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| AT THE TURN OF THE LAST CENTURY, Canada’s virgin territory called out to adventurers all over the world. A romantic Scottish lad named Robert Service allowed his wistful gaze to rove over the cold grey Atlantic. He imagined himself a pioneer, a bronco-busting cowboy, a hero of the Wild West. He followed his yearning for open spaces, for freedom, for adventure, until he found himself in Canada’s Frozen North.
This new play is the story of Canada’s favourite poet told for the first time on stage. Rhyme Rustler premiered in 2005 at Calgary’s Vertigo Theatre, and has become a staple of Calgary Stampede audiences. In this two-man play, Jim Dobbin steps into the shoes of Robert Service, and Grant Paterson is the Ragtime Kid, the piano player at the Malamute Saloon. The play is a blending of poetry, music, and drama that tells the story of Service's adventures in the Yukon and how he established his reputation as Canada’s famous poet. Meet... Robert Service as he mines the fantastic stories of the great Klondike Gold Rush. Witness... the poet as he falls under the spell of the vast and mysterious Land of the Midnight Sun. |
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 Jim Dobbin (left) as Robert Service, and Grant Paterson (right) as the Ragtime Kid, inRHYME RUSTLER: The Ballad of Robert Service. |
| Hear... the great ballads in all their vigour and captivating drama in this rousing, rollicking show sure to delight audiences of all generations.
Feel... the spirit of our great North, long for the keen tingle of its silver days, the vaster glory of its star-strewn nights, ache for the solitude of the lonely campfire and a sunset splendouring to golden death. Rhyme Rustler was written and designed to tour. With its two-person cast, its reliance upon words and music for dramatic impact, and a set design that is flexible and portable, it travels easily and well. |
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