Larry Saves the Canadian Healthcare System - the musical (complete)

Idealistic young policy analyst Larry's quest to get to the bottom of ER crowding turns into a descent into ever-deeper, zanier, and more bizarre layers of system dysfunction. Can he find a way out? A research-informed satirical musical.
We would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to frontline healthcare providers. While we may satirize the system, we are deeply grateful to the people working within it - during the pandemic and beyond.
Music, Lyrics & Screenplay by Sara Kreindler
Directed by Ann Hodges
For closed captions, click the "CC" at bottom right of screen.
Note: To facilitate continuous viewing of the full-length version, I have re-cut the video in places. For the original playlist of 11 individual episodes, visit • Larry Saves the Canadi... .
00:00 Ep1: Larry enters The System That’s Not and embraces his mission to set it right.
06:14 Ep2: Larry visits the Emergency Room, and discovers it’s crowded with patients whose problems an ER can’t fix.
11:25 Ep3: Larry’s investigation leads from ER to hospital ward to nursing home - each packed with patients who ought to be someplace else.
15:48 Ep4: Larry learns the Hospital President’s solution to crowding: Discharge patients faster - by any means necessary.
19:37 Ep5: Larry discovers that Primary Care is an ungoverned Wild West, as disgruntled patients recount wild and woolly variations in medical practice. But things may not be as they seem. . .
Author note: This episode contains some comic exaggerations that unfairly stereotype physicians and may point the viewer away from the key issue. To redress this, a new segment has been interpolated.
24:48 Ep6: Larry is visited by the Ghost of Tommy Douglas, who reveals how one compromise changed the history of Medicare.
30:34 Ep7: Larry presents the solution! But his bosses have other ideas.
34:13 Ep8: Larry confronts the Health Minister, who is fixated on not doing harm. . . or anything else.
39:38 Ep9: the sleazy new Premier tries to sell Larry on private healthcare, expounding why a two-tier system would make perfect sense.
45:03 Ep10: Larry witnesses a frenzied free-for-all as hospital managers scramble to find beds for the unending influx of patients.
49:48 Ep11: A surprise visit from the Accreditors leaves the bureaucrats frantic to prove that their policies have an evidence base. Is this Larry’s big chance - or a trap?
Featuring
Toby Hughes (Larry)
and
Lisa Bell (Triage Nurse/Ensemble)
Dutchess Cayetano (Dr. Caylao)
Colleen Furlan (Health Minister/Ensemble)
Katie German (Home Care Director/Reporter/Ensemble)
Rochelle Kives (Assistant-Assistant Deputy Minister/Nurse Manager/Ensemble)
James McLennan (Deputy Minister/Ensemble)
Sam Plett (Premier/Ensemble)
Paula Potosky (Assistant Deputy Minister/Flow Nurse/Ensemble)
RobYn Slade (Amber)
Justin Stadnyk (Hospital President/Cowboy Doctor/Ensemble)
David Watson (Ghost/Nursing Home Director/Ensemble)
Melanie Whyte (Executive Director/Grandma/Ensemble)
Director of Photography - Braiden Watling
Head of Post-Production - Milos Mitrovic
Editor and Sound Mastering - Ethan Ani
VX Compositor and Sound Design - Jasper Elnart
Music Supervisor and Orchestrator - Paul De Gurse
Choreographer - Matthew Armet
Costume Designer, Set Decorator & Costume Set Supervisor - Leanne Foley
First Assistant Director - Sky Cambly-Maki
For Dr. Kreindler’s Team
Production Manager - Tasia Geras
Set and Property Manager - Jamie Plummer
Set and Property Assistant - Zoë Leclerc-Kennedy
Recording Engineer - Chris Coyne
Mixing Engineer - Henry Kreindler
Production Assistant and Creative Consultant to Dr. Kreindler - Reena Kreindler
For Tripwire Media Group
CEO & Executive Creative Director - Doug Darling
Executive Account Manager - Colin Fraser
Production Manager - Jamie Kerr
Account Manager - Sheyanne Bruyere
Assistant Camera - Josh Goossen
Sound Recordist - Tom Groom
Hair and Makeup - Sarah Brooker
Craft Services and Catering - Les Filles Cuisine
Incidental Music: “Love or Lust” by Quincas Moreira, “Once Was” by Kwon, “Digital Ghosts” by Unicorn Heads
Research scientist sequence by Just Theatre
Lyrics and image/sound effect credits at www.larrysaveshealthcare.com
Filmed at Unit 204, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Songs recorded at the Royal MTC Tom Hendry Digital Studio
Made with the generous support of ACTRA and the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA)
We gratefully acknowledge funding from Research Manitoba
Produced by TRIPWIRE MEDIA GROUP
www.larrysaveshealthcare.com
[c] Adi Sara Kreindler, 2022

