Upcoming New Year’s theatre and concert listings include an ode to Elvis and performances by The Sadies

Martin Fontaine will retire as an Elvis impersonator on December 31st at the Capitol Theater in Quebec City.handouts

Elvis Experience: The Final Act – Blue Christmas

“And now the end is near. And so I stand before the final curtain.” After years of impersonating Elvis Presley on stage, Martin Fontaine dries up the sequined jumpsuits and puts away the sideburns. With a Blue Christmas In a version of his 1970’s Vegas stage show, which features 24 musicians and eight backing singers, Fontaine exits the building, saying it clearly and voicing his case, which he’s confident he did Elvis’ way. Until December 31st, Capitol Theatre, Quebec City

Fisherman’s Friends: The Musical

If shanties are your thing, your boat comes in. This feel-good musical is inspired by the true story of Cornish fishermen who landed a record deal by singing harmonious work songs built for scrubbing decks. The North American premiere with the original British cast is neither refined nor imaginative, but lets the story and the joint music drive the wind in the sails. Until January 15 (2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on December 31), Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto

Fisherman’s Friends stage musical is riding a strange wave of sea shanty popularity

Burton Cummings

75 candles are blown out at the Burton Cummings Theater in Winnipeg, where fire codes are being relaxed as the singer from the namesake’s hometown celebrates a milestone birthday. Expect a career overview of hits, from Guess Who classics to familiar solo material. A New Year’s Eve show from the Stand upright star is preceded by an unplugged concert three days before. 28 and 31 December, Burton Cummings Theatre, Winnipeg

New Year’s Eve at the Grand Parade

Rockers JJ Wilde, pictured, and Devon Cole will ring in New Year’s Eve with a concert in Halifax’s Grand Parade Square.handouts

The show is for an audience of all ages, but smoking hot headliner JJ Wilde is something other than kid stuff. Wilde stormed onto the stage with her brave album, reckless. It earned her Rock Album of the Year at the 2021 Juno Awards, becoming the first woman to accomplish the feat since Alanis Morissette in 1996. Also on the bill is Devon Cole, a TikTok revelation known for her feminist update on Robin Thickes Blurred lines beat. 31 December, Grand Parade Square, Halifax

come from away

The Tony Award-winning musical Come Far Away will run at Southam Hall in Ottawa from December 27th to January 8th, with two performances on December 31st.Cylla von Tiedemann/Mirvish

Hailed by The New York Times as “A Canadian hug on a fierce day,” the Tony-winning musical by Irene Sankoff and David Hein melodiously tells the story of thousands of post-9/11 passengers who flew to the homey town of Gander, Newfoundland have been redirected . A touring production of the violin-loving celebration of Canadian hospitality makes stops in Ottawa and Montreal before returning to the United States. It’s an equally optimistic way to usher in 2022. Dec 27 – Jan 8 (two shows, Dec 31), Southam Hall, Ottawa

The Sadies

that of the group colder streams The album landed on numerous best-of-year lists, but 2022 was a tragic year for the Sadies. Singer and guitarist Dallas Good, siblings of co-frontman Travis Good and son and nephew of founding members of Canadian country group Good Brothers, died on February 17 shortly after a heart condition was discovered. The Sadies have always presented their bluegrass-influenced psychedelic rock wildly and stoically. Now that they continue without their most visible member, the band’s aura of persistence is intensified. December 30th and 31st, Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto