Charlottetown Fest trims, retools Anne of Green Gables musical

A refreshed and slightly retooled version of the beloved Anne of Green Gables musical has debuted at Prince Edward Island's annual Charlottetown Festival.

Besides recasting the four lead roles, including that of the titular red-headed orphan, the long-running show has been trimmed by 15 minutes and seen technical improvements, including lighting changes.

"Anne is such a beautiful piece, that you know we have to keep it alive," Anne Allan, the festival's artistic director, told CBC News.

Since the show's debut in mid-June, initial audience reaction has been favourable, especially for the newest actress to portray Lucy Maud Montgomery's feisty heroine: actress Amy Wallis.

"It's pretty much a dream come true," said the B.C.-born actress, whose recent roles included playing Belle in Beauty and the Beast and Peter in Peter Pan, both on the West Coast.

"I've always wanted to do the role [of Anne Shirley] and I knew about the Charlottetown Festival since I was quite young," said Wallis, who is the 14th Anne in the show's 42-year history.

Tourism to Prince Edward Island has experienced somewhat of a downturn in the past few years, which affects the Charlottetown Festival because much of the audience for Anne of Green Gables is comprised of tourists.

However, organizers are hoping that the slight retooling will help revive the box office and maybe even help with a possible tour.

"This year, that's what we set out to do, to make sure we had a beautiful product that's going to be known nationally and, hopefully, internationally," Allan said.

Anne of Green Gables continues at Charlottetown's Confederation Centre through Sept. 30.

Other shows on the 2006 Charlottetown Festival lineup include the Canadian music revue show Canada Rocks, the comedic mystery Shear Madness and youth selections Les Feux Follets and The Last Goblin King.