[@hilarykemsley5627]

BRILLIANT! Tons and tons of work and creativity to make this video. Everything you’ve included is 100% right on the mark. Bravo to you for the diversity of the staff. You know your stuff! Well done.

[@roxielabelle2513]

I'm going to play this full blast after my procedure next week,.. that is, if it doesn't get postponed for the 4th time!!

[@berkvjli]

Absolutely brilliant!! You should get an award for your musical.

[@TraceyMush]

Wow. Kudos to the musical team, this is exactly what I would expect from a musical. My mind is boggled at the extent of information provided here. How has this video not gone viral?! Sharing everywhere...

[@FerrisFareMusic]

This was amazing! I saw it the other night at the Gargoyle Theatre (I was with Catherine) and have told so many people about it since! Brilliant writing, great music and pacing, and it packed a huge punch, but because of the humour, no-one was alienated. Brava! And thank you.

[@carolgrier7774]

It has been declining for over 35 years. You can't blame 1 man for something that started in 1979. I know because I quit in 1980 when they removed our orderly's and told us we could manage. We saw this coming.

[@iamanomas]

Certainly many of the issues ‘sung’ about have definitely impacted my family and me over the years. I have learned that one needs a strong advocate to fight for the care one needs and I mean fight. Our system has been underfunded and undermined by bureaucracy and mistrust of the people actually doing and needed to provide the care as if their every decision and act requires a watchdog. It makes me question even the need for all that medical training in the first place. Before Covid there were already waiting lists for everything. I’ve been lucky so far and so has my family as none of us had to wait so long that it was too late but there were definitely several close calls. I can say too, that once my turn for care came up and the turn for several family members as well over the last 12 years or so, the care was excellent. On 3 occasions however, being sent home too early after surgeries led to re-admission for complications that led to stays in hospital longer than the initial stay. Go figure!

[@c.fredolds706]

Absolutely superb!!

[@beet5800]

Please PMJT & provincial Premiers, play this at your next federal/Provincial meeting. Offered as comic but so TRUE!!

[@heatherwhittaker6169]

This is a great video..100% correct....

[@TraceyMush]

Excellent! So powerfully stated with true points everywhere. Fantastic work.

[@hello3146]

We are in this serious mess because of politicians and bureaucrats would not listen to those medically trained personnel should have been given input to decisions for DECADES. Either they were incredibly poor planners or there was an attempt to subvert public health care by neglect. This will get much worse and will take a long time to correct the issues. Aging demographics, increasing chronic conditions by a population without meaningful health incentives and education, MDs aging out and retiring after horrendous overwork due to insane caseloads and pandemic, underpaying all medical and nursing staff, lack of adequate educational and hospital centres to train new people, increased cost to those attending university and on & on. I don’t know the fixes but trying to jam physicians assistants into jobs they have inadequate training to fill…out of desperation, is magical thinking. Maybe consider telling high school students they can graduate medical and nursing school for free if they pass and work a minimum number of years a a physician, additional incentives to work in less popular specialties, free education to immigrants who graduated as MDs in other countries if they can pass a test for medical adequacy (to avoid an influx from diploma mill frauds). Lastly, I think that a mistake may have been made to make health the purview of the provinces and some centralization is necessary to rebalance the power and funding structure? Mostly, this is shameful and should never have happened and those in power need to reassess priorities.

[@jamesireland605]

Lazy doctors

[@Nortonsnorton]

@@jamesireland605 Rich Doctors from bigpHARMa.

[@Audrey-vd7vg]

Perfect

[@lynnkowalla1315]

My husband in hospital, taken off oxygen and antibiotics sent home. Within 24 hrs took him to er. Diagnosed with pneumonia and pneumosepsis. They expected him to die at home and no one would be the wiser. Many ways, not to mention easy euthanasia, to kill people with no one knowing why the person died.

