SWEET BITTER GIRL SOUNDS
Classic pop hits from the 1960s set the stage for Globe Theatre’s uplifting new production
Bittergirl The Musical may be about dealing with failed relationships but that doesn’t mean the production is coated in negativity.
In fact, it’s just the opposite as the story of three women — each in a different stage of a relationship — make their way through the tattered remnants of love gone wrong to emerge in a better place on the other side.
For Greg Ochitwa, who will be in the director’s chair for the first time at Globe Theatre, the success of the production is with the uplifting message delivered through the actions of the three main characters.
“It’s a big, grandiose story but there’s also some beautiful, personal moments between all three of the girls and their partners. For me, I really wanted to explore that world,” explained Ochitwa, a graduate of the Globe Theatre Conservatory School. “It easily could’ve been a great party night out with all these great songs and everybody would leave happy but there’s also the stories the writers found with the relationships and the importance of friendship. For me, the friendship of the girls is what gets them through this and keeps them from remaining bitter.
“Without friendship, they would’ve been bitter for the rest of their lives . ... While there are some big musical theatre numbers, it’s really relatable and personal in just the human quality of it. My goal was capturing that world.”
Originally produced as a play, Bittergirl was refashioned as a musical featuring classic pop songs from 1960s girl groups like The Supremes (Where Did Our Love Go) and The Shirelles (Mama Said). Rather than names, the featured characters are identified by initials — “A” is a law school dropout who put her ex-partner through school while putting her career on hold; “B” is a flighty television personality who was dumped by her equally flighty boyfriend; and, “C” is a career woman dealing with her husband walking out on her and her child.
The secret to overcoming these setbacks is the willingness of the women to take ownership of their own lives.
“We’re all responsible for our own happiness in the end. Before you can take care of somebody else, you have to take care of yourself. That’s the overall theme for me that really holds the characters together,” explained Ochitwa, who has also acted in recent Globe Theatre productions of The Snow Queen, Robin Hood and Metamorphoses.
“They are strong, independent women who just happen to be with a guy who is more of a taker than a giver and the girls just don’t realize how good they are, that they’re better than this guy.”
So when a musical has strong female characters, it better have strong actresses and fortunately for Ochitwa, this production has exactly that in Sarah Carle, MaAnne Dionisio and Kaitlyn Semple.
“We have a really special cast of incredibly unique individuals — all three women are strong, dynamic performers and they’re blending together incredibly well,” said Ochitwa. “They’re clearly a team, the way they’ve bonded through rehearsals. They’re an amazing trio but they’re also very, very different. It’s very cool to see the differences as the characters are in different spots in their lives.”
The demands of the musical are especially challenging for the actresses according to Ochitwa.
“It’s a lead role and a supporting role. Any time they’re not the main person in a scene, they’re helping out their girlfriend. It’s such a challenging, huge role for them,” said Ochitwa. “They’re also challenged by these huge songs. It’s great to sing them but they’re big things that will challenge them every night. It’s definitely a marathon.”
The musical has been performed frequently across Canada in the past few years so Ochitwa’s challenge is to make the Globe Theatre production stand apart from other productions.
Presenting the musical in the comfy confines of the Globe Theatre will help Ochitwa immensely.
“Right off the start, being at The Globe and being in the round, instantly that makes the show look different. But also, that raises a different set of challenges for a show like this. It was designed for a proscenium style stage so instantly inserting it into our theatre, which is such an intimate space to begin with, the audience is the fifth character of the show,” said Ochitwa. “Usually the audience is the final element to be added and is kind of a character in the play but with Bittergirl, there’s a lot of direct audience address so they’re very much part of the action. So the way they’re involved at the Globe, they’re so much more a part of the show.
“We’ve embraced the fact that it is so intimate . ... We’ve latched on to the fact that we’ve got this great personal space and went with it.”
Rounding out the cast is Robbie Towns, who will play all the male characters in the production.
Joining Ochitwa on the creative team are Bob Foster (music supervision, arrangements and orchestrations), Katie Murphy (choreographer), Craig Salkeld (musical director), Rebecca Donison (set designer), Wendy Greenwood (lighting designer), Jeremy Sauer (sound designer), Christian Persson (assistant director), Kenilee Kehler (stage manager) and Liz Free (assistant stage manager).
The production will also feature a live band comprised of Tanya Bergen (piano), Kaeli Dane (guitar), Val Halla (drums) and Vivienne Wilder (bass).
The production will have a preview performance on Sept. 27 with opening night scheduled for Sept. 28. The musical is slated to run through Oct. 15.