The Rosebud Theatre Production of All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 by Peter Rothstein – Ensemble – Kenaniah Love Schnare, Mark Kazakov, Steve Morton, Joel Braun, Tim Dixon, Aaron Krogman, Griffin Cork, Blair Young – Photos by Morris Ertman
The voices of the past whisper to us.
They have stories to tell.
All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 at Rosebud Theatre is a deeply moving and memorable production. The story is brought to life by a wonderful ensemble and is partly told through the use of letters home from the soldiers who found themselves spending that first Christmas in the trenches. Many of those soldiers thought the war would be over by Christmas but tragically the war continued for another four years and didn’t end until November 11, 1918.
In addition to the letters home much of the play consists of songs including classic Christmas Carols like We Wish You a Merry Christmas and The First Noel along with many contemporary songs of the day including It’s a Long Way to Tipperary and Keep the Homefires Burning. Playwright Peter Rothstein has weaved together the music and the words of these soldiers in a way that from the first moments of the play to the final scene keeps us fully immersed in this tragic but humanizing war story.
All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 tells the story of a brief pause in the fighting during World War I. The Germans and the English sang carols and songs to each other and on Christmas day the soldiers feeling a sense of connection eventually left their trenches and met in no man’s land – the killing field between the trenches. On that first Christmas, they sang songs. They exchanged gifts. They played soccer. They buried their dead. And they wondered what the hell were they doing there trying to kill each other. Of course, the truce ended, and the war continued, and millions would die. But for a moment — there was hope.
Morris Ertman’s direction is flawless as the soldiers interact and tell their stories and there are moments of laughter, moments of faith, moments of grief, and moments of hope. It shows how powerful theatre can be. That’s one of the reasons why we go to the theatre – to experience the emotion of the story. To identify with the characters and understand something more about life and hopefully, we come away feeling a little more connected to our shared humanity.
In no small measure the costumes and setting also add to the experience but what I found particularly moving and worth noting is the musical direction by Bill Hamm because it’s the harmonies of this extraordinary cast that conveys so much of the story. Since the play is giving voice to the words and thoughts of those soldiers long dead having the music performed a cappella really draws us in and connects us to those men whose words are being brought back to life.
So, did I like it? I loved it and not just the play, but I loved the whole experience of going out to Rosebud to see the show. Rosebud has become a favourite destination and a place where good memories are made. A big part of going to the theatre is about who you share the play with – the person sitting beside you – that’s the real joy of seeing a show together. The shared experience with someone you care about and who cares about you. Yes, a live audience adds to the experience but when I think of theatre now it’s all about who I see the show with, and I was fortunate enough to see All Is Calm with my son Graham who also enjoyed the show and the meal very much.
You see Rosebud includes the drive out and the meal and then the show and the drive home. It’s a chance to step away from your routine and to make a good memory and enjoy some of that good old-fashioned Rosebud hospitality which includes Chef Mo’s absolutely delicious buffet. It’s really about taking some time to share a meaningful experience and enjoy each other’s company and to connect and when you see a show as meaningful and memorable as All is Calm it just makes the experience all the more special.
All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 runs until Saturday, December 23rd. Tickets are available at RosebudTheartre.com or by calling the box office at 1-800-267-7553. The show runs for approximately 70 minutes without intermission.
All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 Written by Peter Rothstein Vocal Arrangements by Erick Lichte & Timothy C. Takach
Ensemble Joel Braun Griffin Cork Tim Dixon Mark Kazakov Aaron Krogman Steve Morton Kenaniah Love Schnare Blair Young
Understudies Taylor Fawcett Caleb Gordon Dan Hall Bill Hamm
Artistic Personnel Director: Morris Ertman Musical Director: Bill Hamm Original Scenic/Costume Designer: Carolyn Rapanos Lighting Designer: Becky Halterman Stage Manager: Samantha Showalter Assistant Stage Manager: Christopher Allan Rehearsal Pianist: Terrah Harper
Production Personnel Production Manager/Technical Director: Mark Lewandowski Production Stage Manager: Brad G. Graham Head of Wardrobe: Amy Castro Hair: Tracy’s Place Salon Studio Scenic Carpenter: Wojtek Kozlinski Scenic Artist: Cheryl Daugherty Props Builder/Buyer: Brad G. Graham Load-in/Lighting Crew: Cory Eliuk, Josie Kaip, Kalena Lewandowski, John McIver Student/Volunteer Crew: Katie Corrigan, Connor Dixon, Joshua Erhardt, Immaneul Halterman, Jack Loney, Kaila Martin
Deidra Michel as Carrie in the FRC production of Carrie: The Musical. Photo Brittany Doucet-Lewis
Last year I started my theatre season by seeing a production of Misery at Vertigo Theatre starring Anna Cummer as Annie Wilkes and Haysam Kadri as Paul Sheldon. The production was directed by Jamie Dunsdon and it was so good I saw it twice. And this year I had a chance to start my theatre season with another Stephen King story by sitting in on the dress rehearsal for the Front Row Centre Players production of Carrie: The Musical.
