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Maggie is a musical with music by Johnny Reid, Matt Murray and Bob Foster, and book and lyrics by Reid and Murray. It is based on the true story of Reid's grandmother, Maggie, a Scottish single mother living in the mining town of Lanarkshire, Scotland between 1954 and 1976.

Premise

Set in Lanark, Scotland, the events in the musical takes place over over two decades, from 1954 to 1976. Maggie is a single mother struggling to raise her three sons, Shug, Tommy, and Wee Jimmy, following the death of her husband. In a post-war era, people are struggling to survive in a changing world, where many young people consider leaving Scotland to find work in other countries. The community rally around Maggie - as well as her friends Betty, Sadie, and Jean - who stay behind and fight through the hard times by holding on to love, family, friendship and humour.

Development

Reid first began working on the musical in 2016, who worked on it with Matt Murray. The musical, which was initially known as My Bonnie Lass, was developed as part of the Canadian Music Theatre Project at Sheridan College, under the guidance of Canadian theatre producer Michael Rubinoff. In 2018, a forty-five minute staged reading was performed by Sheridan College students. It was then further expanded into a ninety-minute musical, which was performed by Sheridan College students in February 2019.

Production history

Maggie premiered at Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton, Ontario, where it played between April 19 and May 6, 2023. It was directed by Mary Francis Moore with choreography by Yasmine Lee and music direction by Bob Foster. It starred Dharma Bizer in the title role as Maggie, who also played the role at the developmental workshop. Following this, the musical headlined the 2023 Charlottetown Festival and also played at the Savoy Theatre in Nova Scotia, with all of the cast reprising their roles.

The musical was further developed, which included In 2024, Maggie received its American premiere at the Goodspeed Opera House. Performances began on August 23, 2024, and it closed on October 20, 2024. Moore returned as director, with choreography by EJ Boyle. Christine Dwyer starred as Maggie.

Cast and characters

Musical numbers

As of the 2024 Goodspeed Musicals production:

Studio cast recording

A studio cast recording was released digitally in 2023, which included the cast of the Sheridan College developmental workshop.

Critical reception

The premiere production in Hamilton received positive reviews. Aisling Murphy of Intermission Magazine drew a parallel between this early production of Maggie and early versions of Come from Away, suggesting it could go on to have similar success. Though Murphy pointed out that it could use some structural reworking to be more cohesive, she said it could be on its way to becoming "Canada's next musical theatre phenomenon." Glenn Sumi similarly praised the musical's "big, generous heart" but said that the book could use further refining.

The Goodspeed Musicals production received positive reviews. Writing for The Hamilton Spectator, Gary Smith noted that it was now a much more sophisticated and fully-fleshed production that had improves its dramaturgy. In his positive review, Smith praised Christine Dwyer's performance, the new songs and script revisions, and the show's transformation into a leaner and more emotionally impactful production.Berkshire on Stage's Mark Auerbach similarly praised Dwyer's powerhouse performance in the title role and production elements. Auerbach also noted Goodspeed's commitment to new musicals that go on to Broadway, and suggested that it may have potential for a larger future beyond its current run. Fred Sokol of Talkin' Broadway said the musical, which is equally uplifting and heartbreaking, is "Broadway ready".

References

1. Rose, Jessica (10 April 2023). "Maggie: A new musical set in post-war Scotland to premiere in Canada this month". National Post. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
2. ^ Gallant, Isabelle (1 December 2022). "New musical by Johnny Reid to headline Charlottetown Festival in 2023". CBC. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
3. "Sheridan's Canadian Music Theatre Project Launches Four New Musicals". BroadwayWorld. 11 October 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
4. Theatre Sheridan. "My Bonnie Lass, February 14 – 25, 2019". Sheridan College. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
5. Morden, Paul (20 October 2023). "Sarnia playwright's new musical set for U.S. premiere in 2024". Sarnia Observer. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
6. Culwell-Block, Logan (23 January 2024). "Goodspeed Adds 3 New Musicals to Upcoming Season at the Terris Theatre". Playbill. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
7. ^ Gans, Andrew (22 July 2024). "Christine Dwyer Will Lead U.S. Premiere of Maggie Musical at Goodspeed". Playbill. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
8. Sager, Nathan (24 January 2023). "Musical scored by Johnny Reid names cast for the Hamilton world premiere of 'Maggie'". InTheHammer. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
9. Goodspeed Musicals. "Maggie Program". Goodspeed Musicals. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
10. "It's here! Stream or download the Studio Cast Recording of MAGGIE today on all digital platforms". Facebook. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
11. Murphy, Aisling (26 April 2023). "Review: Maggie at Theatre Aquarius". Intermission Magazine. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
12. Sumi, Glenn (25 April 2023). "Stoic moms, guilt-ridden dads and Cirque du Soleil: this week in Toronto theatre". So Sumi. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
13. Smith, Gary (9 September 2024). "'Maggie' travels to Connecticut and becomes a leaner, tougher and more visceral musical". Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
14. Auerbach, Mark (5 September 2024). ""Maggie" at Goodspeed Musicals". Berkshire on Stage. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
15. Sokol, Fred. "Maggie". Talkin' Broadway. Retrieved 27 December 2024.

External links

• Official website

• 2023 musicals
• Canadian musicals
• Musicals inspired by real-life events
• Original musicals
• Musicals set in Scotland
• Musicals set in the 1950s
• Musicals set in the 1970s