[@finakhan5221]

so sorry! I have technology in a hand held device that’s changing peoples life worlwde. Please reach out to me. The motivation that guides me to make a difference in peoples life. I am on FB messaged and whatsapp. 🙏❤️🇨🇦

[@Nortonsnorton]

Yet they refuse to give life saving ivermectin. It’s criminal!

[@pearllemdal5988]

Well done and the truth was told

[@captainasshat3228]

My favourite part is when he saved the Canadian healthcare system

[@khlewis]

This is genius. Take it on the road.

[@lindagates9150]

I am so glad I finally decided to watch your ad . Thank you ❤🎉❤your new subscriber setaG adniL from an alternative universe where everything works out to all our satisfaction.. 😮😅😊

[@denisesf5]

My husband had an emergency trip to the U of A Hospital (Edmonton) last month that ended up being 2 surgeries...one being his gallstones removed. From the emergency room right through to his discharge...it was 5 days. He was treated wonderfully and the nurses and doctors were brilliant. Thank God we live in Canada... this event would have lost us our home in the USA. Just sayin'.

[@moosehead1183]

Had major back surgery, within hours of waking up nurses were asking if I'm ready to go home.

[@louisemckinney1021]

THANKYOU it's so true!!! You did an awesome job on the song play Great Canadian people to the rescue!!! Yehaww!!!!! 🍁🇨🇦🍁💔

[@geekgirl1940]

Awesome 🤣🤣🤣

[@janethatcherroberts6346]

1230 Sunday absolutely amazing I have been teaching Canadian and then global health systems for years. And have worked in the bureaucracy and for NGOs globally. The messages are perfect , 0:39 clear and hard hitting with typical Canadian satire and resiliency sending it to all my colleagues and students. Is it ins rage and travelling?

[@santorocatena8]

Nice musical effort..BUT..IM VERY HAPPY WITH THE Fact that I have FREE HEALTHCARE, I LOVE CANADA, I LOVE TRUDEAU

[@lynnkowalla1315]

👏👏👏👏👍

[@judithevans7926]

Very well done!

[@mikechisum2002]

They made the system an outpatient system so no beds for short or long term beds or room for emergencies. They also shut down long term homes and rebuilt new smaller ones. The medical society has been trying to get private hospitals in and make more money but if the public system has all the bells and whisles you do not need private health care and you do not need to pay for extended health care on your check when the money goes to public heath care. With the money more health care people better service.

[@izzydeadyet7336]

Well gee, covid sure advanced that agenda

[@sheilahillier3364]

Episode njne sounded like his father. Wonderful

[@GayToBeHere]

How did i end up on this video

[@sharonandersen3669]

Fabulous! Right on the mark of all the useless bureaucracy

[@jamesireland605]

So true

[@marieguy576]

That's the funniest thing I have seen in awhile 😂 Yet true!

[@AngelaMay66]

Alberta Health Services is third world conditions. The employees are predominantly rude and unprofessional. Fire them all.

[@heatherwhittaker6169]

Most are from third world countries...if your 70 plus they're happy to euthanize you..the alternative is misdiagnosed and neglected

[@herethere65]

Lol

[@tiredRN92]

Perhaps the situation is more complex than you think. Rude and unprofessional may be the end result of difficult work conditions. Working short staffed, abused by both management and patients/families. Many factors are behind what you're seeing when entering the system.

[@annjulien268]

@@tiredRN92 12:43

[@TwentyOne_Five]

Resources won’t be better allocated in a more centralized system. We need markets and prices to determine where resources should go. If we just try to run this Soviet style system with better central control there’s zero chance of success.

[@haileysmom2358]

The system is so bad Cardiac patients waiting days & weeks for bi pass surgery. Third world conditions

[@debbiemassey7711]

Sorry, but as a nurse, just like healthcare, this didn’t really deal with the massive paperwork, the BS ‘corporate speak’, I.e. ‘best practice’, and the amount of administration employees developing the BS vs those who actually do the work not even mentioning nurses and the overwhelming workloads. Ultimately, yes, Larry is offered a BS job that’s takes up money that could be spent on a nurse.

