In the world of musical theatre, one of the rarest of rare birds is an original musical based on no previous source material. The vast majority of musicals are derived from previously staged plays, films, TV shows, or previously-published books. If you can't have a completely original musical, then the next best thing is a musical where the author of the original source worked on the adaptation.
The Theatre on the Ridge Festival in Port Perry is currently staging the premiere of a new musical, Willow Quartet Musical, based on an established favourite of regional theatres in Ontario, Willow Quartet by Joan Burrows. The book for the musical was written by Burrows with Ron Cameron-Lewis, and the music composed by Jason Saunders. All three creators share credit for the lyrics.
With so many of Ontario's summer theatres continually embracing the tired old credo of "gotta keep it light," this show comes as a refreshing change. Willow Quartet Musical uses some humour, some honesty, some humanity, and some wonderfully evocative singing to tell a story of a family reacting to tragedy. If that sounds too heavy, I can assure you that the show is truly entertaining, involving, and definitely life-enhancing.
Book, lyrics, and score all work together to create this beautiful balance between the polar opposites of joy and sadness, fun and pain. The song lyrics have been carefully placed at points in the book where the music can clearly take us farther than the spoken word, rather than being scattered all over every page. For my money, there's nothing worse in musical theatre than an unnecessary or unmotivated song. Then there's the theatrical magic provided by the onstage company, about which more anon.
The musical score is impressive most of all for what it doesn't do -- this score doesn't try to take control of the entire show. Saunders has created songs and instrumental underscorings which support and enhance the characters and storytelling, without drawing attention to their own characteristics. Michael Mulrooney's scoring sensitively presents the music in a low-key way entirely appropriate to the intimate space of the Town Hall 1873 theatre, where the show is performed with a 3-piece ensemble of keyboard, string bass, and drums, skilfully led by music director Carol Salamone.
Most of the songs, then, move in a moderate or slower tempo, with emotional content in the music and lyrics lying somewhere in the neighbourhood of regret, nostalgia, and memory. One exception is Josh's upbeat song about riding a motorcycle -- a burst of emphatic energy which is almost shocking in the context, after the reflective feel of so much else (designedly so).
Melanie Baker's set gave a simple evocation of an outdoor location: a small porch with two chairs on one side, backed by a window frame, a clothesline across the back, and the titular willow tree in the form of a stylized stump against the opposite corner of the proscenium with a single branch drooping out from the curtain.
In the very first scene, it was abundantly apparent that the young man, Josh (played by Nathan Simpson) was not actually physically present in this place, being neither seen nor heard by the other characters. His anxious desire to somehow break through to the people he was addressing was palpable and believable -- the example of Our Town springs to mind. The unfolding story revealed by degrees the account of his death in a motorcycle crash in Italy.
It's a challenging role for the amount of time Josh has to spend on the stage, but not speaking -- yet still having to react to the actions and voices of the others. Simpson for the most part handled this well, although there were one or two moments when I felt that he might have detached during one of his breaks between lines. His flying leap onto the table, and the vigour and power which he then brought to the motorcycle song were both engaging and invigorating. So was the equal energy of his storm scene.
As Josh's grandmother, Marjorie, Roz McArthur-Keyes brought to her character a nice mixture of common sense combined with a twinkle in the eye. With that, she added a strain of sensitivity to a deeper level of life, below the surface. It's this sensitivity that leads her to talk to the aged willow tree. Little does she realize that Josh is standing right there, leaning against the trunk -- but then again, maybe she does sense his presence. McArthur-Keyes clearly opened up that possibility through her body language. Her singing made good use of a deeper vocal range to create a mood of world-weariness.
At the centre of the play are Josh's parents, Kim (Ashlie White) and Ben (Lyle Corrigan). Both had fine physical presence for their respective roles. The crisp attack in their speaking voices in the early scenes told us a great deal about their relationship.