Stephen King – Photo by Shane Leonard
Stephen King’s writing career or as I like to call it – his Decades-Long Reign of Terror – could conceivably be traced back to the publication of his first novel Carrie in 1974. That novel changed King’s life. In fact, he threw his first few pages of Carrie into the garbage and wasn’t going to spend any more time working on the story until – his wife Tabatha fished it out of the garbage and read it and said it was good and he should finish it.
So, he did. And when the publisher sold the paperback rights for $400,000 half of which went to King, he was able to quit his teaching job and begin writing full time. And I suppose there is an alternate universe where he threw away the story and his wife tossed it out with the garbage and Stephen King remained a teacher of high school students and retired after 40 years of public service and at the age of sixty-five moved to Florida where he enjoys lawn bowling and dining out at the all you can eat Crazy Buffet. Now there’s a horror story. If you want to hear King tell the story of how Carrie came to be check out the link at the bottom of this post where he tells the story in his own words.
Carrie started as a novel in 1974 and became a successful movie in 1976 that starred Sissy Spacek, Amy Irving, Piper Laurie, and Nancy Allen. In 1988 Carrie was slated for a Broadway run as a musical. And why not? There are plenty of successful horror musicals such as The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Evil Dead The Musical, and Little Shop of Horrors. Carrie with its supernatural elements and high school drama seems like the perfect story to adapt into a musical. Unfortunately, the original Broadway Production shut down after only 16 previews and five performances and a loss of seven million dollars, but it was far from dead.
Deidra Michel as Carrie in the FRC production of Carrie: The Musical. Photo Brittany Doucet-Lewis
There was an Off-Broadway revival in 2012 where the score and book were revised by the original composers Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford, and writer Lawrence D. Cohen and several of the original songs were replaced with new compositions. Our own Calgary connection to the story is that the current artistic director of Theatre Calgary Stafford Armia was involved in the readings and workshops that lead to the 2012 revival. This led to an Off-West End production in 2015 that opened to mostly positive reviews.* And when I checked Concord Theatricals which controls the performance rights for the show they had over 50 scheduled productions listed. So, I’d say Carrie has finally found its audience.
And that’s partly because one of the things that makes King such a successful writer is that he writes sympathetic and relatable characters that find themselves in unusual or supernatural circumstances. Life is often cruel and unfair in his stories and that’s one of the reasons we find them so compelling. – who doesn’t like to cheer for the underdog? In The Shining Jack Torrence isn’t simply a mallet-wielding psychopath. No, he’s a man trying to stay sober and be a good father while fighting the supernatural forces that are leading him toward a murderous path. And in The Shawshank Redemption who doesn’t cheer for the innocent Andy Dufresne wrongly convicted for the murder of his wife and sent to prison where his efforts to prove his innocence are thwarted by a corrupt warden and prison system? And who doesn’t travel back to their own long summer days of childhood while watching Stand by Me because it’s a story about friendship, doing the right thing, and being a kid on summer vacation.
Deidra Michel as Carrie White, Becky Salmond as Miss Gardner and Willow Martens as Chris Hargensen in the FRC production of Carrie: The Musical. Photo Brittany Doucet-Lewis
Deidra Michel as Carrie in the FRC production of Carrie: The Musical. Photo Brittany Doucet-Lewis
Deidra Michel as Carrie in the FRC production of Carrie: The Musical. Photo Brittany Doucet-Lewis
Alexa Jobs as Carrie in the FRC production of Carrie: The Musical. Photo Brittany Doucet-Lewis
Lyndsey Paterson as Margaret White & Alexa Jobs as Carrie in the FRC production of Carrie: The Musical. Photo Brittany Doucet-Lewis
Lyndsey Paterson as Margaret White & Deidra Michel as Carrie White in the FRC production of Carrie: The Musical. Photo Brittany Doucet-Lewis
Russell Bishop as Mr. Stephens and Alexa Jobs as Carrie in the FRC Production of Carrie: The Musical. Photo Brittany Doucet-Lewis
Kianna King as Sue Snell in the FRC production of Carrie: The Musical. Photo Brittany Doucet-Lewis
Kianna King as Sue Snell and Nolan Brown as Tommy Ross in the FRC production of Carrie: The Musical. Photo Brittany Doucet-Lewis
Willow Martens as Chris Hargensen in the FRC production of Carrie: The Musical. Photo Brittany Doucet-Lewis
Deidra Michel as Carrie White and Becky Salmond as Miss Gardner in the FRC production of Carrie: The Musical. Photo Brittany Doucet-Lewis
Deidra Michel as Carrie White and Selwyn Halabi as Billy Nolan in the FRC production of Carrie: The Musical. Photo Brittany Doucet-Lewis
Willow Martens as Chris Hargensen in the FRC production of Carrie: The Musical. Photo Brittany Doucet-Lewis
