Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia
Fire
Musical drama in two acts by Paul Ledoux and David S. Young premiered at Magnus Theatre, 1985 and has subsequently played across the country many times.
This frantic, thrilling work is loosely based on the odd relationship between rocker Jerry Lee Lewis and his cousin evangelist Jimmy Swaggart (both of whom use music...in very different ways).
In the play, Cale forsakes his father's church to become a musician. As he becomes a star he loses everything, including his child-bride Molly. His brother, Herchel, becomes a minister and marries Molly but his envy for the attention Cale gets drives him into television evangelism.
The play has won many awards, including Chalmers Awards and Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards (Sterling Awards). The Theatre Passe Muraille production in the 1980s won Dora Mavor Moore Awards for Best Play, Best Direction, Best Production, Best Actor and best Musical Direction. The production at Canadian Stage in 2007 won Doras for Best Production, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Musical Director.
Last updated 2012-11-21
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The Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia web site was originally conceived and developed in 1996 by Gaetan Charlebois—theatre critic, playwright, and actor.
