DRAYTON – Neil Aitchison’s familiar, booming voice is returning to the Drayton Festival Theatre this summer as he joins the cast of jukebox musical Sh-Boom: Life Could Be A Dream.
“This joyous jive down memory lane is a hit parade of rock ‘n roll classics that will tickle your funny bone and touch your heart,” theatre officials state in a July 11 press release.
Sh-Boom: Life Could Be A Dream will be in Drayton from Aug. 16 to Sept. 3.
It’s decades before American Idol and a local radio station is sponsoring a band competition with a recording contract as the prize.
Featuring 25 classics from rock ‘n’ roll’s heyday sung in harmony, the show “will tickle your funny bone and touch your heart,” officials state.
“This hit-parade review of chart-topping songs will bring back many memories for patrons,” says Drayton Entertainment artistic director Alex Mustakas.
“The cherry on top is getting to see Neil Aitchison return to a DJ booth where he spent so many years as a radio personality. Neil’s distinctive voice is a huge part of his public persona, so we’re incredibly pleased he’s joining this fun, toe-tapping musical.”
Helming the production is director David Rogers. One of Canada’s leading musical theatre artists, Rogers is the co-artistic director of Victoria Playhouse Petrolia. He conceived and created Fiddler on the Loose, which played to sold-out houses at the Drayton Festival Theatre in 2018 and conceived last year’s hit review Good ‘Ol Country Gospel.
Bringing the songs of the 50s and 60s to life is choreographer David Hogan who, along with Rogers, in the co-artistic director of Victoria Playhouse Petrolia.
The cast also includes Kaden Forsberg, Connor Meek, Jordan Goodridge, Michael Vanhevel and Jennifer Walls
Sh-Boom: Life Could Be A Dream is written and created by Roger Bean, creator of the long-running Off-Broadway hit The Marvelous Wonderettes.
Tickets may be purchased by calling the Box Office at 519-638-5555 or toll free at 1-855-drayton (372-9866), or online at www.draytonentertainment.com.
Neil Aitchison
The release states Harriston-born Aitchison is “a beloved and critically acclaimed humourist, with an enviable knack for creating a rapport with his audience.”
During his career, he has been an actor, a radio personality, broadcast executive, and motivational public speaker.
Through his alter-ego of RCMP Constable Archibald F. Inkster, he’s brought laughter to thousands of audience members with his unique and humorous take on Canadian life.
Upon graduation, Aitchison worked for CKCO-TV, where he met his “first” – and only – wife, Helen. He then switched to radio, selling and managing advertising for 24 years, and then later gaining notoriety on local station NewsTalk 570 with his much-admired afternoon program “The Neil Aitchison Show.”
As a much sought-after emcee, Aitchison’s involvement in the community he loves has spanned over six decades, and he’s volunteered his time – and trademark voice – to many local groups and organizations.
“Neil has been a huge part of Drayton Entertainment’s success through the years, as a founding board member, and early staff member and one of our biggest (and loudest) cheerleaders,” says Mustakas.