Dwaigne Quierra as Freddy in the FRC production of Carrie: The Musical. Photo Brittany Doucet-Lewis
Becky Salmond as Miss Gardner, Deidra Michel as Carrie White, and Nolan Brown as Tommy Ross in the FRC production of Carrie: The Musical. Photo Brittany Doucet-Lewis
Deidra Michel as Carrie in the FRC production of Carrie: The Musical. Photo Brittany Doucet-Lewis
Nolan Brown as Tommy Ross & Alexa Jobs as Carrie in the FRC production of Carrie: The Musical. Photo Brittany Doucet-Lewis
Lyndsey Paterson as Margaret White & Alexa Jobs as Carrie in the FRC production of Carrie: The Musical. Photo Brittany Doucet-Lewis
Alexa Jobs as Carrie and Kianna King as Sue Snell in the FRC production of Carrie: The Musical. Photo Brittany Doucet-Lewis
Alexa Jobs as Carrie in the FRC production of Carrie: The Musical. Photo Brittany Doucet-Lewis
Deidra Michel as Carrie in the FRC production of Carrie: The Musical. Photo Brittany Doucet-Lewis
In Carrie, the plot follows Carrie White a shy girl who lives on the edge of the high school community and when not fading into the background at school she spends her time at home with her fanatical Christian mother Margaret White who practices a particularly toxic religious faith. Margaret has kept Carrie in the dark about the facts of life and so when her daughter experiences her first period in the girl’s locker room shower, Carrie reacts with horror and panic. Rather than helping Carrie the rest of the class, being typical high school kids, make her an object of ridicule as they taunt and bully her. It isn’t until the gym teacher, Miss Gardner, steps in that the girls back off and are asked to apologize. When Chris Hargensen refuses to apologize and instead tells Carrie to “eat sh*t” Rita bans Chris from attending the prom.
Sue Snell one of the popular girls who participated in the taunting feels particularly guilty about her treatment of Carrie and convinces her boyfriend Tommy Ross to take Carrie to the prom instead of her. At first reluctant he finally agrees to ask Carrie to the prom, and she accepts. Meanwhile outraged over missing the prom and blaming Carrie for her troubles Chris along with her boyfriend Billy Noland plot their revenge. While all this is going on Carrie discovers that she has telekinetic powers and in the days leading up to the prom she practices her abilities at home by moving and levitating objects. Needless to say, while the prom goes well initially for Carrie this is Stephen King and you know things aren’t going to end well.
Nolan Brown as Tommy Ross & Deidra Michel as Carrie in the FRC production of Carrie: The Musical. Photo Brittany Doucet-Lewis
Director Kristine Astop has assembled a talented group of young actors with the lead role being split between Deidra Michel and Alexa Jobs who play Carrie on alternating performances. On the night I saw the show Deidra Michel was playing Carrie and gave a heartfelt performance as Carrie navigates her dismal existence between her life as an outcast at school and her abusive life at home with her mother. Lyndsey Paterson as Carrie’s salvation-obsessed mother can be loving but also savage and terrifying in her zeal to wage war against the world and rid it of sin. Kianna King does a terrific job of playing the guilt-ridden Sue Snell who only wants to make amends for how she treated Carrie. Nolan Brown gives a sympathetic performance as Sue’s boyfriend Tommy Ross the jock with a poet’s heart. Willow Martens is perfect as the self-absorbed and popular mean girl Chris Hargenson who takes things too far, and Selwyn Halabi has the right mix of cocky smart-ass attitude to play Billy Nolan, Chris’ boyfriend, and partner in crime.
The set designed by Jamie Eastgaard-Ross features a multi-leveled platform across the back of the stage that effectively creates different acting spaces that represent the school, Carrie’s home, and the gym on prom night. There’s also live music which is always a bonus when it comes to musicals. A live band can respond to the subtle differences that happen during a performance from night to night and add to the energy of the production.
As far as the actual music goes it sets the scene and moves the narrative along with the most powerful numbers being given to Carrie’s mother Margaret. And perhaps that’s because she’s the most extreme character. She’s the one who is going to save her daughter from damnation and will do anything in order to achieve that. But what I think Carrie: The Musical seems to be missing is a few hit songs – songs that go beyond the stage and make their way into pop culture. Songs like “The Time Warp” from The Rocky Horror Picture Show or “The Music of the Night” from The Phantom of the Opera – songs that a lot of people know even if they haven’t seen the musical.
Even so, I enjoyed the show and I think what makes Carrie work today is the fact that all the behaviour we see on stage is certainly reflected in the worst aspects of social media and how we treat each other online. In fact, you could simply argue that social media is just a tool for behaviours that have already been a part of our tribal repertoire for generations. And that undercurrent of hate and anger and mob behaviour creates a sinister feeling to the events that unfold on stage and that’s the perfect subject matter for a musical, don’t you think?
