If it's Tuesday, this must be Toronto.

I was raised on Musicals. I grew up thinking that all families were obsessed with Musicals.

On car road trips my mom, dad, brother and I, would play a game where someone would sing a line from a song, and someone else would have to sing the next line, or perhaps sing a line from another song from the same Musical. We all thought this was great fun.

My  beloved dad worked as the House Manager at the O'Keefe Centre in Toronto back in the heyday of musical theatre.  The O'Keefe's official opening in October of 1960 was celebrated with the world premier of "Camelot" starring Richard Burton, Julie Andrews and Robert Goulet.  Sadly being only 10 years old, I fell asleep and missed most of the second act.  As time went on big musicals would use Toronto, specifically The O'Keefe  as their "try out" location before heading to Broadway with the result that I was immersed in musicals throughout my formative teen years.

I am delighted to report that that love of musical theatre is shared by my daughter, Kaitlyn, who at age eight, asked for row seats to "Phantom of the Opera" for her Birthday.

This all goes to explain why Kait and I flew to Toronto last Tuesday afternoon, saw two musicals, and then flew back to Halifax on Thursday afternoon !

The story begins last June when I discovered that the cheeky musical "The Book of Mormon" would be coming to Toronto in September.  The die was cast when I realized that "Wicked" would be in Toronto at the same time!  On-line tickets were ordered, a Porter Airline seat sale was taken advantage of, and three months later we were off on our much-anticipated adventure.

Toronto's distinctive skyline.  See the SkyDome and the CN Tower ?

Flying into the small island airport on Porter Airlines you are presented with stunning views of downtown Toronto. 

We are lucky enough to have wonderful family who live in the core of the City and let us flop with them, took us out for a lovely dinner and just generally made us not feel like free-loaders.

In a frenzy of flights and transit and walks, the big trip has come and gone.

The Toronto I visited, is so very different from the Toronto of my childhood.  I felt intimidated, thrilled and  over-whelmed by a feeling of not belonging.  As the saying goes: "A great place to visit: but I wouldn't want to live there".  Kait felt quite the opposite: she loved the excitement, crowds and frenzy of of the City.

Took me a bit to figure out how my hand was reflected in that far off building. 

Dundas Street approaching Yonge.

On Wednesday I met up with a dear friend for lunch at Milestones.

Me and my good friend, Bonnie.

I must admit that there is a beauty to the City, but I found the stunning contrasts of the pretty people walking past the beggars most troubling.  I struggled with how to deal with them too: giving to some and speaking to others.  I just wonder if at some point, I too would find it easier just to walk by ...

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And then of course there were the shows.

I loved each of them for very different reasons.  I know the music from both shows well, and though I knew the story of each, I found "The Book of Mormon" to be a grittier than I expected.  Each musical won a "Best Musical".   Here is the hit song "Defying Gravity" from the 2004 Tony Awards introduced by Joel Grey who played The Wizard.  Book of Mormon won its award in 2012 and "I Believe" is our anti-hero's touching statement of his suddenly rattled. Mormon faith.

 I think you either like musicals or they just aren't your cup of tea.  There seems to be no middle ground.  Which camp do you fall into ?  

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Thanks Dad.

Today is my Dad's Birthday.   Gosh I loved love, my dear old Da.

Alan Richard Nunn.

He had a wonderful smile,

With is his sister Joan.

and a zest for life.

With mom, the love of his life.

He was silly and irreverent.

With my brother, Darrell and me.

When I asked a question, he'd say "go look it up".   As a result if there is something I don't know, I "go look it up" to this day.

On Hillsdale Avenue after moving to Canada in 1956.

When we were both adults, we went for a walk one day in the rain and created little dams of sticks and leaves in the gutter; watched the water back up; dropped a leaf into the water; broke the dam, and followed the leaf as it rushed toward the sewer grate. 

He wasn't afraid to be child like. 

He taught me to look through a camera lens, and to chuck out bad photographs.

He was handsome, with a dreamy, actor-trained English accent.  The ladies at the church loved listening to him read lessons.

As he got older, his ears that stuck out prominently, began to tuck nicely against his head -- that or he grew his hair longer so he could cover them.  

In the 1970's when he was in his 50's he got a "man-purse", which he had to stop using as he kept leaving it on the bus.  In his early days, he made his living as an actor at the Canadian Stratford Festival, the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, the St. Lawrence Centre in Toronto and the Red Barn Theatre in Jackson's Point. He did some T.V. commercials and radio plays on the C.B.C.   When finding enough work to support his family became too difficult, he had to choose between moving us to the U.S. or remaining in Canada and finding a different line of work.  

He chose to stay.   

He worked his way from the ticket order department at the O'Keefe Centre, to becoming House Manager during the marvellous hay-day of Broadway Musicals, resulting in a life-long love of same for me.  Later, he moved on to Administer the National Ballet School of Canada.  In his mid 50's he changed careers and taught Theatre Arts at Seneca College. 

Did I mention that Dad had the equivalent of a Grade 11 education ?

He decided to rectify that after he retired, and graduated from Trent University with a B.A. at the age of 74.

He enjoyed travelling with mom or my brother Darrell.

Dad in Italy.  
I love this photo as it sums him up.
Wearing denim at age 80, and posing with a pigeon on his head.

 He's been gone almost 10 years.

Gawd I miss him.

When it rains I still find it hard to resist dropping a leaf in the swirling water that rushes along the gutter, and following it.

Thanks Dad.