Smile Theatre returns with another musical tale

On Thursday, Oct. 24, 1901 Annie Taylor became the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. She was a widowed schoolteacher from Michigan, desperate for money. It was her 46th birthday (she said), but it is now believed that she was in her 60s. She made the journey relatively unscathed, just one small cut on her forehead. Unfortunately for Annie, she was not a success on the speaking circuit and her dreams of making enough money to pay her debts did not materialize. She died a pauper in 1921.

A musical tale of Annie Edson Taylor is the next presentation in the Smile Theatre series playing at the Algonquin Theatre on Tuesday, April 24, 2007, at 2:30 p.m. Titled Queen of the Mist, the play features Marnie Kersten as Annie Taylor. Kersten is a graduate of the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts’ Triple Threat program and recipient of a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Queen’s University. Kersten is making her Smile debut, but most recently performed the role of Mrs. Meadows in the workshop performance of Fireweeds (Canadian Music Theatre Festival).

The book and lyrics for Queen of the Mist were written by Lezlie Wade Wadley, a writer, director, actor and a native of Niagara Falls. Previous Smile writing credits include Make ‘em Laugh and A Christmas Carol, both of which were presented at the Algonquin Theatre. The music and musical direction are by Wayne Gwillim, who recently provided arrangements for At the Hop, Make ‘em Laugh and Radio Daze, which also were presented in Huntsville.

Smile Theatre is the only professional theatre company in Ontario dedicated to performing for senior citizens. Each year, Smile tours five original productions to hospitals, long-term care facilities and other seniors’ facilities in Ontario. The company performs, often twice a day, in over 400 shows over an 11-month season to approximately 40,000 seniors.

Smile Theatre tickets are $10 per show and are available from the Algonquin Theatre box office, 789-4975, or online at www.algonquintheatre.ca.

By Gillian Brunette, The Huntsville Forester, April 18, 2007. Copyright 2007 Huntsville Forester. www.huntsvilleforester.com