From the Klondike gold rush and the creation of the Yukon as a legal entity, the territory has had a long-standing tradition of theatre. In fact, the first theatre was established in the gold mining town of Forty Mile before gold was discovered on Bonanza Creek.
In the quiet years after the gold rush, amateur theatre groups entertained visitors during the short tourist season. By February 1968, the Whitehorse Drama Club began to perform as the Frantic Follies at the Sourdough Rendezvous. The show featured a chorus line of can-can dancers and musical numbers. The drama club took the plunge when in May 1968, they announced that the Frantic Follies would be produced as a summer show and asked for those who were interested to attend a meeting at their workshop at Fourth Avenue and Hoge Street.
One of those who became involved with the Follies was Doug Clarke, who is back in the Yukon for a short visit, accompanied by his son Peter and grandson, Colin. They were here tracing their family genealogy to Fort Selkirk before and during the gold rush. I talked to Doug about his involvement in the early days of the Follies.
Doug was a university student, looking for work during the summer when he arrived in Whitehorse in 1968. He obtained employment working for Gordon Ryder, proprietor of Builders’ Supplyland and it was there that he first got wind of the theatre production that was planned for the summer.
One of the customers was a member of the Follies who came to purchase supplies for the production and who invited Doug to participate. When he showed up at their rehearsal venue, Doug met Jim Murdoch for the first time. “Jim asked me if I could play the can-can on the piano, which I was able to do” he said.
The Follies put on variety shows in ’68 in the ballroom of the Whitehorse Inn on Wednesday evenings, starting on June 19. Beth Phillips was the director for that first season. The program included can-can dancers and mimes of such Robert Service classics as “The Cremation of Sam McGee,” and “The Ballad of the Ice Worm Cocktail.” These became mainstays of the Follies in the years that followed. Doug Stuart, Chad Miller, Ed Hallett and Lyall Murdoch formed a quartet. Steve Gidora directed the Folk Chorus. Peter Maxwell was the stage manager and Jim Murdoch was the production manager.
When opportunities arose, they put on additional performances for special events. The season wrapped up on Aug. 28, with two shows, but they vowed to return the following season.
In 1970, Jim Murdoch contacted Doug at his parents’ place in Vancouver and suggested that they reform the Frantic Follies as a commercial enterprise. Instead of one night a week, they would perform six, which would increase the revenue sixfold.
Doug returned to the Yukon and, along with four others, incorporated the Frantic Follies as a limited company. The other shareholders in the enterprise were Jim and Lyall Murdoch, Steve Gidora and Bob Greenwood. Gidora was from Surrey B.C., while Greenwood was a displaced Michigander who had previously appeared in the Follies as a volunteer. Greenwood could play the French horn, do comedy and act.
The production was in Christ the King elementary school, which, Doug assured me, was in downtown Whitehorse at that time. The performance was a success, although they initially struggled to find an audience. They handed out leaflets on Main Street and promoted and publicized the Follies every chance they had.
Doug said that to augment their income and provide some economic stability, Jim Murdoch had arranged for cast members to drive mini buses for Joe Becker’s Atlas Tours. He also said that he (and I assume the other cast members who drove for Becker) shamelessly promoted the Follies to visitors during their bus tours, even pointing out the venue so they would know where to go if they chose to attend!
Doug and other cast members shared the rental of a house. They all had second jobs as the show began to grow. There was support from other members of the tourism sector and tour companies anchored the program by including the Follies as part of their Whitehorse visitor package. The crew worked building sets and special attention was paid to creating the costumes that were worn by the cast. Once it took hold, the Follies became a lucrative and exciting venture that supported this young student as he worked toward his law degree.
He was modest about his musical talent, but added that as the Follies continued, the constant performance sharpened his skills. The program included the ragtime music of Scott Joplin (the only music for which he required sheet music – the rest he learned by ear), fast-paced theatrical performances of Robert Service poems, audience participation and rousing musical numbers. Everybody played multiple musical instruments and at least one number included several members of the cast playing banjos. Jim Murdoch appeared playing his bagpipes in each show (Murdoch was also a member of the Midnight Sun Pipe Band).
In 1971 and 1972, they lured Gillian Campbell away from the Gaslight Follies in Dawson City. Her humorous energetic performances were an instant success with audiences and helped propel Campbell on a career that took her to every corner of the world over more than five decades.
Clarke did not return to the Follies in 1973 and sold his share in the business in 1974. But that same year, he was contacted by Giovanni Castellarin, of the Klondike Visitor’s Association (KVA) to come to Dawson. He did and pounded the keys at Diamond Toot Gertie’s for three sets each evening for the duration of the summer. He graduated with a law degree the following year and left his musical career behind.
The Frantic Follies became an institution in Whitehorse for the next five decades, with a program honed to perfection over many years. Locals came back over and over to see the same performance, which never lost its edge. It was lauded as one of the few theatrical productions in the country that was totally self-sustaining. The production suffered a huge blow , however, when it lost the support of a major tour company and revenues dropped by more than half. It continued to run for several more years, until Grant Simpson, co-owner of the business announced that 2016 was its 47th and final year on a Whitehorse stage.
Reflecting on his experience in variety entertainment, Doug says “it was absolutely foundational for a young man”. He learned how to incorporate a company and manage a payroll. It demystified entrepreneurship for him. He honed his skills as a piano player. Perhaps most important of all, it left him with many happy memories.
If anyone has memories to share of the early days of the Follies, or was directly involved, I would be eager to learn more. You can reach me at the email listed below
Michael Gates was the Yukon’s first Story Laureate from 2020 to 2023. His latest book, “Hollywood in the Klondike,” is now available in Whitehorse stores. You can contact him at msgates@northwestel.net
