{"data":{"id":"f8d9f057-933e-440a-ae93-4c4f8c38bda0","originKind":"SYNDICATED","title":"Review: Theatre Network's Oh Anne! a smart, funny adaptation","summary":"The first show of the new season at Theatre Network secures its place in our hearts with a combination of exuberant performance, stirring music and a comforting familiarity with a Canadian classic.\n\nWhile Bridget Ryan’s Oh, Anne! — a new musical based on Lucy Maud Montgomery’s novel Anne of Green Gables — dramatically truncates the story of everybody’s favourite orphaned redhead, the adaptation is not as awkward as one might fear. That’s because, as Canadians, there’s hardly a detail of Anne Shirley’s backstory, or her signature expressions, with which we are unfamiliar. The mere mention of phrases such as “My life is a perfect graveyard of buried hopes” or “bosom friend” resonates deep within our bodies.\n\nAs a result of this attachment, and thanks also to a well-designed and directed production, Oh, Anne! feels like the national anthem, maple syrup and a hockey sweater tightly packaged into 90-heart-warming minutes. It’s at The Roxy until Oct. 18.\n\nThe show stars four powerhouse women — Jordan Empson, Jorja Polischuk, Emma Reynolds and Abby McDougall — playing all the roles in the story, from the busybody Mrs. Rachel Lynde, to Matthew and Marilla, plus Diana, Gilbert and also a cow. Reynolds plays Anne and only Anne and while she is not a carrot-head, red ribbons in her braids do the trick nicely. Her shining face, apple cheeks and body bursting with energy bring the role to life.\n\nDressed in tartan kilts and equipped with strong voices and muscular moves, the cast moves rapidly through the narrative. There’s a lot to fit in, and the audience could feel rushed, but nearly a dozen primarily East Coast traditional tunes with exquisitely crafted harmonies keep the story anchored emotionally. (Kudos to musical director Lisa MacDougall.) The songs serve as stepping stones that feel remarkably well-suited to the plot points. When Anne first arrives on the farm near Avonlea, and she’s not a boy as anticipated, the song Leave Her hits hard. (I was in tears, though I know very well that they take her.) Matthew’s death (no spoiler here unless you’ve been in a coma since 1908) is equally well-reflected in Matthew’s Song. The New Zealand sea shanty, Wellerman, has the audience clapping along (“Soon may the Wellerman come, to bring us sugar and tea and rum”). Feel good only begins to describe the tone of the evening.\n\nThe show comes to The Roxy from the Carter Ryan Gallery in Canmore, where life and business partners Bridget Ryan and Jason Carter produced it to sold-out crowds in their 51-seat performance space throughout the summer of 2026. It makes the move to the 200-seat Nancy Power stage with ease.\n\nCarter designed the simple set, fashioned to look like the interior of a barn, with stepladders, beams and benches that stand in for Anne’s room, a horse-drawn carriage, and the parlour where Anne unwittingly gets Diana drunk on what she thinks is raspberry cordial. A large, painted backdrop of the ocean is crafted in Carter’s signature style, all bold greens and royal blues, with a red and white lighthouse in the distance. (Oh, Anne! runs alongside an art exhibit by Carter in the Lorne Cardinal theatre at The Roxy — a lovely companion piece to the show.)\n\nThere’s little doubt that the plot points of Anne of Green Gables are in distressingly close quarters in Oh, Anne!, stuffed into the script like piggies in a blanket. I’d barely registered Matthews tragic heart attack before Marilla was going blind and Anne had walked away from a prestigious scholarship. The show could use an extra breath or two. Still, it works.\n\nTheatre Network was wise to extend the show beyond the usual three-week run, giving Edmontonians five weeks to catch this performance. It’s smart, funny, and heart-breaking, too. Just like our girl, Anne.\n\nRelated Concert review: Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age ablaze at Commonwealth Stadium\n\nEdmonton home cook hopes to win big in this season's MasterChef Canada\n\nOh, Anne! presented by Carter-Ryan Theatre and Theatre Network Playwright Adapted by Bridget Ryan and based on Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery\n\nDirector Bridget Ryan\n\nFeaturing Jordan Empson, Jorja Polischuk, Emma Reynolds and Abby McDougall\n\nWhere Theatre Network 10708 124 St.\n\nWhen Through Oct. 18\n\nTickets Available starting at $37 through theatrenetwork.ca or by calling 780-453-2440","url":"https://edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/review-oh-anne-theatre-network-roxy","imageUrl":"https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/edmontonjournal/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/mc1_8171_305288879.jpg","publishedAt":"2026-09-18T22:27:42.000Z","sourceLabel":"Edmonton Journal Music","tags":["Entertainment","Local Arts","Theatre"],"authorName":"Liane Faulder","contentHtml":"\"Oh

The first show of the new season at Theatre Network secures its place in our hearts with a combination of exuberant performance, stirring music and a comforting familiarity with a Canadian classic.

