Popular music has always had a Canadian connection, the list of important, influential and just plain entertaining artists that count Canada as their country of origin gets longer by the day. For Canada 150, Leisa Way wanted to celebrate the history of Canada鈥檚 music and make a show about Canadian talent and the songs from our country. Oh Canada, We Sing for Thee kicks off the Yorkton Arts Council鈥檚 2017/18 Stars for Saskatchewan series on October 3.
Way describes the show as a great party for everyone in the family, no matter what they鈥檙e into, because of the sheer variety of music.
鈥淚t鈥檚 one of those shows every age can enjoy because the music spans all the genres of music. Most of them are number one hits, so you鈥檝e heard them, and most of the audience sings along with every song in the show.鈥�
The problem with doing a show about Canada is that you鈥檙e going to have a lot of music to choose from, Way admits.
鈥淚t could have been eight hours long, there鈥檚 so much amazing music.鈥�
To figure out what the play, Way talked to people, going from ages 8-80, talking about the Canadian songs they knew, loved and wanted to hear. She focused on number one hits, but admits that there are some big artists in the country that didn鈥檛 have a number one, like Joni Mitchell, who she still felt she had to include.
鈥淪he鈥檚 one of the most iconic and well respected singer-songwriters Canada has produced.鈥�
Then again, using hits as a guide wasn鈥檛 always helpful.
鈥淚n the case of someone like Gordon Lightfoot, he had so many number one hits that it was hard to choose just one. Celine Dion, Shania Twain, how do you choose just one?鈥�
Bringing the performances to life is a group of musicians which Way notes are at the top of their field, but while they have rich resumes, what the audience really cares about is what they do on stage, and how they bring the music to life.
鈥淲e have absolutely phenomenal musicians... They鈥檝e worked with the best in the business, from Vince Gill to the Supremes... I鈥檝e got a range of young and old musicians who have done it all in their careers. One of my guys is an Academy Award nominated composer.鈥�
Having a big crew of musicians on stage is also great for Way herself, as she has time to transform into many different singers while the band takes over, something she says is great fun for her.
鈥淚 get to get off stage and change 12 times into 12 different women.鈥�
Putting together the show helped Way and the band realize how good the music is, as they broke it down and looked at how the songs were put together.
鈥淐anadian songwriters can be put up against any songwriter in the world and we will come out on top. You look at Gordon Lightfoot, Neil Young, and Leonard Cohen, the greatest songwriters in the world.鈥�
Way also researched the origins of the song to tell the audience, and she says that makes the song more enjoyable, because it gives you insight into what was going on in the writer鈥檚 mind as they wrote it.
鈥淲e bring that extra element. It鈥檚 not a concert where you just go from song to song to song and you just hear the hits and that鈥檚 it. It would be fun, but we add another element to it, and I think the audience really loves that.鈥�
The goal was to make a celebration, because it鈥檚 a celebration of Canada and our culture. She believes that in today鈥檚 world, it鈥檚 important to remember that the hallmarks of Canadian culture, being the nice country in North America, is something we need to embrace and celebrate.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a time when Canadians are feeling even more proud. We make a joke in the show about how humble Canadians are, at the same time we boast about all the wonderful things in Canada.鈥�
Way admits that they have not spent much time in Saskatchewan, so she鈥檚 excited about the tour across the province, and meeting people as they go from town to town and seeing the different corners of the province. It鈥檚 her first time in Yorkton, and she鈥檚 excited to visit the Anne Portnuff Theatre, especially after learning it鈥檚 the 50th anniversary of the building. She notes that one of her musicians has never toured across the country, as he mostly worked as a session musician and composer, and the other is a young fiddle player who has also never toured before, so it鈥檚 exciting for her band.
Oh Canada, We Sing for Thee will be at the Anne Portnuff Theatre on October 3 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at yorktonarts.ca.
