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Legend lives on
November 4, 2007
Exactly 32 years after the Edmund Fitzgerald vanished, local audiences will be able to revisit the maritime tragedy on the Capitol Civic Centre stage.
"Gales of November," the theatrical production about the freighter's sinking, will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 10, at the theater, which is located at 913 S. Eighth St., Manitowoc.
"This is a major historical event on the Great Lakes and we've got the show on its anniversary. That's a coup," said Christine Kornely, chair of the Capitol's program committee.
Three singers, four musicians and a narrator will bring the story to life. Audiences may recognize some of the performers from the popular radio show, "A Prairie Home Companion," Kornely said.
"Gales of November" was brought here because of its appeal to local audiences who live on the Great Lakes and are interested in the history and lore surrounding them, she said.
One reason the story of the Edmund Fitzgerald has struck such a chord with so many people is that it "happened at a time when people didn't expect ships to sink anymore. It's a modern shipwreck story," said Prudence Johnson, the show's director and vocalist, in a phone interview from the Minneapolis area.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was commissioned by the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. of Milwaukee and named for its president and chairman of the board.
The ship's sinking during a Lake Superior gale storm on Nov. 10, 1975 entered the realm of myth thanks in part to Gordon Lightfoot's 1976 hit song, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald."
"Way, way back in the beginning, the idea of the show came from that song," Johnson said.
First produced in 2005, the show is an adaptation featuring music and excerpts from the 1987 hit play "Ten November."
Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright Steven Dietz took inspiration from the song and wrote the book, graci-ously allowing her to borrow from it; Eric Peltoniemi wrote the music.
"I was in the original cast of 'Ten November' back in 1987," Johnson said. "Every once in a while I would take out the tape of the music and every time I would think, 'Wow, that's great music. I would love to sing that again.' "
So she consulted with Peltoniemi, who plays acoustic guitar in the show, and they gathered up fellow cast members, including singer Ruth Mackenzie and electric bass guitar player Jeffrey Willkomm. Rounding out the cast are vocalist Claudia Schmidt, violin and mandolin player Peter Ostroushko, piano and accordion player Dan Chouinard and narrator Kevin Kling.
"My original idea was that we would do the music, but we had to have some kind of narrative to give it context," Johnson said.
"Kevin Kling is a nationally known storyteller, actor and playwright. He just brings something so unique and special to this show. He's a real wonder."
Johnson has performed at Carnegie Hall and appeared in movies, including Robert Altman's "A Prairie Home Companion" and Robert Redford's "A River Runs Through It." She also has several records to her credit and has appeared in theatrical productions and concerts.
Cast members all have other projects, including CDs and movie soundtracks, but set aside time to come together once a year to do the "Gales of November" tour, Johnson said.
"It's fun to get together. It's a great group of people to work with."
The production features contem-porary folk music played primarily on acoustic instruments. Songs include "Olden Days," "Heaven Before We Know," "Widows of the Water," "The Lake Song," "Out of the Blue," "River in the Sea" and "The Captain and the Cadet."
The show promises entertainment and education in one evening.
"They're going to learn a lot about Lake Superior and what it's like to be on the lake on a ship," Johnson said. "It's presented in a way that's interesting to people and also has very beautiful music and monologues."
Johnson and fellow singers Schmidt and MacKenzie blend their voices in harmony.
"People like the sound of three women's voices together," Johnson said. "There seems to be a lot of power to that. Some of the music is just very heartbreaking and pretty."
The songs are not as much about the tragedy as they are about the universal questions and emotions surrounding it, she said.
"The play is mostly, in general terms, about loss and dealing with loss and finding the love that lasts beyond loss, the love that endures beyond grief," Johnson said. "It pulls the heartstrings. There are also some funny parts. You laugh and you cry."
Suzanne Weiss: (920) 686-2140 or
sweiss@htrnews.com
"Way, way back in the beginning, the idea of the show came from that song,"
If i lived back in Erie,PA right now,I'd surely be going. 
- Borderstone
