The Mamas and the Papas will feature one of Cape Breton’s busiest leading men, Ron Newcombe, who used his silky vocal tones to bring Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers back to life in last year’s Legends show. This year, Newcombe will take on the role of Denny Doherty of the Mamas and the Papas. Vocalist Margaret MacPherson, of the Cape Breton Summertime Revue, will lend her killer pipes to the Legends cast in her role as Michelle Phillips and popular recording artist Jordan Musycsyn steps in to play husband and bandmate, John Phillips. Completing the famous foursome will be well-known performer Jenn Sheppard, who will take on the role of Mama Cass. Sheppard appeared as Patsy Cline in Legends 2017.
“This quartette is solid,” says Legends Producer and Director, Stephen Muise. “Jordan, Margaret and Jenn have been honing their blend, performing together in the Revue and in various other shows for the past number of years. Ron was able to fit perfectly into that blend. Great ears for harmony is obviously a must for this kind of group — so we’ve heard the true sounds of the Mamas and the Papas come to life at rehearsals.”
Legends II also pays tribute to the musical duo of Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield, more popularly known as The Righteous Brothers. Transplanted Cape Bretoners Colin Burke, son of well-known performer Richard Burke, and Aaron Leadbeater, son of singer Tom Leadbeater, have accepted the challenge to recreate the magic on stage together. Colin Burke currently performs regularly throughout Eastern Canada with his Top 40 band Satori, and aside from his performances with some of Canada’s best-known artists, audiences might recognize Aaron Leadbeater from the latest round of Captain Morgan television commercials, in which he plays the lead character.
“These two gentlemen have both inherited their dads’ talent, and then some,” says Muise. “We needed powerhouse vocals to pull this one off, so we were lucky to have found Colin and Aaron available and willing to tackle the material. It’s a nice bonus that the show gets them back home to Cape Breton to visit for a bit.”
When it came time to choose the talent to bring the legend that is Roy Orbison to the stage, Muise says he knew there was only one man for the job. “Terrance Murphy is the one we needed to make this real. I’ve worked with the guy for 30 years, we call him the man of 1000 voices, so I know we’re going to feel like Roy Orbison actually came to the Savoy.”
Murphy, a professional voice actor, is a member of the annual Happy Ha Ha Holidaze show and currently performs as a front man for the event bands The Privateers and High Society.
Savoy Theatre Manager Pam Leader is excited for audiences to experience the magic of Legends again. “We had so many people tell us they were in awe of the first Legends show; that they felt like they were whisked away, back in time. We can’t wait to do that all again.”
The Legends show has a twist in the form of the accidental narrators, who take audiences haphazardly through a musical timeline via their own life stories. This year’s narrators will be played by Heather Kerr and Colin Appleton, who are both well-known on stages in Cape Breton.
“Heather was our narrator last year and has many previous stage credits to her name,” explains Muise. “Colin is front and centre in the Savoy dinner theatres and rocked the Buddy Holly part for the first Legends. They’ll take us on this musical journey.”
In addition to the tribute performers and narrators, the Legends II band will consist of
veteran, in-demand musicians Fred Lavery, Richard Burke, Aaron C. Lewis, James MacDonald, Em Dingwall and Jeff Stapleton. And the Legends crew would also like to introduce “Claudette”, the centrepiece of the Legends set. “Claudette is a Chevy Camaro that was found in a junkyard and was modified for our purposes. She’s almost become like another cast member at this point,” laughs Muise.
LEGENDS II: Tribute to The Mamas and the Papas, The Righteous Brothers and Roy Orbison hits the Savoy stage Mother’s Day weekend. Two shows only, May 12 at 7pm and May 13 at 2pm. Tickets are available by phone at 902-842-1577 or online at tickets.capebreton.ca.
