A new musical about Port Coquitlam's hometown hero will make its world premiere in Waterloo, Ont., this fall.
This week, Drayton Entertainment announced actor Nathan Carroll would portray Terry Fox in Marathon of Hope: The Musical, a production that has the blessing of the Fox family.
Composed by John Connolly and written by Peter Colley, the show chronicles Fox's 1980 journey and his crusade to raise money for cancer research.
Caroll, whose paternal grandfather was a prominent cancer researcher and also died from the disease, has been in musical theatre since he was five. He toured the country as part of the original Canadian cast of the musical Once; he also starred in The Wizard of Oz and La Chasse Galerie.
"I am beyond thrilled to have this opportunity, both professionally and personally,” Carroll said in a news release. "I have been following the evolution of this musical for several years and am privileged to now be a part of it."
Marathon of Hope: The Musical goes from Oct. 5 to 30 at the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse.
Amanda Kind of Drayton Entertainment told The Tri-City News the company hopes "that the show will take off and have a life beyond just this run."
Meanwhile, the 36th annual Terry Fox Run is on Sunday, Sept. 18. The Tri-Cities has four fundraisers in Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, Port Moody and Anmore.
