Robin Hood reunion: Russell Crowe attends Alan Doyle’s musical in P.E.I.

Academy Award-winning actor Russell Crowe was recently spotted at a smaller stage than usual – the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown.

While there, Crowe reunited with Newfoundland artist Alan Doyle, who currently stars in the “Tell Tale Harbour” musical at the Sobey Family Theatre.

“It great to have him. It was really nice for the other cast, of course, who’ve never met Russell and a star of that big and stuff. But it was also just as a bud, it was really sweet to have that kind of support,” Doyle told CTV Atlantic’s Katie Kelly.

The two are longtime friends and musical collaborators and both appeared in the 2010 film “Robin Hood.”

In a post on Instagram Doyle wrote: “Allan A’Dayle and Robin Hood together again. Thanks @russellcrowe for making the trip to @telltaleharbour . Super grateful to you and all the gang. What a time we are having @confedcentre this summer. Join us!”

On his own social media, Crowe posted photos of Charlotteown and said Prince Edward Island is now the seventh Canadian province he has visited.

“3 more and a territory or two to go. One day. First visited Canada in 1992. It’s an amazing country. You should come and have look for yourself,” he said.

“Tell Tale Harbour” returned to The Charlottetown Festival on Saturday after it first premiered in 2022.

“In 2022, because of COVID and all the stuff, we had about 100 ideas for the show, and we got to do about 50 of them. And this time, we’re getting to do about 97 of them,” Doyle says.

Based on the 2013 comedy “The Grand Seduction,” the musical follows a tiny fishing town on a mission to recruit a doctor and the elaborate lengths they go to make him stay.

“And Frank, the guy I play, convinces the town that they can convince this young visiting doctor that this little tiny fishing town is the place he should spend the rest of his life and hijinks and hilarity ensue,” says Doyle.

Doyle, who cowrote the play, says the music is heavily influenced by his Newfoundland roots, along with the rest of the East Coast.

“When I started touring around with Great Big Sea and seeing The Rankins and seeing the different kinds of music that existed in the other Maritime provinces, that all feeds into it as well,” he says.

Doyle adds the role is driving him outside his comfort zone, and he’s loving it.

“I’m 56, and it’s like, it’d be really easy just to, just to rest on your laurels and to go sing the same old songs and stuff. But I’m still so curious about learning how to do new things and to do fun stuff,” he says.

“Tell Tale Harbour” will end its P.E.I. run on Aug. 29 before moving to Toronto in September.

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