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Gastown, the Musical, circa 1975

This is a bit of a departure for me, as my posts are normally filed under the Illustrated Vancouver series , but trust me, this divergence is most worthy of your attention.
Jason Vanderhill

This is a bit of a departure for me, as my posts are normally filed under the Illustrated Vancouver series, but trust me, this divergence is most worthy of your attention. An absolute gem of a musical production recently emerged on YouTube, showcasing some of the finest Canadian talents of stage and screen, circa 1975. Hosted by Gordon Pinsent, the show was a 50 year tribute to CAPAC, the Composers, Authors and Publishers Association of Canada Limited. CAPAC would go on to merge with PRO Canada in 1990, forming SOCAN, the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada. The show is a great tribute to singer songwriters the world over, but it's such a treat to see Gastown of the mid-1970s featured centre stage.

What makes the CAPAC Song Special so special is the fact that it starred the best young Canadian talent of the era at the very start of their careers. The exceptional cast went on to have outstanding careers in theatre, music, film, and television. The production starred Jeff Hyslop (Jeff also did the choreography), Barbara Barsky, Ruth Nichol, Victor Stewart, Marek Norman, Lorraine Faulkner, Brent Carver, Melinda Whitaker, Bill Reiter, Martin Short, Charlene Brandolini, Mary Ann McDonald and Terry Frewer. The show was produced and directed by Neil Sutherland, who I'm told passed away about 5 years ago. The show aired on C.B.C. television on October 30, 1975; complete credits for the cast and crew are in the video description on YouTube.

Thanks to Bill Reiter, one of the stars of the show, the entire 50 years CAPAC Song Special has been posted here:

The 50 years CAPAC Song Special

What a fantastic production! I suspect the cast knew they had something special when they first performed this, but they may not have realized how good it actually was! Bravo, encore, to everyone involved!

Part 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1QfxpQ3QI8

Part 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI_2LAtPg2M

Part 3:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7FFPjUPe_Q

Part 4:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY8BQlKhDGY

Part 5:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ0QkUp5RPM