Corrigan's firm singing voice added much to his vocal numbers, while he displayed many subtleties in expressing his emotions, apart from the bigger moments. I felt he was at his best in the final scenes of the show, after Kim's return.
White's clear voice carried melodic lines well in her songs. Since the story of the play is plainly her story, it did no harm for her to develop some of the bigger emotional reactions. Her unwillingness to deal with her grief came through loud and clear.
The final character, Jim, is a classical musician and composer who comes into Kim's home in the country as a boarder during the time of the local music festival. Chris Daniel had great presence in this role, and definitely captured the single-mindedness of the creative artist at work during the hilarious quartet scene.
His beautifully poised singing voice matched well with Ashlie White and made their romantic duet at the end of Act I a thing of true beauty.
The turning point, and the most memorable moment of the show, arrived at the end of Act I when Jim (who had been working in the barn with Ben) asked about the motorcycle he uncovered, and thereby triggered the big crisis which finally revealed all the pain that had been simmering away under the surface. Kim and Ben shot right into an overdrive marital argument which was magnificent, as they fired off all the tension that had wrecked their relationship without the actors ever going over the top or losing vocal control. Chris Daniel was equally impressive in portraying Jim's unending bewilderment as their whole story played out before him in one intense scene.
The second act of the show then went into Kim's journey to acceptance, with both White and Corrigan finding some fine moments on the journey that both, in truth, were taking at the same time. Particularly appealing was Ben's naughty-schoolboy manner when he made his final big admission in the last scene. But Ashlie White gave her finest work of the show in her description of the trip to Italy which ended her relationship with Jim. This set up a lovely moment of reconciliation as both parents understood and felt at last the driving force that ruled their son's adventurous life.
Throughout the play, the complex relationships among these three key characters remained always clear and believable, and the dynamics of the scenes unfolding among them were at all times equally truthful.
Director Carey Nicholson, the Artistic Director of Theatre on the Ridge, shaped the entire production with a sure but gentle hand, bringing ample variety in rhythm into the scenes while still keeping the entire show moving briskly along. Transitions into and out of songs were smooth and easy. Her carefully-judged approach allowed the entire production to remain lively and engaging, even while dealing with some heavy-weight human issues. That's one of the most important secrets in this kind of piece.
For its remarkable insights in the book, the fine music in the songs, the vibrant performances of all the cast, and the net overall result as all fuse together, Willow Quartet Musical is a memorable and exciting musical theatre piece, and well worth seeing.
Performances of the show continue at the Town Hall 1873 theatre in Port Perry through July 13.
Book, lyrics, and score all work together to create this beautiful balance between the polar opposites of joy and sadness, fun and pain. The song lyrics have been carefully placed at points in the book where the music can clearly take us farther than the spoken word, rather than being scattered all over every page. For my money, there's nothing worse in musical theatre than an unnecessary or unmotivated song. Then there's the theatrical magic provided by the onstage company, about which more anon.
The musical score is impressive most of all for what it doesn't do -- this score doesn't try to take control of the entire show. Saunders has created songs and instrumental underscorings which support and enhance the characters and storytelling, without drawing attention to their own characteristics. Michael Mulrooney's scoring sensitively presents the music in a low-key way entirely appropriate to the intimate space of the Town Hall 1873 theatre, where the show is performed with a 3-piece ensemble of keyboard, string bass, and drums, skilfully led by music director Carol Salamone.
Most of the songs, then, move in a moderate or slower tempo, with emotional content in the music and lyrics lying somewhere in the neighbourhood of regret, nostalgia, and memory. One exception is Josh's upbeat song about riding a motorcycle -- a burst of emphatic energy which is almost shocking in the context, after the reflective feel of so much else (designedly so).
Melanie Baker's set gave a simple evocation of an outdoor location: a small porch with two chairs on one side, backed by a window frame, a clothesline across the back, and the titular willow tree in the form of a stylized stump against the opposite corner of the proscenium with a single branch drooping out from the curtain.