FURTHER READING
How Carrie changed Stephen King’s life and began a generation of horror: Writers and readers recall the shock of reading the debut novel about a high-school outcast who discovers paranormal powers and reflects on its huge influence. by Alison Flood. The Guardian. April 4, 2014
* Carrie: The Musical: Originally premiering in the U.K. in 1988, Carrie opened on Broadway at the Virginia Theatre the same year, but closed after 16 previews and five regular performances.
Talking Volumes: Stephen King on “Carrie” Author Stephen King talks about his first published novel, “Carrie,” during the Talking Volumes series at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota. Kerri Miller hosted the live event on November 18, 2009. He tells the story about how his wife Tabatha fished Carrie out of the trash after King had thrown the first few pages away and decided not to finish it.
Ryan Parker, Vanessa Sabourin, Shannon Blanchet, Scott Shpeley, Garett Ross, Sheldon Elter, and Beth Graham in the Catalyst Theatre Production of Nevermore – The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe. Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jonathan Christenson. Production Design by Bretta Gerecke. Photo by Tim Nguyen.
Before I dive into a deeper look at Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe I’ll start off by simply saying I give it two thumbs up. I’d give it more thumbs but those are all I got. Evolution has seen fit to stop at two thumbs per person and that does seem to serve us well although had evolution seen fit to give me four I’d give Nevermore four thumbs up. So, yes – go see it. It’s a show that comes highly recommended not just from me but from countless other reviewers and audience members.
I think the best filmmakers, painters, and writers all have a particular vision. We know A Wes Anderson film from a single frame. We know a Van Gogh on sight, and we recognize a Rolling Stones song after hearing a few notes. That’s what makes these artists stand out. Their work is unique in form and structure and execution. These artists see and understand the world from a slightly different angle than the rest of us and so they bring new life to many of the things we take for granted – be that a sunflower or the life of a poet.
And so, who better to bring to the stage the life of Edgar Allan Poe – an artist with his own unique artistic view of the world – than Catalyst Theatre and writer, director, and composer Jonathan Christenson. Nevermore is filled with energy that explodes across the stage in bold and theatrical storytelling that distinguishes Catalyst Theatre as a truly unique and visionary voice in Canadian Theatre. And if Poe was able to shake off his uneasy slumber and journey from his resting place in Baltimore to Calgary and see the show – I have little doubt that he would be pleased with this nightmarish and mesmerizing telling of his tale – elaborate costumes, rhyming prose, imaginative staging, and a rather macabre story all set to music and flawlessly choreographed.
Scott Shpeley in the Catalyst Theatre Production of Nevermore – The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe. Photo by Tim Nguyen. Production Design by Bretta Gerecke.
Nevermore first graced the Vertigo Stage in 2011 and this revival has the good fortune of bringing back together the incredible ensemble from that original production. Scott Shpeley channels the bedevilled poet with a wide-eyed wonder and a growing sense of doom as the other cast members transition between a multitude of characters in Poe’s life including his mother Eliza Poe an actress who dreams of fame and fortune played by Vanessa Sabourin.
Sheldon Elter brings to life Edgar’s older, gregarious, and optimistic brother Henry while Garett Ross takes on the role of the pious and stingy Jock Allan who gave Edgar a home when Edgar became an orphan after his mother died.
Ryan Parker plays the rather aloof Rufus Griswold once a friend of Edgar’s who becomes jealous of Edgar’s talent and makes it his mission to tarnish Poe’s reputation. Shannon Blanchet plays Elmira Royster Edgar’s first love whose father isn’t too keen about the prospect of his daughter marrying a poet. And Beth Graham plays Edgar’s first wife Sissy who must endure scandalous rumours about her husband’s involvement and affection for another woman.
These are big bold characters that move about the stage like living marionettes and the entire cast energetically throws themselves into a story that depicts the tragedies and hopes that haunt Edgar’s short life.
Nevermore – The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe. Production Design Bretta Gerecke. Photo by Tim Nguyen.
Nevermore – The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe. Production Design Bretta Gerecke. Photo by Tim Nguyen.
Ryan Parker, Vanessa Sabourin, Shannon Blanchet, Scott Shpeley, Garett Ross, Sheldon Elter, and Beth Graham in the Catalyst Theatre Production of Nevermore – The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe. Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jonathan Christenson. Production Design by Bretta Gerecke. Photo by Tim Nguyen.
Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe covers Poe’s life from birth to death. Forty years in a little over two hours. Like all biographical plays, certain things are adjusted and manipulated to tell a coherent and simpler story because – well you’ve only got two hours.
And in some ways, I think a play is very much like a painting – paintings are a version of reality seen through the lens of the artist and the subject matter of a play is a version of reality seen through the lens of the playwright and director and the actors and the entire creative team and the purpose of the play is to entertain – to enthrall its audience and Nevermore succeeds on every level.
