the
      Sixties
      felt
      a
      great
     
     
      kinship.
      As
      the
      use
      of
      aboriginal
      peoples
      indicates,
      the
     
     
      songs
      reflect
      Canada’s
      cultural
      diversity.
      Another
      number
     
     
      is
      a
      ballet
      set
      to
      a
      hauntingly
      beautiful
      Acadian
      ballad
      (sung
     
     
      partially
      in
      French,
      no
      less).
      Other
      songs
      ranged
      from
      the
     
     
      boisterous
      tunes
      of
      the
      Roaring
      Twenties
      to
      some
      beautifully
     
     
      bluesy,
      melancholy
      numbers
      from
      the
      Great
      Depression,
     
     
      including
      the
      charmingly
      downbeat
      hobo’s
      lamententitled
     
     
      **Boxcar
      501’’,
      and
      the
      far
      more
      upbeat
      ‘‘
      Footloose
      and
     
     
      Fancy
      Free’’.
      The
      show
      provides
      a
      wide
      spectrum
      of
      music
     
     
      for
      all
      to
      enjoy.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Continued
      on
      the
      next
      page...
     
    
   
   
    
     
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      af
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      "GET
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      GUARDIAN
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      Student
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      (mustpresent
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      UPEI
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      September
      10,
      1992