[@princessbuttonz]

Or a Social Worker. We are so underfunded and overwhelmed in the healthcare system that there's like a handful of us left in any building. I agree funding needs to be directed to the frontline.

[@crabbycdntucktoyuktuck7903]

Im sorry it wasnt on the slip of paper. I cant do that one. Haaaaaaaaaaaa!

[@violetab3750]

💯. My second son was born in Canada via C section. I was kicked out of the hospital after only 2 days. My first son was born in a different country ( natural birth) and I was in the hospital for 7 days. Too much for a “free” health care!

[@maryann8492]

Funny but it’s true😅

[@Cyclersix]

Ontarios health care system is pathetic!! That includes care you get from general practitioner, imaging departments, length of time to see specialists. We bragged for years about our health care system, under Trudeau, Ford, etc it is in the dump!!

[@nancytestani1470]

Well, not in totally in the dump…but getting close. Definitely, getting bitten on the ass now , getting bad for a long time..but since Covid really gotten worse…it’s all about the money, follow the money…and money talks bullshit walks…ciao…and yeah…get out Now……

[@moosehead1183]

I'm not big on musicals, and the upbeat singing seems out of place for the seriousness of this problem, which is the complete failure of our medical system. As it is, if you need a surgery, and you don't want to wait literally years, you're better off going to another country and paying for it yourself if you can. You could suffer mercilessly in Canada on a waiting list that could last from months to years...but then you'd no doubt be offered MAID if you can't handle the wait.

[@HypocriticYT]

Canadian healthcare that doesn’t care 😮

[@heatherwhittaker6169]

With signs informing patients that the system in Alberta is physician centered what do you expect? This is a hell based medical care...or rather non care.

[@huh4324]

There are to any guildlines for Drs.. every person is different

[@jamesandrews1130]

It's simple in the end. If you don't charge for service, then you have to ration heath care. People called economists have figured this out.

[@TwentyOne_Five]

People don’t understand this because they haven’t been educated about basic economics. Prices allocate scarce resources most effectively. We pay no price. Our system sucks. Bad value for money.

[@gailpoirier1857]

My daughter had heart bypass sergery just after her second child was born at 41 yrs. Old. She was born with a whole in her heart ,but we were told not to worry because it wouldn't be à problem until she was older . Basic6

[@Rae-lh7ex]

Yup, it’s bad

[@huh4324]

The problem with the Canadian Healthcare system is the same thing that is wrong with this video.... no patience no focus on anyone sick...it's all about the shirts and thats all that is wrong with the systems it's all about the shirts and not the people who are ill.

[@reenakreindler2102]

The video is trying to show what's wrong with the system in order to figure out what needs to be done to fix them, and a lot of what's wrong with the system has to do with the shirts.

[@beckizimmerman8776]

Hahahahahhahahahhahhahahahhahah😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😝😜🤪

[@joannezupan4175]

Health care in this country (for the most part) is run by a Soviet style bureaucracy. And they seem to love making things harder for the workers instead of making workers jobs easier.

[@rhema63]

Yup our health care system is pathetic, our government should be ashamed in how we are treated.

[@Number-cm1xg]

The girl is Taiwan but the guy is China looking good lol😂 , you should put shorter guy with single eyes lid 🤣

[@dereksavage7569]

Promo'SM

[@freedom-fighter]

It is fun to makes jokes I guess,, until you really need health care

[@RetroBacon1]

Wtf is this

[@vickydij]

Art 😂

[@tracyallen7020]

Was Bonnie Henry the executive producer on this one ?

[@chrisbernard5153]

👏👏👏👏. Larry might be able to fix the system but the problem is Trudolph doesn’t care if it’s fixed or not. He’s the one to blame for this mess with his useless mandates.

[@jmc8076]

It’s global and prob not fixed justifies more private options. Corporatocracy?

[@bridecolbourne1305]

Can’t blame that one unconscious man ,we The People can be blamed if We don’t shout from the roof tops”we do not comply “that’s all that’s needed ,speak up ,take our power back 👍👍🌅

[@kiml1604]

The premiers are the problem they make the decisions not the federal government unfortunatley

[@carofactory4090]

True

[@sandy239b6]

Castreau Trudolph Schwab doesn't care!

[@lolahayduk5649]

Disgustingly childish