Catalyst Theatre’s
NEVERMORE: THE IMAGINARY LIFE AND MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF EDGAR ALLAN POE
A whimsical and chilling musical fairy tale at Vertigo Theatre
The Cast
Shannon Blanchet (Elmira Royster) Sheldon Elter (Henry Poe) Beth Graham (Rosalie/Fammy/Sissy) Ryan Parker (Rufus Griswold) Garett Ross (David Poe/Jock Allan) Vanessa Sabourin (Eliza Poe/Muddy Clemm/Louise Gabriella) Scott Shpeley (Edgar Allan Poe)
The Creative Team
Jonathan Christenson – Writer/Director/Composer Bretta Gerecke – Set/Costumes/Lighting Designer Laura Krewski – Choreography Wade Staples – Sound Designer Matthew Skopyk – Music Producer Leo O’Reilly – Catalyst Production Manager John Raymond – Stage Manager Nyssa Beairsto – Assistant Stage Manager Ruth Alexander – Music Director Keven Green – Catalyst Technical Director Alexandra Prichard – Lighting Associate Kat Evans – Costume & Props Associate Jonathan Beaudoin – Costume Coordinator Rebecca Cypher – Costume & Props Assistant Derek Miller – Sound Design Assistant
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder by Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutvak at Stage West Calgary is one of the most entertaining and fun shows I’ve seen on a Calgary stage. This production is outstanding, and I guarantee you’ll be delighted and amused and laughing at the exploits of Monty Navarro as he plots and murders his way into high society.
The Tony Award winning A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder tells the story of Monty Navarro whose mother was cast out and disinherited by the D’Ysquith family when she married for love. Monty and his mother are forced to live in poverty as the D’Ysquith family remains unmoved by his mother’s appeals for reconciliation. When Monty’s mother dies and Monty learns the truth of his birth and that he’s eighth in line for an earldom he sets about to avenge his mother’s death and take his rightful place as head of the family.
The book, songs, and music from a Gentleman’s Guide are smart, fun, and witty, but having great source material only works if you have an exceptionally talented cast to pull it off, and director Mark Bellamy’s production has assembled a stellar cast that works seamlessly together. Kate Blackburn as Sibella and Ellen Denny as Phoebe are pitch perfect and hilarious as the women in Monty’s life who tempt him, tease him, and manipulate him based on their own desires and ambitions. Tyler Murree shows he has a real gift for farce as he portrays every member of the D’Ysquith family with an air of comic pomposity and entitlement. And Sayer Roberts plays Monty Navarro with all the charm of Cary Grant and the elegance of Fred Astaire making Monty one of the most gracious and likeable rogues you’ll ever meet.
The play is filled with memorable and smart songs including, I Don’t Understand the Poor, Better With a Man, and I Will Marry You as Monty knocks off his relatives one by one on his quest to become the Ninth Earl of Highhurst. Will Monty succeed or will he get caught? Will fate lend a hand? Will he marry Phoebe? Will he always love Sibella? You’ll have to see it in order to find out.
This is easily a five-star production and worthy of two thumbs up. In fact, it’s so good I’m seeing it again, and I’d highly recommend you see it before it closes, because you’ll have a darn good time, and this production won’t be available on demand. Theatre and live performance is the ultimate “here for a limited time” experience.
I sat down with the director of the show Mark Bellamy and actor Sayer Roberts who plays Monty, the Wednesday before the finale of Game of Thrones, to talk with them about the play, musical theatre, and our predictions of who will sit on the Iron Throne.
Mark Bellamy – Director and Musical Staging – A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder at Stage West Calgary
JAMES HUTCHISON
How did you both get involved in the Canadian premiere of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder here at Stage West?
MARK BELLAMY
I’ve loved this show from the minute I’d heard about it. I love the music and I’m a huge fan of this style of musical theatre. There’s a lot of old school techniques that have been put into the writing and the structure of it. So, I learned they were doing it while I was here directing Baskerville last year, and they announced their season, and I was like, “Ah you’re doing Gentleman’s Guide.” And Kira Campbell who’s the Artistic Associate said, “Yeah we’ll get you for Gentleman’s Guide or for this other show, and I’m not sure which one to put you on.” And I was like, “Oh God, please put me on Gentleman’s Guide.” And they did.
Actor Sayer Roberts who plays Monty Navarro in the Stage West Calgary Production of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
SAYER ROBERTS
I saw it ages ago when they did the performance on the Tony Awards, and for a lot of Canada that was the first time any of us had seen or heard anything about the show. And I remember watching it and asking, “What is this amazing show?” And then I got a chance to see the show a couple of years later on Broadway, and I instantly knew that this was one show that I would very much like to do. And the fellow doing it too – he wasn’t the original – he was a replacement – but he was incredible, and I thought, “That’s what I aspire to be as a performer.” So, when the audition posting came out that Stage West was doing this I know that myself and almost every other Canadian was, “What? They’re doing this. I have to be a part of it.”
JAMES
The stars aligned.
SAYER
Exactly.
MARK
Yeah, they sure did.
