David Scott’s The Ballad of Stompin’ Tom, playing now at the sparkling Capitol Theatre in Port Hope, is a joyous and quintessentially Canadian creation that dramatizes the life story of iconoclastic singer-songwriter Stompin’ Tom Connors.
And to call a spud a spud, the music is the biggest star. We open and close with Stompin’ Tom’s biggest hits “Bud the Spud” and “The Hockey Song” — and in between, you’re guaranteed to hear many of your other favourites. Performed live by an enthusiastic, talented cast within the great sightlines and acoustics of the Capitol, the music feels timeless and substantial . . . and at the same time fresh and new.
This musical celebration – we might almost call it a concert with interpolated scenes – is directed with vigour by Capitol Theatre Artistic Director Rob Kempson. On the Capitol stage, the gifted performers flow almost seamlessly in and out of their dual roles – first, as musicians providing musical accompaniment as Stompin’ Tom’s backup band, and second, as actors playing diverse roles in the vignettes between the songs which tell us Tom’s life story.
We meet Tom at three different ages. Jack Barr is tiny young Tommy, living with mother Isabel (Donna Garner), then adoptive mother Cora (Donna Payne). Hanuel Li is teenaged Tom – with a gorgeous voice and winning energy — who is starting to assert his agency. And Scott Carmichael is the plainspoken, authentic-feeling adult Stompin’ Tom. Carmichael channels a winning combination of determination, ingenuity, unflagging endurance . . . and musical talent. In aesthetic terms, he probably sings better than the real Stompin’ Tom, and he channels the original’s iconoclastic spirit, deliberateness and plainspoken charm in a dazzling performance.
The actors deliver on the iconic biographical moments: harrowing scenes from Tom’s childhood, Tom’s big break in Timmins, the stompin’ board (it’s a real thing), Connors’ Quixotic defence of Canadian music, and much more. And Brandon Kleiman’s set serves the concert and these iconic moments well by being both evocative and functional. The stage is dominated by a massive guitar – it’s about the music, remember! And clever scaffolding behind it and across the center of the stage allows for spotlighting of certain musicians, the shift of certain action to up top, and the opportunity for introspective observation. Here, adult Tom can watch the struggles of his younger self . . . or young Tom can watch from above as he matures. There’s a nice sense that this show is about integrating the different personas and presences of Tom at these three ages, so they’re all lurking about – and playing music together.
The first half of the show tells the tale of young Tom’s impoverished youth and unstable family situation. After intermission, we pick up the story of his budding musical career as wanderin’ Tom Connors and the start of his upward trajectory. Then, suddenly . . . an awkward fold in story time occurs, and Connors is an acknowledged Canadian icon flexing his rhetorical muscles. It’s disorienting but functional: we’ve leapfrogged to a convenient high note on which to close the story, with black-clad Tom at the height of his powers, in a rousing couple of final performances.
But this is just a script quibble. It does not reduce the impact of the show because – I’ll say it again – The Ballad of Stompin’ Tom is first and foremost a concert built around propulsive, infectious, and uniquely Canadian music.
All sins are erased by Stompin’ Tom’s numbers, thanks first to Carmichael’s stage presence, voice, and ability to fill the black hat and jacket. This is true also thanks to the virtuoso instrumentation supporting him: Garner’s animated accordion and Payne’s gorgeous fiddling, plus diverse contributions from Andy Trithardt and Alex St. Kitts, not to mention Barr and Li.
If you’re a fan – or even better, if you haven’t listened to Stompin’ Tom lately — The Ballad of Stompin’ Tom is an ideal show to check out.
See a marvelous ensemble at the height of their powers tell a compelling story.
Remember just how infectiously tappable – and delightfully, plain-spokenly poetic — the songs of Stompin’ Tom are.
And watch the roof blown off a lovely Port Hope theatre just a short drive from Toronto.
The Ballad of Stompin’ Tom is on stage at the Capitol Theatre until July 2, 2023. Reserve rockets on capitoltheatre.com.
© Scott Sneddon, Sesayarts Magazine, 2023