In the very first scene, it was abundantly apparent that the young man, Josh (played by Nathan Simpson) was not actually physically present in this place, being neither seen nor heard by the other characters. His anxious desire to somehow break through to the people he was addressing was palpable and believable -- the example of Our Town springs to mind. The unfolding story revealed by degrees the account of his death in a motorcycle crash in Italy.
It's a challenging role for the amount of time Josh has to spend on the stage, but not speaking -- yet still having to react to the actions and voices of the others. Simpson for the most part handled this well, although there were one or two moments when I felt that he might have detached during one of his breaks between lines. His flying leap onto the table, and the vigour and power which he then brought to the motorcycle song were both engaging and invigorating. So was the equal energy of his storm scene.
As Josh's grandmother, Marjorie, Roz McArthur-Keyes brought to her character a nice mixture of common sense combined with a twinkle in the eye. With that, she added a strain of sensitivity to a deeper level of life, below the surface. It's this sensitivity that leads her to talk to the aged willow tree. Little does she realize that Josh is standing right there, leaning against the trunk -- but then again, maybe she does sense his presence. McArthur-Keyes clearly opened up that possibility through her body language. Her singing made good use of a deeper vocal range to create a mood of world-weariness.
At the centre of the play are Josh's parents, Kim (Ashlie White) and Ben (Lyle Corrigan). Both had fine physical presence for their respective roles. The crisp attack in their speaking voices in the early scenes told us a great deal about their relationship.
Corrigan's firm singing voice added much to his vocal numbers, while he displayed many subtleties in expressing his emotions, apart from the bigger moments. I felt he was at his best in the final scenes of the show, after Kim's return.
White's clear voice carried melodic lines well in her songs. Since the story of the play is plainly her story, it did no harm for her to develop some of the bigger emotional reactions. Her unwillingness to deal with her grief came through loud and clear.
The final character, Jim, is a classical musician and composer who comes into Kim's home in the country as a boarder during the time of the local music festival. Chris Daniel had great presence in this role, and definitely captured the single-mindedness of the creative artist at work during the hilarious quartet scene.
His beautifully poised singing voice matched well with Ashlie White and made their romantic duet at the end of Act I a thing of true beauty.
The turning point, and the most memorable moment of the show, arrived at the end of Act I when Jim (who had been working in the barn with Ben) asked about the motorcycle he uncovered, and thereby triggered the big crisis which finally revealed all the pain that had been simmering away under the surface. Kim and Ben shot right into an overdrive marital argument which was magnificent, as they fired off all the tension that had wrecked their relationship without the actors ever going over the top or losing vocal control. Chris Daniel was equally impressive in portraying Jim's unending bewilderment as their whole story played out before him in one intense scene.
The second act of the show then went into Kim's journey to acceptance, with both White and Corrigan finding some fine moments on the journey that both, in truth, were taking at the same time. Particularly appealing was Ben's naughty-schoolboy manner when he made his final big admission in the last scene. But Ashlie White gave her finest work of the show in her description of the trip to Italy which ended her relationship with Jim. This set up a lovely moment of reconciliation as both parents understood and felt at last the driving force that ruled their son's adventurous life.
Throughout the play, the complex relationships among these three key characters remained always clear and believable, and the dynamics of the scenes unfolding among them were at all times equally truthful.
Director Carey Nicholson, the Artistic Director of Theatre on the Ridge, shaped the entire production with a sure but gentle hand, bringing ample variety in rhythm into the scenes while still keeping the entire show moving briskly along. Transitions into and out of songs were smooth and easy. Her carefully-judged approach allowed the entire production to remain lively and engaging, even while dealing with some heavy-weight human issues. That's one of the most important secrets in this kind of piece.
For its remarkable insights in the book, the fine music in the songs, the vibrant performances of all the cast, and the net overall result as all fuse together, Willow Quartet Musical is a memorable and exciting musical theatre piece, and well worth seeing.
Performances of the show continue at the Town Hall 1873 theatre in Port Perry through July 13.
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