SAYER
So, I went into the audition with a healthy dose of the cynicism that you always have to have as an actor, “This isn’t my show yet. I’m just going to lay down what I can do and show them what I would bring to the role, and if it happens, it happens, and if it doesn’t you move on.” But as soon as I walked into the room and Mark was there and Kira and Konrad Pluta, the musical director, and we started working on material I really felt like Mark gets this show, and I really wanted to work on it. It was a really fun audition, and I just felt good about it regardless of if I got the part or not, and as an actor you have to take that as a win. It doesn’t matter if you get the show or not. That’s not in your control. So, I left the audition going, “That was really fun, and I had a good time, and I feel like I established a good relationship with the people who are in the room and if that gets me the job that remains to be seen.” It was just one of those things where I felt this could work really well.
Ellen Denny as Phoebe D’Ysquith and Sayer Roberts as Monty Navarro in the Stage West Theatre Production of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.
JAMES
Mark, I’m curious about how much you look at the individual and how much you look at the chemistry between the actors when you’re casting a show?
MARK
That’s hugely important to me. I’ve always said that one of my superpowers as a director is that I cast really well. And you don’t just cast the individual roles. You have to cast the rehearsal hall. You have to cast people that are going to work well together and especially in a show like this that has a long run you have to cast people who are going to get along well, and after many years of doing this I have a pretty good sense of who a person is and how they’re going to fit the room. Like Sayer said, so many people were excited to do the show – we had over seven hundred submissions between Toronto, Calgary, and the West Coast, and we saw probably two-hundred of those people either in person or via video because everyone wanted to be in this show. So, I was really fortunate that I got to pick from an incredible pool of talent.
JAMES
Have you ever had that amount of choice before?
MARK
Never.
JAMES
Are you spoiled now?
Kate Blackburn as Sibella, Sayer Roberts as Monty, and Ellen Denny as Phoebe in the Stage West Theatre Production of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
MARK
Yes. (Laughs) I’m really spoiled. Especially after working with these guys because there are some really distinct requirements for this show. You have to have people who have legitimately trained voices. Who can sing without a pop sound and these guys all can – as you’ve heard. Especially Sayer, Kate, and El – that trio of voices has to be so clean and they’re extraordinary. And I can’t actually think of anybody else in Canada I’d want to do this show with other than these people. I’ve been saying this – even before rehearsals started – that I have the best cast in the country, and this will be the cast that you will have to beat from now on.
JAMES
This needs to go on tour.
MARK
I would put this production on any stage in Canada.
JAMES
This is one of my favourite shows I’ve seen at Stage West in the last ten years.
MARK
I think it’s one of the best things I’ve ever seen here. And not that I’m biased because I directed it – but I am. (Laughs) I love the show, and because it was the Canadian premiere we worked really hard, and I was able to get these incredible performers. I was like, “We have to make this good. We can’t compromise anywhere. We have to push and push and push to make it as good as we possibly can.”
Elizabeth Stepkowski-Taran as Miss Shingle and Sayer Roberts as Monty Navarro in the Stage West Theatre Production of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
JAMES
I’ve been telling people about it and saying you’re going to like it – young or old you’re going to like this show. What do you think are the elements in this play that make it work so well?
MARK
I think there is something about a charming villain that we love. He’s like the antihero. But he is supremely charming, and we root for him. It helps that all of the people he offs, for the most part, have a slightly despicable edge to them or are deserving of their deaths in some way. But I think we love to see someone who’s an underdog and a bit of an outsider succeed in spite of all the odds, and it satisfies that part of our soul that goes, “I know he should get caught but he’s not going to and that’s so great!”
SAYER
The writing is why it appeals to me. It’s the book and the lyrics and the melodies. And it’s like a mixture of Oscar Wilde and Noel Coward and Noises Off and the classic British farce and Gilbert and Sullivan. It’s just such a perfect marriage of all of the mediums coming together to create such an exquisitely written piece. And I think, just like Mark was saying, the antihero charmingness – the fun farce side of it – he’s murdering people and yet this is fun, and there’s the underdog story, and it’s all bouncy and light from the beginning. It’s an entertaining show.
MARK
And there’s a lot of great humour in it. So, there’s that aspect and also the aspect that we have one actor, Tyler Murree, playing all of the D’Ysquith family. That’s a fun little tour de force. And it plays into that theatrical convention, and it gives the audience a bit of that, “Oh we know what’s going on. We’re in on the joke.”
Tyler Muree as Lord Adalbert D’Ysquith and Katherine Fadum as Lady Eugenia D’Ysquith in the Stage West Theatre Production of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
SAYER
As if the show isn’t funny enough already it just bumps it up so much more once the audience starts to catch on that that’s the same guy…
JAMES
…and he’s playing all the parts…
MARK
…and it’s really clever, and it starts out really slowly, and as you escalate towards the end of act one you just suddenly start to rip through these people. Like literally in scene eleven – which is the ultimate finale of act one – there are four times where he changes characters and comes in and out.
JAMES
Well, on a show like this just how vital is that backstage crew for you?
SAYER
This show would not be possible without a dynamite costume crew and running crew.
