By Emily R. Zarevich, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Paquette Productions, an entertainment company that puts together tribute shows for nostalgic music lovers, is currently travelling around Ontario with Walk Right Back: The Everly Brothers Story. On Friday, September 26, 2025, the Burlington Performing Arts Centre hosted the travelling spectacle designed for one very specific audience: the (now aged) generation of early rock-and-roll. A jukebox musical that presents a flashy tour of the long lives and careers of the renowned country rock duo that inspired the Beatles and the Beach Boys, Walk Right Back knows exactly who it’s playing for. This show was made for the fans who spent their teen years listening to records, hanging out in diners with dime-a-song jukeboxes, and drinking Coca-Cola from glass bottles.
Walk Right Back, during its BPAC performance, featured a talented band/cast of musicians who strived to put on a riveting concert for the sentimental fans of the now deceased Everly Brothers. Curtis Lavender and Luke Wilson played Don and Phil Everly, respectively. They were accompanied by Chris Webb on the drums, Peter Ravenhill on the bass, Michael Clancy on the guitar, and Dan Poole on the keyboard. The venue had the energy of a rock-and-roll concert, and audiences were actively encouraged to sing along to their favourite Everly Brothers’ hits such as “Bye Bye Love,” “Wake Up Little Susie,” “All I Have to Do is Dream,” and “Cathy’s Clown.” The room was loud and rowdy, and the enthusiasm of the musicians performing as the Everly Brothers and their band matched that of the audience.
The show was also a biopic, and the audience was treated to an assortment of Everly Brothers fun facts that explained the duo’s outstanding success story, from humble beginnings in Knoxville, Tennessee, to a contract with Warner Bros. Records in Los Angeles. The audience was probably not expecting to learn that several of the Everly Brothers’ hits were written by a husband-wife team who drew inspiration for unusual sources such as the rhythm of windshield wipers or the sound of a small stone stuck in a vacuum. Audiences were probably less surprised to hear about the Everly Brothers’ struggles with drug addiction. This is, unfortunately, a major part of the life stories of many successful musicians who are pressured by overwork and high expectations.
The show, already a fun, narrative jam fest, could have benefited further from additional storytelling aspects. At times, it seemed like episodes of the Everly Brothers’ fascinating lives were glossed over. For example, the Everly Brothers notoriously parted ways after a disastrous July 1973 show in Buena Park, California, and refused to speak to each other for ten years. During this time period, they pursued solo careers, but Walk Right Back doesn’t really delve into what they were up to when they were no longer operating as a single unit. Though it is understandable, as Walk Right Back is the story about the Everly Brothers being brothers, it also would have been engaging to learn more about what they were like as separate, independent musicians, working on their own projects, before they eventually reconciled and continued their epic musical journey together.
Paquette Productions’ Walk Right Back: The Everly Brothers’ Story will continue its own journey across Ontario in the coming months. If you live in Burlington, have fond memories of listening to the Everly Brothers on the radio, and didn’t get an opportunity to see the show last Friday, Walk Right Back will be featured in theatres in Toronto, Chatham, Sarnia, Windsor, Guelph, Ottawa, and other accessible cities over the next few weeks. After that, the show will move on to Quebec City. Tickets can be purchased here.
If you prefer to stick to the Burlington Performing Arts Centre, Paquette Productions will be putting on Seven Drunken Nights: The Story of the Dubliners on October 7 and 8, 2025. Tickets for this show can be purchased here.
