The Tragically Hip Are Getting a New Jukebox Musical Theatrical Production
It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken will use the beloved Canadian band's catalogue as the bedrock for a new musical about a family in Toronto's Kensington Market. Supported by Mirvish Productions, the musical will premiere in Hamilton in 2026.
The Tragically Hip
The Tragically Hip's music is heading to a different kind of stage.
The Canadian rock band will lend their catalogue to a new musical theatre production, It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken. Produced by David and Hannah Mirvish, of Canadian theatre giants Mirvish Productions, and Michael Rubinoff of Newfoundland musical Come From Away, the musical is set to premiere at Hamilton's Theatre Aquarius in 2026.
With a book by Brian Hill and Ahmed Moneka, It's a Good Life will use the music of The Hip to tell the story of a family grappling with secrets and turmoil, set against the backdrop of Toronto's Kensington Market neighbourhood, a hub for community arts and culture.
The show will be further developed with The Creative School Chrysalis at Toronto Metropolitan University. For theatre artists with a deep love of Canadian, rock there's an open casting call booked for March 9 at the Creative School.
“Some of the country’s best theatre makers have come together to create a show that honours our music,” say The Tragically Hip in a statement. “It’s exciting to see our songs interpreted in a new way that will continue to connect audiences, while supporting a compelling story for the theatrical stage.”
The Hip have been branching into several different kinds of media recently, with last year's docuseries No Dress Rehearsal telling the band's story across four episodes. They celebrated their 40th anniversary as a band last year with a re-release of debut album Up To Here., which has led to a return to the Canadian Billboard charts. No word yet on which classic Hip songs will be featured in It's a Good Life (though the title track would be a good guess). Gord Downie's poetic storytelling certainly left a deep well of options.
They're the latest Canadian rock act to lend their work to a musical, following Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill, which had a Broadway run in 2021.
“The Tragically Hip are a foundational part of Canadian culture and music," say David and Hannah Mirvish. We are thrilled to support a musical that uses their music to tell a wonderful and uniquely Canadian story."
