{"id":7209,"date":"2026-10-22T22:54:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T01:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.twisitheatreblog.com\/?p=7209"},"modified":"2026-10-22T22:54:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T01:54:16","slug":"frenchys-the-thrift-store-musical-is-uniquely-proudly-nova-scotian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.twisitheatreblog.com\/?p=7209","title":{"rendered":"Frenchy’s: The Thrift Store Musical is Uniquely & Proudly Nova Scotian"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Last night at Alderney Landing Theatre in Dartmouth Kat McCormack, the Artistic Director of Eastern Front Theatre<\/a> asked the crowd who had gathered to see David S. Craig and John Roby\u2019s new musical Frenchy\u2019s: The Thrift Musical<\/em>, which is on stage there until November 1st, how many had been to an Eastern Front Theatre production before. A handful of folks clapped. This show has gotten a little bit of press, but nothing above and beyond what musicals tend to get in Nova Scotia- what’s different is that folks are coming to this musical for the title alone. Nova Scotians love Frenchy\u2019s, and they want to see a musical about it. That\u2019s the power of telling local stories.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the show about? It tells the story of a fractured family- Sally, the matriarch played by Martha Irving, lives in Dartmouth, as do her daughter, Gail, played by Julie Martell, and her grandchild Tessa, played by Mara Teare. Sally\u2019s other daughter, Margie, played by M\u00e9lanie LeBlanc, lives in Toronto with her husband and three children, and they do not visit frequently, and are very much set apart from the family in Dartmouth. Sally invites Margie to come to Nova Scotia for a girls\u2019 \u201cspa weekend,\u201d and to Margie\u2019s horror they end up in one of the rural Frenchy\u2019s thrift stores in the middle of a blizzard. Margie finds the concept of thrifting embarrassing, but she also found her style as a sever in a bar in the 1990s and hasn\u2019t updated it since. Tessa is a social justice and climate activist at nineteen, and is balking against having to buy corporate clothes for a job interview in an office their mother has set up for them. They are struggling to communicate clearly to their mother (or even, it seems to themselves) what they want to do in their future, and this is causing some major stress as Gail is also going through a complicated and painful divorce. Frenchy\u2019s isn\u2019t just a fun hook for the show\u2019s title, but it serves as the backdrop for this particular family\u2019s story, and all the ways that buying new clothes at very affordable prices allows you the freedom to take risks and try on different identities- to explore different sides of yourself.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diego Cavedon Dias has chosen great costume pieces for the actors. I loved Julie Martell\u2019s army green jumpsuit, and Margie\u2019s very specific lewk (especially just coming off an airplane and into a blizzard), it says a lot about who she is. I wondered if there was room for Tessa\u2019s outfit to be a bit more goth, or outrageous in a different way- she\u2019s certainly not dressed for a corporate job, but for all the attention she gets for her clothes- especially from Gen Xers who grew up with kids looking like Spike and Liz from Degrassi High<\/em>, Tessa looks like a fairly ordinary teenager to me. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a lot to love about this musical, and it\u2019s obvious that audiences are having a ball. The cast is excellent; they sound gorgeous together in their four part harmonies, and each of them has done a great job at grounding their characters\u2019 relationship with every other character in a lot of truth, warmth, nuance, and humour. I especially love the relationship between Sally and her grandchild Tessa. On the surface they couldn\u2019t look more different- Tessa is sort of in a 90s skater grunge lite phase, and Sally\u2019s clothes look like they\u2019re from 1990s Cotton Ginny. Yet, when Tessa speaks from their heart about the problems in the world that they care about Sally listens with a big open heart and mind. Similarly, when Sally admits that there have been some changes in her life too, it\u2019s Tessa who is the quickest to champion and support their beloved Nana. John Roby\u2019s music is tuneful and catchy, and he uses a variety of different genres of music like Andrew Lloyd Webber does in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat<\/em>, in a way that embraces a lighthearted silliness that balances some of the more serious family scenes. I really like the arc of the story- the way the characters are thrown together during the snowstorm, and how the clothes do serve as plot points, especially throughout the second act- not just for Tessa, but for all the characters.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
