Local pop-rockers the Zolas just wrapped up their latest tour, but frontman Zachary Gray is already getting ready to leave town once again. This time, he'll be heading to Saskatoon to take up a two-week residency at the Persephone Theatre, where he will star in the acclaimed Canadian musical Billy Bishop Goes to War. The story of the famed First World War flying ace, the two-man production features Ryan Beil in the lead role, while Gray sings and provides piano and guitar accompaniment. “I figured out a way to make my guitar sound almost exactly like a busted-up biplane,” enthused Gray in a call to the Straight.

As for how he got involved with the production, Gray joked that it was “unbridled nepotism”—after all, his father, John, cowrote the play, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary. “I grew up with this musical,” explained Gray. “One of my earliest memories is hearing these songs being banged out while I'm trying to sleep on top of the piano.” After the play closes in Saskatoon, Gray and Beil will return home to perform the show at Granville Island's Arts Club Theatre. It opens March 31.