While Bridget Ryan’s Oh, Anne! — a new musical based on Lucy Maud Montgomery’s novel Anne of Green Gables — dramatically truncates the story of everybody’s favourite orphaned redhead, the adaptation is not as awkward as one might fear. That’s because, as Canadians, there’s hardly a detail of Anne Shirley’s backstory, or her signature expressions, with which we are unfamiliar. The mere mention of phrases such as “My life is a perfect graveyard of buried hopes” or “bosom friend” resonates deep within our bodies.

As a result of this attachment, and thanks also to a well-designed and directed production, Oh, Anne! feels like the national anthem, maple syrup and a hockey sweater tightly packaged into 90-heart-warming minutes. It’s at The Roxy until Oct. 18.

The show stars four powerhouse women — Jordan Empson, Jorja Polischuk, Emma Reynolds and Abby McDougall — playing all the roles in the story, from the busybody Mrs. Rachel Lynde, to Matthew and Marilla, plus Diana, Gilbert and also a cow. Reynolds plays Anne and only Anne and while she is not a carrot-head, red ribbons in her braids do the trick nicely. Her shining face, apple cheeks and body bursting with energy bring the role to life.

Dressed in tartan kilts and equipped with strong voices and muscular moves, the cast moves rapidly through the narrative. There’s a lot to fit in, and the audience could feel rushed, but nearly a dozen primarily East Coast traditional tunes with exquisitely crafted harmonies keep the story anchored emotionally. (Kudos to musical director Lisa MacDougall.) The songs serve as stepping stones that feel remarkably well-suited to the plot points. When Anne first arrives on the farm near Avonlea, and she’s not a boy as anticipated, the song Leave Her hits hard. (I was in tears, though I know very well that they take her.) Matthew’s death (no spoiler here unless you’ve been in a coma since 1908) is equally well-reflected in Matthew’s Song. The New Zealand sea shanty, Wellerman, has the audience clapping along (“Soon may the Wellerman come, to bring us sugar and tea and rum”). Feel good only begins to describe the tone of the evening.

\"

The show comes to The Roxy from the Carter Ryan Gallery in Canmore, where life and business partners Bridget Ryan and Jason Carter produced it to sold-out crowds in their 51-seat performance space throughout the summer of 2026. It makes the move to the 200-seat Nancy Power stage with ease.

Carter designed the simple set, fashioned to look like the interior of a barn, with stepladders, beams and benches that stand in for Anne’s room, a horse-drawn carriage, and the parlour where Anne unwittingly gets Diana drunk on what she thinks is raspberry cordial. A large, painted backdrop of the ocean is crafted in Carter’s signature style, all bold greens and royal blues, with a red and white lighthouse in the distance. (Oh, Anne! runs alongside an art exhibit by Carter in the Lorne Cardinal theatre at The Roxy — a lovely companion piece to the show.)

There’s little doubt that the plot points of Anne of Green Gables are in distressingly close quarters in Oh, Anne!, stuffed into the script like piggies in a blanket. I’d barely registered Matthews tragic heart attack before Marilla was going blind and Anne had walked away from a prestigious scholarship. The show could use an extra breath or two. Still, it works.

Theatre Network was wise to extend the show beyond the usual three-week run, giving Edmontonians five weeks to catch this performance. It’s smart, funny, and heart-breaking, too. Just like our girl, Anne.

Related

Oh, Anne! presented by Carter-Ryan Theatre and Theatre Network

Playwright Adapted by Bridget Ryan and based on Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Director Bridget Ryan

Featuring Jordan Empson, Jorja Polischuk, Emma Reynolds and Abby McDougall

Where Theatre Network 10708 124 St.

When Through Oct. 18

Tickets Available starting at $37 through theatrenetwork.ca or by calling 780-453-2440

","slug":"review-theatre-networks-oh-anne-a-smart-funny-adaptation","publicPath":"/news/2026-09-18-review-theatre-networks-oh-anne-a-smart-funny-adaptation"}}