In the Key of Blue

New musical drama featuring the songs of Blue Rodeo

Cherry Valley resident Mike Trites has been smitten by the songs of Blue Rodeo ever since he first heard their song Try. “It made me want to be Jim Cuddy. He was a song hero. I always thought I’d love to have his voice,” he says. As a dramatic arts teacher in Durham Region, he incorporated the group’s lyrics in his high school classroom. He was also very active in the region’s community theatre scene, as a director and producer as well as an award-winning playwright. In 2017, he started writing a play that incorporated the music of Blue Rodeo. “I looked at Blue Rodeo’s songbook and separated it into broad themes, and those songs helped me to write the story.” The play, In the Key of Blue, is about a couple, Jarod Scott and Candice Darwell, struggling to make ends meet. Jarod, played by John Kenny, is a musician who gets a big break when his band is hired to perform at a nationally televised political rally. Candice works in a local café and is played by Juno-nominated blues musician Miss Emily. The “big break” doesn’t quite go as planned, and in the second act Jarod and Candice try to put the pieces of their life back together. Mr. Trites says the play is fundamentally about Prince Edward County and there are plenty of local references, such as Benson Park, Hartley’s Tavern and Beacon Bike and Brew.

Mr. Trites finished writing the play in 2021, during the shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. By then, he and his wife had moved to Cherry Valley full time, and a chance meeting with a neighbour put the play on the eventual road to production. That neighbour, Liz Pierson, was a first cousin to Jim Cuddy and offered to send the script to him. “I thought to myself, okay, this has been delivered. I could hand this to an agent and it would be shelved and never get any traction. So I said if you can get this to him that would be great.” In 2024, Mr. Trites met with Jim Cuddy and obtained the approval and licence to use the music of Blue Rodeo in his play.

The choice of John Kenny for the role of Jarod came after Mr. Trites heard him sing at a New Year’s Eve party. “His voice was incredible and I thought to myself, ‘That guy should be in musicals.’ He has incredible talent. He can actually do Try, unlike 99.9 per cent of us.”

Mr. Trites’ connection to community theatre in the County brought him into contact with Monica Alyea, Miss Emily’s mother. He found out that Miss Emily had an interest in musical theatre and had been accepted into the musical theatre program at Sheridan College, but turned it down as her music career was just taking off. “It was a decision she’s regretted, but it turned out the be the right one for her. She missed out on theatre and she’s really enthusiastic about being in this play,” says Mr. Trites.

The play is being funded through donations, a GoFundMe page and an online auction. Mr. Trites is grateful for the community support. Donors have provided seed money to get the production going, and local businesses have stepped up to help. Last Saturday, County Cider Company offered a special cider, In the Key of Blueberry, with proceeds going to the production. Mr. Trites said the play is a not-for-profit fundraiser for the Regent Theatre, where it will premiere on July 3. There are about 63 people involved in the production of this play, all on a volunteer basis. “There is no guarantee of a pay for the performers. This is a fundraiser for the Regent. I’d be happy to get great ticket sales, because then the performers could get a small stipend to cover their expenses of travelling to rehearsals,” says Mr. Trites. The play will be staged at the Regent Theatre on July 3, 4 and 5. It will then run for three shows at the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts on July 10, 11, and 12. It will close at the Peterborough Showcase Performance Centre on July 17. For more information about the play, or to join the online auction, please visit inthekeyofblue.ca