MARK
There are two crew members who are dedicated to doing nothing but changing Tyler Murree into all the D’Ysquiths. And all of those costumes had to be constructed.
SAYER
So, he might be wearing a full suit, but it’s all connected with a zipper in the back.
MARK
So, shirt, tie, vest, jacket it’s all one thing.
JAMES
One piece that he can step into and out of.
MARK
Because for some of his costume changes he’s literally got fifteen seconds.
JAMES
That’s part of the magic for the audience. Didn’t he just leave and then he comes back.
MARK
I think we’re so good at it that sometimes people don’t realize what just happened, because it’s so seamless and he’s coming out so calmly that sometimes you don’t realize he’s just made an immense costume change.
Tyler Muree as Lady Hyacinth with her entourage in the Stage West Theatre production of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
JAMES
So, in terms of the production, how do the costumes and the set add to the overall experience of seeing the play.
SAYER
Well for me as an actor whenever I put on a costume it instantly amps up by twenty percent whatever the character was before in rehearsal and that’s particularly true when you’re doing period dramas. Costumes give you the aesthetic, and it definitely adds to the British sensibility of the show, and it changes how you move, how you sit, how you stand. I know for the women wearing those kinds of dresses and with their trains behind them it completely changes things for them. I didn’t have to deal with that as much because I simply wear high waisted suspender pants which I could live the rest of my life in very comfortably. (Laughs) And Monty goes from poor to slowly getting richer and the changing of the jackets really helped with that. That’s a real juxtaposition from starting with a rather old well-loved jacket that literally has pockets that are falling apart to ultimately finishing in a tux.
Tyler Murree as Lord Adalbert D’Ysquith Katherine Fadum as Lady Eugenia D’Ysquith, Sayer Roberts as Monty Navarro, and Ellen Denny as Phoebe D’Ysquith in the Stage West Theatre Production of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
MARK
I think the set and the costumes are so vital to this show which was another challenge for Stage West because we need these Edwardian costumes, and that’s not something Stage West has a ton of sitting in their storage room, because they don’t do a lot of shows like this. So, a lot of this had to be created. Leslie Robison-Greene who is our costume designer is a genius. It was just incredible what she came with, what she was able to construct while she was here, and what she was able to adapt.
JAMES
Are there any particular songs that you just love and why?
MARK
I’ve Decided to Marry You, I think, is the pinnacle of the show.
JAMES
Is that the one with the two doors where he has Sibella in one room and Phoebe in the other room and he’s trying to keep them apart?
SAYER
Yes. I think with the exception of the bench scene from Carousel between Billy and Julie there’s no better example of musical theatre than the doors. I shouldn’t say of any musical theatre because there are lots of different genres but going for musical comedy there’s nothing better than that door scene.
MARK
It so hits the peak of the farce that the show is and that kind of encapsulates the whole thing. I think one of the things that’s beautiful about the music is that even though it echoes the British Music Hall and it echoes Gilbert and Sullivan it does it in such a way that it’s a homage that doesn’t copy it, and it doesn’t feel antiquated.
SAYER
It’s accessible.
MARK
It’s accessible and very modern and every single song carries the story forward and that to me is the hallmark of a really good musical.
Sayer Roberts as Monty Navarro and Kate Blackburn as Sibella Hallward in the Stage West Theatre Production of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
JAMES
It reminds me a lot of My Fair Lady.
MARK
Yeah.
SAYER
It’s very Lerner and Loewe.
JAMES
I Don’t Understand the Poor really reminds me of…
SAYER
Why Can’t the English
JAMES
Yes, but it feels fresh and original.
MARK
I’m a huge fan of the Golden Age Musicals of the late fifties to mid-sixties, and this really does echo back to that era when all the great American musicals were being produced.
Ellen Denny as Phoebe D’Ysquith and Sayer Roberts as Monty Navarro in the Stage West Theatre Production of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
JAMES
So, what is it about musical theatre that adds to a theatrical experience? What does the music bring?
SAYER
Well, there’s an old saying, or a piece of wisdom, or whatever you want to call it, that says, “When you have something to express you speak it. If you can’t speak it – you sing it. If you can’t sing it – you dance it.” And the progression of that so perfectly encapsulates what musical theatre is. And in good musical theatre there is a reason the character is singing. I love speaking Shakespeare. I love speaking monologues and straight plays, but there is nothing quite as deep as you can get into, in my experience, as you can in musical theatre when you sing words that are accompanied with some kind of soaring melody that is an expression of the turmoil or the joy or whatever is going on inside the character. Scientifically music evokes a different part of our brain so the audience tunes into it on a different level. So when you mix the emotion that you can gain from poetry and the emotion you can get from a piece of orchestral music and you put that together that’s double the amount of emotion you could have alone by itself.
