“Caroline Toal is a wonderful Anne Shirley. She demonstrates all of Anne’s energy, her head-strong behaviour and her love of chatter. Sarah Dodd is a perfect Marilla, reserved and curt at first, but later able to verbalize her love of Anne. As Matthew, Tim Campbell shows us a shy and awkward man who soon comes into his own, sharing Anne’s joys. Maev Beaty is the perfect Mrs. Lynde, gossiping and rudely commenting about Anne, but later defending her. The rest of the cast is wonderful portraying the Avonlea children, even the obviously male Steven Hao, who leaves the book club and dons a dress to play Jane Andrews…
The play is definitely reaching out to a new audience of Anne fans. Many little girls attended the opening, wearing their long Anne dresses with pinafores and those sweet straw hats. It doesn’t seem necessary to modernize it to get their attention.”