Please note that on Saturday, February 16, the museum will be open for shorter hours, from 12 pm until 2:30 pm, in order to prepare the space for Canadian Rajah matinee. Last tour of the museum will start at 2 pm. Please plan your visit accordingly.
If you have any questions, please contact us at info@campbellhousemuseum.ca or 416-597-0227 x2.
Please note that the museum will be closed on Monday, February 18 for Family Day. Please visit us when we reopen on Tuesday, February 19, 9:30 am – 4:30 pm (last tour of the day is at 4 pm).
This past weekend, Dave Carley’s new play, Canadian Rajah, premiered at Campbell House! This fascinating play caught the eye of Lynn Slotkin of The Slotkin Letter, who commented: “This took place in the grand ballroom in Campbell House Museum, a terrific venue if you have never been and so suitable for the play.” Our historical ballroom becomes Ranee Ghita’s drawing room, where the incredible true story of Esca Brooke is revealed. The epic showdown between Ranee (Barbara Worthy) and Esca (Jon de Leon) over his plea to have his heritage acknowledged happens right there. To read Lynn’s full review: http://slotkinletter.com/category/playgoer.
We are delighted that Barbara Worthy has stepped in to take on the role of Ranee of Sarawak. Barbara will be performing starting February 1. Unfortunately, Chick Reid was forced to withdraw due to illness but we are happy to inform you that she is making a great recovery.
Barbara Worthy is a writer/director/producer/performer. She has enjoyed a twenty-year association with the Shaw Festival, a career which has included acting, writing and producing for that theatre. For two decades she has also worked as a drama and documentary producer for CBC Radio.
Canadian Rajah tickets available HERE.
Dave Carley first became aware of Esca Brooke twenty years ago. By chance the playwright had come across a 1996 history by Australian professor Cassandra Pybus. Her book, The White Rajahs of Sarawak uncovered the story of Esca, a young man who should have become Rajah of Sarawak but, instead, was exiled from the British protectorate. Dave was initially intrigued by the physical span of Esca’s journey, from tropical Sarawak (now part of Malaysia) to Madoc, Ontario, poised on the edge of the Canadian Shield. But by book’s end Dave found himself obsessed by the dramatic arc of Esca’s life in Canada – and his obsessive hunt to have his heritage acknowledged.
That quest for recognition – and the dramatic showdown between Esca and Ranee Brooke, the woman who sent him into exile – forms the dramatic core of Canadian Rajah. It’s a true story, an international one – and very, very Canadian. The play is being performed by two well-known actors – Chick Reid and Jon De Leon – in the ballroom at Campbell House. The setting will perfectly recall the elegant London drawing room of Ranee Ghita, the second wife of Esca’s father, Rajah Charles Brooke. In the play, Esca has travelled there to plead his case. The Ranee lies in wait for him, armed with a barbed tongue, determined to send Esca back to the backwoods.
Over the course of writing Canadian Rajah, Dave has become friends with Esca Brooke’s Canadian descendants. In fact, Esca’s two surviving granddaughters have played an active consulting role in the play’s creation. Esca’s numerous descendants live mostly in Toronto and the Ottawa area and will be attending the upcoming run of the play.
Dave Carley’s plays have been produced widely across Canada and the United States.
Canadian Rajah’s world premiere is on January 30, 2019. The play will run for three weeks at Campbell House, closing on Sunday, February 17.
Some performances have already sold out – Get your tickets now at: canadianrajah.bpt.me
