Pure charm

Micheline Cox (left) and Carlotta Ruttledge stir deep emotions with their rendering of songs made famoust during wartime.

Wellington Thru the Ages takes capacity audience on a delighful stroll through time

There were few dry eyes in the Highline- Hall on Friday night as Wellington Thru the Ages unfurled before a delighted capacity crowd. Tears of laughter, joy and remembrance had been ably summoned by a surprisingly diverse mix of music, mirth and merry making in this wildly entertaining telling of the story of Wellington.

There was something for everyone in this production. The show began with the costumed pioneers parading through the standing- room-only crowd onto the stage as narrator Ricky Blower described life in those early days in Wellington in clever and respectful commentary.

The pioneers gave way to the children of CML Snider school who performed a dance number to the music of the late fiddle player Zeke Mazurek. Young Luc Beaubien stole the show with a breathtaking display of Irish Dancing.

Tea for Tara Hall offered a glimpse into Wellington’s growing merchant economy. Liz Boultbee gave an inspired comedic turn as the village’s telephone operator—the one who knows all the dirty laundry.

The Cannery Years featured the women and children who provided the labour for much of the food processing era in Wellington.

A troupe of very able dancers from Wellington on the Lake then assembled to celebrate the Flapper years.

Bill Boultbee, as Don Maclean, reacts sourly to a question posed to Dukes forward Joe McKeown by Norm Dodgson, channelling Don Cherry. Former Dukes player and fan favourite Cam Yuill enjoys McKeown’s roasting.

The skirl of the bagpipes signaled the show had moved into the war years as the Legion’s Colour party marched to the fore. There were few dry eyes as Micheline Cox and Carlotta Rutledge offered beautifully touching renditions of the classics White Cliffs of Dover and the Road to Tipperary.

Picking up the pace the show took a sporting turn with a skit on the Wellington Dukes as covered by Hockey Night in Canada’s Ron MacLean and Don Cherry. Featuring well known Wellington characters Bill Boultbee and Norm Dodgson as MacLean and Cherry, the bit featured interviews with Dukes current and past.

The segment concluded with the dance troupe’s return with the most energetic, highstepping and graceful referees this side of the Bay of Quinte.

The show was designed to end with a song by show creator Joan Turner celebrating the County’s wine industry. But with Joan sidelined by surgery, Micheline Cox and Carlotta Rutledge recited the song Grapevines grow all around, as they encouraged the crowd to join in the chorus—which they did with great vigour.

The show came to a rousing conclusion with the performance of Thanks for the Memories. Once again the crowd was encouraged to sing along—the lyrics included in the program.

With wide smiles and many vivid memories the audience spilled out into the warm summer night. For many their eyes had been opened as to the talent, energy and resourcefulness of the folks who live in Wellington and call it home.

The show was created as a one – night-only performance to celebrate the village’s 150 birthday, but the requests for additional staging of the event have already begun to be heard.

It seems Wellington Thru the Ages is a hit.