Julie Martell, M\u00e9lanie LeBlanc, Mara Teare and Martha Irving Photo James Arthur MacLean Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Audiences have been loving this show just the way it is, but I did have a few dramaturgy questions in the spirit of it being a brand new Canadian musical. Tessa drops a bit of a bombshell on Gail when she says that she has been living with an angry woman for her entire life- but Gail doesn\u2019t come across as very angry at all- in fact she is the opposite- she is repressing her own feelings in attempt to manage her sister and her child- the exact same way as Sally. Might it help to boost the tension between Gail and Margie if we really get to see some of Gail\u2019s unbridled anger so it makes more sense why Tessa wants to move out? Given how distant Margie is to the family her judgement bordering on cruelty to a nibling she barely knows seems inappropriate beyond her just having a policy of frankness- I wonder if establishing a specific high stakes falling out they had around the funeral of Sally\u2019s husband might give the audience more insight into why Margie is so hostile toward Tessa from the moment she arrives? I also think there\u2019s room for director Patricia Vanstone to clarify the concept around the actors being able to get up and move through the car during the musical numbers like it doesn\u2019t have a physical form- maybe with more dramatic lighting changes? The songs do seem to exist on a different plane of reality from the scenes- do they come from the collective family imagination or are they coming from one specific character?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is so much in this play that is easy for audiences to relate to- whether its being the matriarch and trying to balance having your own life with helping your children and grandchildren, or being the sandwich generation- still raising a child while also worrying about at what point you might have to also parent your mother? Sally is starting her life over in a way too after the death of her husband. Gail, at a different stage of life, is also starting over after her divorce, and she is about to become an empty nester. Margie has the opposite problem, she has to contend with the fact that maybe her life has become a little bit too rote and predictable, and that she may actually be stifling the people she loves most.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s also a lot of humour in the play. Julie Martell has one song in particular that really brought the house down, but there are many silly interludes of singing and dancing, choreographed by Lesley MacLean, that are so fun and joyful to watch the whole cast givin\u2019 \u2018er. This silliness is also reflected in the band sometimes, like when Musical Director Allen Cole brings out a kazoo. The band all play instruments that could conceivably show up in a Frenchy\u2019s, which gives the score a very specific playful flavour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had a really fun time at Frenchy\u2019s: The Thrift Musical<\/em>. You couldn\u2019t ask for a better group of actors to bring these characters to life. The audience was so engaged and delighted, and you could feel a real sense of Nova Scotian pride in folks that this was a story about the women in their community navigating the current political hellscape and one another, and in times of stress and tumult they were turning to Frenchy\u2019s for a rush of adrenaline and dopamine, and a fresh new [out]look on life.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frenchy’s: The Thrift Store Musical<\/em> by David S. Craig and John Roby and directed by Patricia Vanstone plays at Alderney Landing Theatre (2 Ochterloney Street, Dartmouth) until November 1st, 2026. Performances run Wednesday to Saturday at 7:30pm with 1:00pm matinees on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. Tickets are General Admission, and are very reasonably priced (just like Frenchy’s) on a sliding Pay What You Can Price Scale between $35.00 and $55.00. Tickets are available online here. <\/a>November 1st has ASL Interpretation. The show runs 2.5 hours including an intermission. AUDIENCE NOTES- some mature content and flickering\/moving lights. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accessibility Notes from Eastern Front Theatre:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transit Access<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Halifax Transit Dartmouth Ferry arrives directly at Alderney Landing, and Alderney Gate is serviced by Halifax Transit buses #5, 6+, 53, 54, 55, 62, 158, 159, 161, 165, 168+.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Physical Access<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Theatre is on the second level of Alderney Landing, accessible by passenger elevator and stairs. Parking is available onsite, with curbside dropoff and automatic doors at the main entrance to the building. Alderney Landing is connected to Alderney Gate by pedway, accessible by elevator, escalator and stairs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u200bSeating<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fixed stadium seats fold down and are 16.5 inches deep and 20 inches wide from the inside of each (shared) armrest. Front row seating is on the same level as the entrance and can be reserved in advance by emailing info@EasternFrontTheatre.com<\/a>. There are stairs leading to the rest of the rows, 7 inches high and 17 inches deep. There is no handrail. Armless chairs are available upon request and will be placed in the front row, they are 16 inches deep and 15.5 inches wide. For assistance, or to request priority seating before the house is opened, please check in with EFT Staff or Volunteers.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u200bBathrooms<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are two all gender bathrooms in the rotunda lobby, one with toilet stalls only, and one with toilet stalls and urinals. Both bathrooms are equipped with various hygiene products. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u200bEnvironmental Sensitivities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We aim to provide a scent-free environment, and make every effort to use products that are scent-free where possible (including alcohol-based hand sanitizer). We encourage all patrons to be mindful of the effects of strong scents, and ask that patrons avoid wearing or using scented personal products while onsite.
