Bryan Kling, Izzi Nagel, Claire Boudreau, Michael McLeister, Lauren Wolanski, Aliya Hamid in Anne (Photo by Barry Scheffler)

I was unabashedly delighted by the Guild Festival Theatre’s production of Anne. With its fragments of historic architecture amidst lush greenery, the Greek Theatre at Guild Park and Gardens is an ideal setting for this iconic tale of Anne Shirley—the imaginative, outspoken, red-braided orphan—who enchants the residents of the small P.E.I. town of Avonlea.

I’ve never read any of L. M. Montogemery’s Anne of Green Gables books, though I vaguely recall enjoying, as a child, the Megan Follows mini-series. The older I get, the more guilty I feel—as an avid reader and a Canuck—for not being more familiar with this classic of Canadian literature. My knowledge of the material being so limited, I can’t say how well Paul Ledoux’s stage play captures the spirit of the original, though I imagine it serves as a charming medley of highlights.  Continue Reading