Maggie the musical coming this summer

Scottishcanadian artist brings story of his grandmother’s life, Maggie, to Charlottetown stage

Canadian country music artist Johnny Reid has been sharing his grandmother’s story ever since she died seven years ago.

The 48-year-old Scottishborn singer will take that story to the stage when Maggie headlines the Charlottetown Festival in 2023.

“My granny was a huge part of my life,’’ Reid told Saltwire Network in a telephone interview from his home in Nashville, Tenn., on Dec. 1. “I spent a lot of time trying to tell people who she was and what she was. Then, I realized I could actually put her on stage. She had a great sense of humour. She was hard working, driven and a great friend. She loved her music and she loved her whiskey.”

Saltwire Network spoke to Reid shortly before the 2022 summer lineup was unveiled at a news conference at The Mack.

Maggie tells the story of Reid’s grandmother, a fiery school cleaner in the mining town of Lanarkshire, Scotland. After her husband was killed in a workplace accident in his early 20s, Reid said she relied on her strength, sense of humour and a fiercely loyal group of friends to raise three boys.

Reid co-wrote the production’s music with Matt Murray and Bob Foster, who co-created the Tell Tale Harbour, which ran a the Sobey Family Theatre this past summer.

Reid said he shared his grandmother’s story with Murray one day. Next thing he knew, a producer called. Foster then jumped on board as musical director.

The interest didn’t stop there.

Sheridan College in Ontario asked Reid if it could put Maggie into development.

Adam Brazier, artistic director of the Charlottetown Festival, then flew to Toronto to take a look and the interest was mutual.

“Before I knew it, this became a passion project,’’ Reid said. “Before I knew it, I was watching my granny up on stage. Now, my granny is going to grace the stage on Prince Edward Island. Everyone is not only going to get a chance to meet her and a whole bunch of characters from a forgotten generation but it’s going to be all tied together with family, friendship, love and loss and perseverance.”

IMMIGRATION TALE

Brazier said Maggie speaks to Islanders and the history of immigration to the Island.

“I fully believe we are the first stop on a very long life for this musical and that is so much a part of our focus as we move forward as a festival,” Brazier said.

Reid said he immigrated with his family to Ontario when he was 15, where his father felt a better life awaited.

“This just feels like the perfect place for it. The story is about people leaving Scotland and Europe. In a weird kind of way, my granny becomes a reflection of Scotland. Every time I’m on Prince Edward Island it reminds me of Scotland.”

Reid said he will be heavily involved in the production before opening night and will be in the audience to watch it but he didn’t want to star in it.

“I really just wanted to make this about my gran.

I wanted to make sure the spotlight was on my gran. That’s why it’s called Maggie.”

What won’t be in the spotlight next year is Anne of Green Gables-the Musical.

The Confederation Centre of the Arts announced in November that the long-running show won’t return until 2024, when it will take the stage every second year.

Reid said he doesn’t feel added pressure to anchor the festival in Anne’s absence.

“No, not really,” he said. “I think (Maggie) is going to stand for itself.”

ALSO PLAYING

The other main stage show is The Play That Goes Wrong, a comedy that has played on Broadway and London’s West End.

The Sherlock Holmes-meet-monty Python production is a play within a play, telling the story of a failing theatre troupe trying to put on a murder mystery.