Letter: Enjoy the sweet simplicity of Avonlea

Published 10:24 am Monday, July 11, 2022

Avonlea Village, in the Cavendish township of Prince Edward Island, is a jewel, near the singing-sand beaches of PEI. With pristine yards and flowering fields, and neatly situated at the confluence of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Atlantic, it invites one to yesteryear.

It is there that Lucy Maud Montgomery sets the delightful stories of “Anne of Green Gables.” While Anne, “with an ’E’” is imaginary, her effervescent character comes to life and continually entertains the imagination. “Letters To Anne of Green Gables” has gone from concept to project, has been crafted, and is being presented this summer, at Fort Columbia, near Chinook, Washington, a continent away.

PAPA (Peninsula Association of Performing Artists), under the direction of Carly Keone, has found a special cast of people to interpret and present this theatric representation of Anne Shirley and her antics; her persistent, precocious charm melts away the chagrin of Marilla and catches away the imagination of her elderly husband, Matthew, to become forever family. Anne’s distinctive spirit glimmers among her classmates and friends. As a trove of letters are found and reflected upon, the simple scenes, brought to live theater, draw us to another time, to another place.

I think I will visit the show, periodically, to see how these young people grow into their characters, some finding the stage for the first time. I may need to take in the emotions, afresh, with each development. I believe you, too, will venture beyond today’s hustle and hassles, post pandemic, and land in quaint village setting, for a lighthearted moment, where the hopes of little red-haired orphan girl are lifted high. Yours may be, too.

“Letters to Anne of Green Gables” runs Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m. and Sunday, 2 p.m. throughout the month of July, at Fort Columbia Theater, Chinook. More information available: papatheater.com.

MARTY COLE

Ocean Park