 If you have any questions about the accessibility measures in place, please email us at info@easternfronttheatre.com<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Canadian Theatre Criticism is an essential part of a healthy and thriving theatre community. It helps theatre companies find new audiences for their shows, deepens audiences\u2019 engagement with local artists and the work being created in their communities, and it is one of the best ways to preserve a snapshot of an ephemeral art form for future generations of theatre lovers.\u00a0TWISI relies on support from its Subscribers<\/a>, folks like you who care about the survival of local and independent arts coverage. Please consider\u00a0becoming a Subscriber today<\/a>, or\u00a0click here for more information<\/a>. Thank you so much for supporting TWISI.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last night at Alderney Landing Theatre in Dartmouth Kat McCormack,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7210,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4671],"tags":[4592,3932,4639,4650,7598,3670,4651,3961,3220,3668,9064,3485,8831,6718],"class_list":["post-7209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-review","tag-alderney-landing-theatre","tag-allen-cole","tag-dartmouth","tag-david-s-craig","tag-diego-cavedon-dias","tag-eastern-front-theatre","tag-john-roby","tag-julie-martell","tag-kathryn-mccormack","tag-lesley-maclean","tag-mara-teare","tag-martha-irving","tag-melanie-leblanc","tag-patricia-vanstone"],"yoast_head":"\nFrenchy's: The Thrift Store Musical is Uniquely & Proudly Nova Scotian - The Way I See It Theatre & Music Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Last night at Alderney Landing Theatre in Dartmouth Kat McCormack, the Artistic Director of Eastern Front Theatre asked the crowd who had gathered to see David S. Craig and John Roby\u2019s new musical Frenchy\u2019s: The Thrift Musical, which is on stage there until November 1st, how many had been to an Eastern Front Theatre production before. A handful of folks clapped. This show has gotten a little bit of press, but nothing above and beyond what musicals tend to get in Nova Scotia- what's different is that folks are coming to this musical for the title alone. Nova Scotians love Frenchy\u2019s, and they want to see a musical about it. That\u2019s the power of telling local stories.\u00a0What is the show about? It tells the story of a fractured family- Sally, the matriarch played by Martha Irving, lives in Dartmouth, as do her daughter, Gail, played by Julie Martell, and her grandchild Tessa, played by Mara Teare. Sally\u2019s other daughter, Margie, played by M\u00e9lanie LeBlanc, lives in Toronto with her husband and three children, and they do not visit frequently, and are very much set apart from the family in Dartmouth. 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Frenchy\u2019s isn\u2019t just a fun hook for the show\u2019s title, but it serves as the backdrop for this particular family\u2019s story, and all the ways that buying new clothes at very affordable prices allows you the freedom to take risks and try on different identities- to explore different sides of yourself.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.twisitheatreblog.com\/?p=7209\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Way I See It Theatre & Music Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/twisihalifax\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-10-23T01:54:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-23T01:54:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.twisitheatreblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/IMG_6296-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Amanda Campbell\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Amanda Campbell\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.twisitheatreblog.com\/?p=7209#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.twisitheatreblog.com\/?p=7209\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Amanda Campbell\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.twisitheatreblog.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2acdb91c67a7c73bbe572ed62f39cf80\"},\"headline\":\"Frenchy’s: The Thrift Store Musical is Uniquely & Proudly Nova Scotian\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-23T01:54:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-23T01:54:16+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.twisitheatreblog.com\/?p=7209\"},\"wordCount\":1843,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.twisitheatreblog.