No rest for the wicked. With the recent sell-out success of Aladdin, Kanata Theatre is gearing up for another big production. The next theatrical spectacle will be Rock and Roll, a play by the well-known playwright John Gray, whose celebrated works include Billy Bishop Goes To War. This energetic play will be like “that old fashioned rock and roll, the kinda music that just soothes your soul”. It is a rollicking tale of an early 60’s band called The Monarchs, who do not let their dreams be limited by their talent.

There are many challenges facing the actors in this energetic play. Not only do the cast members have to sing confidently on stage, they also have to play musical instruments as if they are performing in a live band. The actors are additionally faced with the challenge of playing one character that spans from adolescence to middle age adults without drastic makeup and costume changes. It becomes quite the ordeal when you have to make a relatively thin actor play the part of “fat Donny Parker”.

This musical production brings together much of the team that participated in Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. Larraine Gorman is once again stepping into the role of music director. Rock and Roll is going to be largely an electronically amplified show requiring some sophisticated sound mixing. Rob Fairbairn and Ron Mitchell will be heading up the sound. Technical genius Ian Carlisle is going to reproduce a 1959 Chevy Biscayne. It will be worth going to the show just to see how he accomplished this feat.

The play runs from Jan 27th-31st and from February 3rd-7th 2004 at the Ron Maslin Playhouse, located at 1 Ron Maslin Way (off Terry Fox drive in Kanata). Curtain is at 8pm and tickets are $15.00 each. The box office opens on January 13th. Box-office hours will be Monday thru Friday 5pm-7pm and Saturday mornings 10am-12pm. Check out the Kanata Theatre website for more details at www.kanatatheatre.com or call the box office at 831-4435. Come out to Kanata Theatre: this is a show that promises a lot of “star quality.”

Are you looking for a way to escape from the artic temperatures? Kanata Theatre has the answer to your wishes. Come join the cast and crew on January 27th-31st and February 3rd-7th for the heated performance of Rock and Roll. It is an energized musical play about a 60’s Nova Scotia rock band called "The Monarchs". The play spans a twenty-year time line with the journey of four friends whose friendship is tightly intertwined by the music they play.

The play opens with The Monarchs, a semi-successful Maritime band, on stage at the fictitious Mushaboom Legion Hall. Mushaboom represents all small towns across Canada. The Monarchs are about to play together in their 20th year reunion. You would think that twenty years would have made the band members a little bit wiser. Unfortunately, they fall into their old adolescence tendencies of petty grievances and fist fighting. They need to focus on their upcoming concert and let bygones be bygones.

As the group stand rehearsing on stage, nostalgia floods through them. The audience is taken on a journey of growth, introspection and above all music. Four unlikely friends are bound together by the rock and roll that had defined their lives. The group must put aside their differences in order to give their fans the show they deserve.

This play has show quality that will have you bouncing and grooving in your seats. The music is infectious and you may surprise yourself by clapping along. When you are introduced to the ghost of dead rocker Screamin’ John McGee, the energy in the playhouse will be nothing short of thumping.

You will be amazed by the special effects that will transform the Ron Maslin Playhouse stage. It will largely be a bare stage show, so the lighting crew will be using their expertise to create some drama. There will be a reproduction of a 1959 Chevy Biscayne brought onto the stage. It is going to be a show you will not want to miss.

Come join this energetic cast and crew’s show stopping performance. Tickets are available at the Ron Maslin Playhouse, located at 1 Ron Maslin Way (off Terry Fox Drive in Kanata). Curtain is at 8pm and tickets are $15.00 each. The box office opens on January 13th. Box-office hours will be Monday through Friday 5pm-7pm and Saturday mornings 10am-12pm. Check out the Kanata Theatre website for more details at www.kanatatheatre.com or call the box office at 831-4435. Buy your ticket early so you are not left out in the cold.