North Country Opera: Recorded Live at The Ark

Now available on DVD or streaming

North Country Opera, Jay’s most popular musical play, played to sold-out crowds in a 2022 tour of northern Michigan, attracting a new generation of fans to this 40-year old classic.

The final performance of the tour was recorded at The Ark in Ann Arbor, and is now available for all that were unable to see it live.

DVD: $25 plus shipping and handling
YouTube Link: $20

“North Country Opera is a love letter to Northern Michigan”

North Country Opera is the north country’s own version of a timeless love story: a young man falls in love with the beauty of the northern woods and rivers – and the woman he meets there. After leaving for the big city to pursue bigger and shinier things, he realizes how much he misses what he left behind. Ultimately, he returns to his two loves – the woman and Michigan’s northland.

The play is a loving tribute to the people and culture of northern Michigan: fishing for trout in the cold rivers, hunting for birds in the autumn woods, snowmobiling in the winter. And of course, the comradery and local characters found in a favorite tavern.

North Country Opera has been produced more than any other of Jay’s plays. It premiered in 1982 as the second play ever produced at the original Performance Network in Ann Arbor. Since then, it has been revived in 1992, 1993 and 2003 in Ann Arbor, and has toured Northern Michigan: Petosky, Mackinaw Island, Escanaba, Frankfurt, and Cheboygan. A sequel, North Country Opera Continued, premiered at The Ark in 2003.

2022’s All Star Cast

The 2022 production was directed by Ron Miller, who directed earlier productions of both North Country Opera and North Country Opera Continued. The cast is comprised of Michigan musical and theater luminaries: starring Rochelle Clark and Brad Phillips with Chris Buhalis, Kristi Davis, Peter Knox, Christina McMullen, David Menefee, and Italy-based artist Aaron Stielstra. The Buckhorn Bar Band features Music Director Judy Banker with Michigan music favorites David Roof, Grant Flick, and Charlie Reischl.

All profits generated by North Country Opera: Live at The Ark will be donated to organizations that support Michigan’s performing arts and environmental conservation.