Imagine the following: it’s the early nineteen sixties, a humid, sunny, summer day. A young boy runs across a farm field, care free, open, almost part of the landscape around him. The sparrows and songbirds flit and fly beside him, announcing their own intentions. The wheat, standing shoulder high, moves in the breeze like fabric. The crickets and insects roar in their symphony when he pauses to catch his breath. A fluid moment that reminds him that he is here, in the now /then. Part of the scene, part of the land, part of the moment. The moments we lose to our youth, the moments before the shackles of everyday life change us, the moments when we remember that all of this means something. You can almost feel the summer breeze that blows through his hair on your face, you can almost see the pollen hanging in the air. He remembers these moments for the rest of his life, without knowing at the time that they were so important and influential.
Imagine that a few years later, this young boy would become a young man. Life would tug him in many directions and he would go on to form one of Canada’s greatest bar bands and become a veritable leader in the Canadian music industry, respected by his peers and fans alike. We are, of course, talking about Jim Cuddy, founder and lead vocalist of hallowed Canadian band, Blue Rodeo. His memories of his youth, here in PEC, on a farm south of Cherry Valley have followed and influenced him all of his life.
Now, imagine another teenage youth. This time we are in his bedroom as he tries for the fourth time to try and hit the high note in the song Blue Rodeo song Try. His parents groan, but still he persists. He, like so many other Canadians at the time, is directly affected by the poignancy, emotion and depth of the band’s music. It sticks with him for the rest of his life, influencing so many moments. Think of the soundtrack of your youth and how those notes, words, tempos all kept in just the right memory, just the right moment, just the right feeling. This is what he carries into his future as a teacher, where he uses the very lyrics that influenced him to open his students to new ideas, fresh ways of looking at things, and new ways of looking at their lives and relationships with everything. He leans so far into the influence that he decides to write a story based around this music that means so much to so many. The process begins in 2017 but it isn’t until the pandemic that things really start to heat up. By this time, the young lad has grown fully across a career of teaching and has decided to move to PEC in a full time capacity, for his retirement. Given the confinement of the time, writing and finishing the musical became a priority. Having heard rumours of Jim Cuddy’s connection to the County, he digs further to try and find the proximity of this connection to his reality. In a play of happenstance, a conversation over a fence in his side yard, reveals that his neighbour is Jim Cuddy’s cousin and that the land his house is on may be the very field we spoke about at the beginning of this story. This is Mike Trites, the author and director of In The Key of Blue, a brand new Canadian Musical, based on the music of Blue Rodeo, born and raised right here in PEC. To be clear, the musical that is!
So, here we are, 40 years on from the start of Blue Rodeo. 40 years is quite the achievement for “the best Canadian bar band” as Jim puts it. How apt that at this wonderful celebratory moment, Mike Trites is set to release his musical, based on the music of Blue Rodeo, titled In The Key of Blue upon the world. What a journey on both sides. So many of us have been influenced by the good and beauty of our youth, what a way to show it. In The Key of Blue follows a story that so many of us know in our own way, one of good intention, betrayal, separation and, ultimately, redemption. To add to the County connection, having all parties involved with the production, including lead Emily Fennel, come from the County is a perfect compliment to the origins of this story. As this is written, the Prince Edward County community continues to rally around this remarkable piece of work. From individuals to businesses, to our theatre community, to the Municipal Government, we are seeing support from all corners. We still need your help. Please support this amazing production through any of the following areas.
Our GoFundMe page:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-bring-in-the-key-of-blue-to-life
Our webpage:
Buy tickets for the world premiere:
https://theregenttheatre.vbotickets.com/event/in_the_key_of_blue/180651
Like us and share us on FB and Insta:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577168691483
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For more information send an email to
inthekeyofblueproduction@gmail.com
Help bring the connection closer together. Support In The Key of Blue
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