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3 & 4 February 2012: The Donnelly Sideshow Comes to Lucan
The Lucan Area Heritage & Donnelly Museum is excited to present The Donnelly Sideshow, written and performed by Lucan native Jeff Culbert and directed by Jayson McDonald, to commemorate the 132nd anniversary of the famous Donnelly Massacre.
The Donnelly Sideshow is a true story of romance, faction fighting and murder set in and around Lucan…but of course, most of us are very aware of the history of the story! Over 130 years later, the story continues to inspire artists and scholars and to fascinate the general public – not only do we witness this at the Museum, but Culbert recently took the show across Canada performing to sold out audiences.
One of the key characters in the Donnelly story is Johnny O’Connor, the 13 year old boy who hid under the bed during the attack, surviving, and becoming the key witness in the case. In The Donnelly Sideshow, Jeff Culbert plays a grown-up Johnny O’Connor, who is out to tell the truth and salvage what little justice he can for members of the Donnelly family, who were failed by the justice system.
In the spirit of Will Donnelly, Johnny doesn’t mind using a little showmanship, singing four original songs about the feud in addition to the storytelling and dramatization. In spite of the dark core of the story, he uses humour and spirit, because “you gotta keep up your ent’usiasm” or you’re finished. Culbert and McDonald are successful at this and have plenty of amazing critical reactions to confirm their success.
Join us on February 3 and 4, 2012 – the 132nd Anniversary of the Massacre – at the Royal Canadian Legion in Lucan as we travel back in time with Culbert to explore the story from the perspective of Johnny O’Connor.
For more information, visit www.jeffculbert.ca or www.donnellymuseum.com. Tickets are on sale now the Lucan Area Heritage & Donnelly Museum. Contact Museum curator Laura Garner at 519-227-0756 or e-mail lgarner@donnellymuseum.com. Only 200 tickets available and they are selling quickly!
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