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.twisitheatreblog.com\/?p=7209#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.twisitheatreblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/IMG_6296-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"alderney landing theatre\",\"allen cole\",\"dartmouth\",\"david s. craig\",\"diego cavedon dias\",\"eastern front theatre\",\"john roby\",\"julie martell\",\"kathryn mccormack\",\"lesley maclean\",\"mara teare\",\"martha irving\",\"m\u00e9lanie leblanc\",\"patricia vanstone\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Review\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.twisitheatreblog.com\/?p=7209\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.twisitheatreblog.com\/?p=7209\",\"name\":\"Frenchy's: The Thrift Store Musical is Uniquely & Proudly Nova Scotian - The Way I See It Theatre & Music Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.twisitheatreblog.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.twisitheatreblog.com\/?p=7209#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.twisitheatreblog.com\/?p=7209#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.twisitheatreblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/IMG_6296-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-23T01:54:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-23T01:54:16+00:00\",\"description\":\"Last night at Alderney Landing Theatre in Dartmouth Kat McCormack, the Artistic Director of Eastern Front Theatre asked the crowd who had gathered to see David S. 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Craig and John Roby\u2019s new musical Frenchy\u2019s: The Thrift Musical, which is on stage there until November 1st, how many had been to an Eastern Front Theatre production before. A handful of folks clapped. This show has gotten a little bit of press, but nothing above and beyond what musicals tend to get in Nova Scotia- what's different is that folks are coming to this musical for the title alone. Nova Scotians love Frenchy\u2019s, and they want to see a musical about it. That\u2019s the power of telling local stories.\u00a0What is the show about? It tells the story of a fractured family- Sally, the matriarch played by Martha Irving, lives in Dartmouth, as do her daughter, Gail, played by Julie Martell, and her grandchild Tessa, played by Mara Teare. Sally\u2019s other daughter, Margie, played by M\u00e9lanie LeBlanc, lives in Toronto with her husband and three children, and they do not visit frequently, and are very much set apart from the family in Dartmouth. Sally invites Margie to come to Nova Scotia for a girls\u2019 \u201cspa weekend,\u201d and to Margie\u2019s horror they end up in one of the rural Frenchy\u2019s thrift stores in the middle of a blizzard. Margie finds the concept of thrifting embarrassing, but she also found her style as a sever in a bar in the 1990s and hasn\u2019t updated it since. Tessa is a social justice and climate activist at nineteen, and is balking against having to buy corporate clothes for a job interview in an office their mother has set up for them. They are struggling to communicate clearly to their mother (or even, it seems to themselves) what they want to do in their future, and this is causing some major stress as Gail is also going through a complicated and painful divorce. Frenchy\u2019s isn\u2019t just a fun hook for the show\u2019s title, but it serves as the backdrop for this particular family\u2019s story, and all the ways that buying new clothes at very affordable prices allows you the freedom to take risks and try on different identities- to explore different sides of yourself.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.twisitheatreblog.com\/?p=7209","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Frenchy's: The Thrift Store Musical is Uniquely & Proudly Nova Scotian - The Way I See It Theatre & Music Blog","og_description":"Last night at Alderney Landing Theatre in Dartmouth Kat McCormack, the Artistic Director of Eastern Front Theatre asked the crowd who had gathered to see David S. 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Sally invites Margie to come to Nova Scotia for a girls\u2019 \u201cspa weekend,\u201d and to Margie\u2019s horror they end up in one of the rural Frenchy\u2019s thrift stores in the middle of a blizzard. Margie finds the concept of thrifting embarrassing, but she also found her style as a sever in a bar in the 1990s and hasn\u2019t updated it since. Tessa is a social justice and climate activist at nineteen, and is balking against having to buy corporate clothes for a job interview in an office their mother has set up for them. They are struggling to communicate clearly to their mother (or even, it seems to themselves) what they want to do in their future, and this is causing some major stress as Gail is also going through a complicated and painful divorce. 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Sally invites Margie to come to Nova Scotia for a girls\u2019 \u201cspa weekend,\u201d and to Margie\u2019s horror they end up in one of the rural Frenchy\u2019s thrift stores in the middle of a blizzard. Margie finds the concept of thrifting embarrassing, but she also found her style as a sever in a bar in the 1990s and hasn\u2019t updated it since. Tessa is a social justice and climate activist at nineteen, and is balking against having to buy corporate clothes for a job interview in an office their mother has set up for them. They are struggling to communicate clearly to their mother (or even, it seems to themselves) what they want to do in their future, and this is causing some major stress as Gail is also going through a complicated and painful divorce. 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