N.B.-born New York performer brings Broadway to Saint Andrews

For Fredericton-born Broadway actor Tony LePage, time slows down in Saint Andrews.

"There's something about the feeling when you come to Saint Andrews," he said. "The water is so close, and it's just the surroundings are so beautiful. So that was an immediate draw, just the place itself."

LePage and his wife, Courtney, have created Broadway by the Sea, a revue for tonight only that features four Broadway performers and an 11-person New Brunswick ensemble with a full New Brunswick band. 

They're putting on the show at the Kingsbrae International Residence for the Arts & Amphitheatre. 

LePage said creating the project with Courtney was a "dream," with him performing and her directing. 

"We're both very like-minded," LePage said. "We're big dreamers. But also we just work very, very well together. To be able to do this together, it's rare." 

LePage started his theatre journey in Fredericton with local productions before moving onto a professional tour followed by contracts in Toronto and New York. Right now, he is in Come From Away on Broadway as an understudy.

Putting on a show with actors living in New York along with actors in New Brunswick wasn't easy, said LePage.

Rehearsals in 2 countries

"It was a bit of a puzzle," he said.

LePage, Courtney and the other Broadway actors rehearsed in New York while the New Brunswick ensemble rehearsed in Fredericton with the show's music director and accompanist. 

Katelyn Goodwin, 29, of Fredericton said they rehearsed in different countries, but the ensemble and leads would have video calls, where they listened in on each other's rehearsals. 

"When we actually got together, it just flowed really well," she said. 

Goodwin said the first rehearsal together, with all of the performers plus the band, was "magical."

'Oh my gosh, this is my life'

She said this show is unlike anything she's ever done. With the sun and the breeze, Goodwin said, working in an outdoor theatre gives her an energy she doesn't get with an indoor setting. 

She said the experience of performing in Broadway by the Sea makes her wake up every day and say, "Oh my gosh, this is my life."

"It's unheard of — the fact that we, as New Brunswick artists, can stay in our home province and work alongside these Broadway artists and stars."

Some songs in the revue are from musicals such as Rent, Come From Away, Dear Evan Hansen, Funny Girl and Wicked, with Broadway performers Christine Dwyer, Iris Beaumier and Matt DeAngelis.  

LePage said coming out of the pandemic, it's especially exciting to put on a live performance with 16 people on stage and a five-person band. 

He said it is important for him to give New Brunswickers a chance to get onstage and sing alongside Broadway actors.

"My mission is really to give back to the place that gave me my start," said LePage. "It's sort of a merging of two worlds for me."

John Harley, 22, from Saint John is one of the performers in the show. He said the experience to perform alongside Broadway actors is "unbelievable." 

"I'm taking every moment of this experience," he said.

Harley said there are few words that can describe his excitement about the show. He's "almost too excited to sit down" and feels inspired to share the stage with four Broadway leads.

Sees more theatre for province

"I'd love to be able to do what they're doing," said Harley. "It really makes me really, really want to try to follow that path too and become just as confident and as amazing as they are."

After the show, LePage heads back to New York to finish in Come From Away, which closes Oct. 2. 

While he said it's not crystal clear what's next, he and Courtney have big plans. 

"The idea is we want to bring a lot of theatre to New Brunswick," said LePage. "That's pretty much all I can say right now, but there's a lot of plans for a lot more things happening in New Brunswick."