MARK
Music is visceral. It just is. It affects you in a different place, and I think it carries emotion in a way that a scene – I mean not that scenes can’t – but it just heightens everything, right? Which is what I think that saying is about. As you continue to heighten and heighten and heighten – the song heightens the scene and the dance heightens the song. And I think it’s thrilling to watch, and I think it’s also thrilling to watch really talented performers who can sing the way that these guys sing, and when you hear these voices it’s stunning, and it’s beautiful. So, I think that’s part of it because I started my career as a performer doing musicals, so they hold a special place in my heart because I think you can move an audience in a way with a musical that you can’t with a straight play.
Sayer Roberts as Monty Navarro in the Stage West Theatre Production of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.
JAMES
Well speaking of moving an audience, why should an audience come see this show?
SAYER
I think it’s probably because they’ve never seen a show like this before. And if you like British Farce, if you like musicals, if you like comedy and drama – you’ll like this.
MARK
It’s got a bit of everything. And I think it’s probably one of the most entertaining evenings you’ll spend in a theatre for a very long time. It’s ridiculously fun. It’s ridiculously entertaining.
JAMES
Okay, quick question for both of you – off topic – do either of you watch Game of Thrones?
MARK
Oh, God yes.
SAYER
I haven’t started yet.
MARK
Not any of it?
SAYER
No.
JAMES
I’m interviewing you now, but by the time this gets published the finale will have aired this coming Sunday. So, Mark who do you think is going to end up on the Iron Throne?
MARK
Oh, God.
JAMES
I’ll tell you who I think.
MARK
I don’t know. If you asked me that two weeks ago I would have had a different answer, but now after seeing what just happened…I think it’s going to be Arya.
JAMES
Oh, interesting.
MARK
I think she’s the only one who isn’t conflicted in some way who can actually do it.
JAMES
Interesting choice. My choice is Tyrion in the South, Sansa in the North, and Jon goes back to his direwolf.
MARK
I read a whole article comparing it to Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and how you know Frodo doesn’t stay – he ends up going to the Gray Havens and that Jon Snow is Frodo and he won’t stay. He wouldn’t be happy on the throne. But that’s an interesting theory – that it splits. That might be it.
JAMES
Who knows? I’ve been wrong about so much.
MARK
Who saw any of this coming? Who saw that last episode coming? It will be interesting to see what happens. I had this random thought the other day that the only other person it could possibly be is Gendry because he’s actually been legitimized.
JAMES
Oh yeah.
MARK
She made him a Lord. He’s actually been acknowledged as a Baratheon. Spoiler! He’s the last and technically the Baratheons are kind of still on the throne. Anyway…
JAMES
…we shall see.
SAYER
I just love that.
MARK
People are so invested.
SAYER
And it just shows you that people need this stuff in their lives so much so that here we are talking about something fictitious and completely meaningless in the rest of the trajectory of our life and our world and politics and everything and yet it matters so much to us what happens to these characters and that’s why we’re engaged, and that’s why entertainment is not frivolous.
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
Book and Lyrics by Robert L. Freedman Music and Lyrics by Steven Lutvak Based on the novel by Roy Horniman
CAST
Mark Allan – Ensemble, The Magistrate, Mr. Gorby & others Alicia Barban – Ensemble, Miss Evangeline Barley & others Understudy for Phoebe D’Ysquith Kate Blackburn – Sibella Hallward Emily Dallas – Ensemble, Tour Guide, Pub Owner’s Wife & others Understudy for Sibella Hallward Ellen Denny – Phoebe D’Ysquith Katherine Fadum – Ensemble, Lady Eugenia D’Ysquith & others Understudy for Miss Shingle Sarah Gibbons – Ensemble, Understudy for Female Ensemble roles Jeremy LaPalme – Ensemble, Understudy for The D’Ysquith Family Luke Marty – Ensemble, Tom Copley, Dr. Pettibone, Guard & others Understudy for Monty Navarro Tyler McKinnon – Ensemble, Detective Pinckney, Pub Owner & others Tyler Murree – The D’Ysquith Family Sayer Roberts – Monty Navarro Elizabeth Stepkowski-Tarhan – Miss Shingle
THE BAND
Konrad Pluta – Musical Director/Keyboards Rob Hutchinson – Bass sub Jonathan D. Lewis – Violin Jim Murray – Trumpet sub Keith O’Rourke – Clarinet Sean Perrin – Clarinet sub Jason Valleau – Bass Andre Wickenheiser – Trumpet
CREATIVE TEAM
Mark Bellamy – Director & Musical Staging Konrad Pluta – Musical Director Howard Pechet – Executive Producer David Fraser – Set Designer Leslie Robison-Greene – Costume Designer Norman Macdonald – Wig Designer Anton de Groot – Lighting Designer Michael Gesy – Sound Designer/Head of Audio Shane Ellis – Scenic Artist Kira Campbell – Production Manager Artistic Associate Sean D. Ellis – Technical Director Ashley Rees – Stage Manager Darcy Foggo – Assistant Stage Manager Jennifer Yeung – Apprentice Stage Manager Taisa Chernichko – Dresser Chris Cooper – Followspot Operator
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
