County Rum Runners star of new musical

A musical about rum running in Prince Edward County raised funds for the Bellwood Foundation for addiction prevention.

“Strange as that may sound, it’s a good cause,” said Suzanne Pasternak, who wrote The County Rum Runners musical with Mark Despault, who performs alongside Tom Leighton. The musical debuted Saturday at the Waupoos Marina.

Former Wellington resident Jenica Hammett was a delight on stage, taking over the role last-minute for Emily Fennell who had a conflicting schedule. County actor Rick Zimmerman brought smiles and laughs to his audience in his drunk and just slightly disorderly role.

“Jenica is a fantastic addition to the cast,” says Pasternak. “Jenica has been very busy in Toronto doing film and television such as DeGrassi High, Carrie and most recently Pompei with Kiefer Sutherland. As well as being a terrific actor and singer, she is a gifted dancer as well. We have some wild Charleston dances in the show”.

Set in the heyday of rum running in South Bay and Main Duck Island this musical comedy is another great historical insight to Prince Edward County’s colourful history.

“This show is dedicated to author and researcher Bill Hunt,” says Pasternak. “Just like the County’s late Willis Metcalf, he collected these important stories right on the cusp of when all the old timers who carried this knowledge were very old and we would have lost the history once they were gone.”