Rosebud Theatre reimagines Anne of Green Gables as a love story

Anne Shirley is singing a different tune at Rosebud Theatre this summer. Artistic director Craig Hall chose a 2007 musical adaptation by Nancy Ford and Gretchen Cryer for the summer show—not the version that has anchored Prince Edward Island tourism for 60 years. The key difference: this Anne of Green Gables pivots toward romance.

In the traditional telling, Gilbert Blythe is Anne's rival. Here, he's the spark of something deeper. When they finally kiss at the end, the audience sighs along. The production smartly uses that tension to build emotional weight: Anne's mistreatment of Gilbert stems from misguided loyalty, and when she learns how misguided it truly is, reviewers say the scene lands with real power.

Reviewers credit Rayanne Laycock with carrying the show as Anne in a sparkling, physically transformative performance. Early on, she appears gawky, red braids distracting. By the end, the braids are gone, replaced by soft styling, and she carries herself with quiet dignity. It mirrors her psychological journey perfectly.

Christopher Hunt and Elinor Holt are praised as inspired casting as Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, the elderly siblings who reluctantly adopt Anne. Hunt's Matthew is an obvious softie, but Holt's Marilla reveals her heart slowly—the scene where Marilla finally tells Anne she considers her a daughter is described as genuinely moving, Holt's stern face melting in real time. The dance between Matthew and Anne is just as warm, delivered with such understated honesty that it embodies what Montgomery was after in her novels.

Mark Kazakov makes a stalwart Gilbert. The tension between him and Anne feels earned and palpable—you know they're kindred spirits; they just have to learn it themselves.