Billy Bishop Goes to War, the award-winning Canadian musical that brought audiences leaping to their feet at the Roxy Theatre back in 2017, is back for one night only on November 28th at 7:30PM at the Roxy Theatre in Owen Sound.
This beloved show, which won the Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama, pays tribute to Owen Sound’s iconic hometown war hero and flying ace, Billy Bishop. The two-man musical features actor Matt Evans portraying the legendary Bishop, as well as an astonishing 15 other characters. Matt has appeared in Canadian feature films including Beowulf & Grendel, Black Swan, Things To Do, and The Birder. Evans has garnered five Best Actor Awards with the Western Ontario Drama League, appearing recently at the Roxy Theatre in roles such as lawyer Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, Robert in Kiss the Moon Kiss the Sun, and John Barrymore in I Hate Hamlet.
Musician Michael Mulrooney co-pilots Billy Bishop Goes to War with Evans, using the on-stage grand piano to score and punctuate battle scenes, taking us from bar rooms to ball rooms, capturing both humour and heartstrings with skillful musicianship. Mulrooney is a sought-after music director, conductor, pianist and arranger, having worked on the Canadian theatrical productions of The Lion King, Phantom of the Opera, Ragtime, and Showboat. Michael has taught at York University and is currently a professor at the prestigious Sheridan College Musical Theatre Program.
Diana Bishop, grand-daughter of Billy Bishop, will be visiting the Billy Bishop Museum in Owen Sound from 1-4PM on the same day at to sign copies of her book Living Up to A Legend, about her famous grandfather and father. Diana is a longtime TV news correspondent and independent film producer for CBC, CTV, NBC and Global Television.
Ms. Bishop has said of this production “It was a great tribute to my grandfather!….you brought Billy Bishop to life. I completely forgot that you were an actor and felt I was actually watching my grandfather. -You were superb.”
With support from the Community Foundation Grey Bruce, audience members of the evening performance will receive a limited edition package of Historic Souvenir Billy Bishop Trading Cards created for this special evening performance.
source: media release
