The cast of Barkerville Historic Town's Theatre Royal brings its unique brand of olde-time performance to the Brackendale Art Gallery Sunday (April 6).The show will be the last stop on the troupe's six-week, province-wide tour. "We will have performed in over 20 venues and for more than 5,000 people by the time we reach Pemberton Valley and then the Brackendale Art Gallery," said Richard Wright, Theatre Royal's manager. The cast has travelled from the interior to Tofino, playing venues both big and small."Everywhere we had good houses and left them all with a smile," Wright said. The tour, which celebrates 小蓝视频's 150th year as a colony and Barkerville's 50th year as a heritage site, has two goals: to promote the Cariboo and Barkerville as tourist destinations, and to take a little bit of Barkerville to the people of 小蓝视频's communities. "Our shows bring back a lot of memories for folks," said musical director and partner Amy Newman. "They remember visits to Barkerville or they remember some of the music we perform."Newman said they even came across an original Barkerville citizen at one of their shows. "In Port Alberni we met a man who was celebrating his 88th birthday who was born in Barkerville in 1920 in the old Cariboo Hospital."Newman describes the show as "an array of magnificent musical numbers, engaging sketches, fantastical farces, romantic interludes and ostentatious olios." The sketches focus on material that was actually sung on Barkerville's Theatre Royal stage in the 1800s. The music includes tunes that were popular as 小蓝视频 was entering Confederation, and songs and stories that convey Barkerville's history. Barkerville was founded in 1862 and is considered the Gold Rush capital of 小蓝视频 Now a heritage attraction, thousands of people visit Barkerville each summer to watch mining demonstrations, pan for gold, and explore reconstructed buildings and neighbourhoods.But it isn't all historical facts: there are also rollicking, humourous songs done in the style of the great British Music Hall era. "The most common comment from folks is that they have not laughed or sung so much in years," Wright said. The Theatre Royal plays the Brackendale Art Gallery at 8 p.m. on Sunday (April 6). Tickets are $20. For more information, contact the BAG at 604-898-3333.
