-The third installment in this year’s CIBC Charlottetown Festival opens August 12-

Making its Island premiere this August is the internationally-acclaimed, OLD STOCK: A Refugee Love Story, presented by Nova Scotia’s 2b Theatre Company. Opening August 12 on the Mainstage at Confederation Centre of the Arts, this life-affirming musical tells the true story of two Romanian refugees meeting at Halifax’s Pier 21, as they await entry into Canada.

“We are thrilled to bring OLD STOCK to Charlottetown,” glows Adam Brazier, artistic director of performing arts. “This is one of the most important pieces of theatre we have done in years. It has received rave reviews everywhere from New York to the U.K. and all across Canada. This story is funny and dark and beautifully realized. This is a must-see.”

OLD STOCK: A Refugee Love Story is a humorously dark folk tale woven together with a high-energy concert. Wild, witty, and wonderfully inventive, this fusion of concert and drama tells the true tale of two Jewish refugees from Romania. They meet in 1908, while awaiting medical inspection at Halifax’s Pier 21 immigration centre; the story moves forward to their lives as a couple in Montreal and backward to the realities of their past.

Starring East Coast sensation Ben Caplan, the music-theatre hybrid explores how to love and find a shared humanity after facing the horrors of war. It’s about refugees who get out before it’s too late, and those who get out after it’s too late. OLD STOCK’s rousing music blends Yiddish Klezmer with modern folk stylings, creating a wistful and energetic tone.

“Richly humorous, wildly entertaining, and deeply moving” was how The Globe and Mail described this Maritime-made production, while Herald Scotland dubbed it “irresistible…a thing of raw, unmissable beauty.” OLD STOCK is written by Hannah Moscovitch with direction by Christian Barry and songs by Ben Caplan and Barry.

Sponsored by Honibe, OLD STOCK plays seven times weekly until September 6.

On August 26, a special ‘relaxed performance’ of OLD STOCK will be offered. Sponsored by The Gray Group, the relaxed performance is a specific performance night where the show is adapted to better suit people who might require a more relaxed sensory experience and environment when attending the theatre. For more information, please contact Rosie Shaw at [email protected].

To reserve tickets visit confederationcentre.com/whats-on/, or call the box office at 1-800-565-0278.

Photo cutline: Ben Caplan in OLD STOCK: A Refugee Love Story , Stoo Metz Photography