“Newfoundland Vinyl – The Flip Side” features fabulous music at the Gros Morne Theatre Festival

by Keith and Heather Nicol

    
       One of last season’s “must see “ shows at the Gros Morne Theatre Festival in Cow Head was Newfoundland Vinyl which celebrated Newfoundland music from the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s. And as Jeff Pitcher, the festival director told us recently “How could we resist not putting together another show with different songs and different performers for this season.  There are so many great songs written by Newfoundlanders from that era. And a real bonus is having Allison Crowe, a talented singer/songwriter in her own right as the musical director for the show." This year’s version- Newfoundland Vinyl – The Flip Side presents 20 songs that vary from the serious “Men who die for a Living” to the humorous “Seven Old Ladies” who get stuck in a lavatory. The cast features 5 musicians and Ed and Ed who provide a comedic backdrop with their attempts to MC the show. The night we saw it we had my brother and his wife in tow and they loved the show even though many of the songs weren’t familiar to them since they live in Victoria, B.C. The show was sold out the night we were there so if you are planning to see it you should purchase tickets as soon as possible. For more information on TNL’s Gros Morne Theatre Festival schedule or to book tickets to a show see- www.theatrenewfoundland.com or call 1-877-243-2899. 

Amelia Manual and Claire Hewlett in Newfoundland Vinyl-The Flip Side

     And if you like the songs and would like to bring some of them home with you – Allison Crowe has released a vinyl LP with 10 of the selections, the record includes the vinyl, the lyrics and a digital download code – or you can just purchase the digital download. The LP & the digital download is available at the Festival box office in Cow Head and at various record stores around the province. 

    With Gros Morne National Park at its doorstep, theatre goers will have plenty to do during the day. Most of our previous blogs have suggestions for the Cow Head area but visitors should also take in a trip to the Tablelands on their visit.  After all this is why the park has UNESCO World Heritage status. The Tablelands were actually formed within the earth’s upper mantle which normally lies many kilometers beneath our feet. But due to a plate tectonic collision hundreds of millions of years ago, this mantle rock called peridotite got pushed to the earth’s surface. It appears reddish brown although it is actually a dark green-black colour. The rock is composed of many heavy metals including iron, magnesium, chromium, nickel and the weathering of the iron has produced the Tableland’s rusty colour.  Peridotite also lacks sufficient nitrogen, calcium and other minerals that plants need so the Tablelands are strikingly barren. As you drive toward Trout River along the base of the Tablelands, their brown colour contrasts nicely with the green forested slopes on the other side of the highway.We also suggest that you visit the Discovery Centre where you can learn more about the park. It is located nearby just outside Woody Point.

The Tablelands look more like Arizona than Newfoundland

     If you happen to be staying in Rocky Harbour or Norris Point or at Berry Hill or Green Point campgrounds and would like to access public transport to get yourself to a Gros Morne Theatre Festival production at Cow Head, contact the Festival Box Office 1-877-243-2899 no later than 2 pm on performance day to arrange transportation via the Shuttle Bus.