Juno-award-winning
rocker Hawksley Workman returns to the stage with his performance of The God That Comes for the Belfry Theatre’s Spark Festival.
What: The God That Comes Where: Belfry Theatre When: Nightly through Saturday, 8 p.m. Tickets: $36 at 250-380-6815
He’s come a long way since Anne of Green Gables. Ontario rocker Hawksley Workman has restaged his solo rock opera, The God That Comes, for the Belfry Theatre’s ongoing Spark Festival. The show, which played to rave reviews in Toronto, is a music-stuffed retelling of the myth of Bacchus (Dionysus), the god of wine and merriment.
A rock opera produced by Halifax’s 2b theatre and co-created with playwright Christian Barry, The God That Comes is inspired by Euripides’ Greek tragedy The Bacchae.
The myth tells how the people of Thebes escape the city at night to praise the god of wine. Their revels include boozing, orgies and devouring wild animals. When a disapproving King Pentheus finds out what’s up, he disguises himself as a woman to investigate — with catastrophic results.
Critics have described The God That Comes as a glam-rock extravaganza. Workman, holding a glass of wine, mainly plays Pentheus during the 75-minute show. Sometimes wearing a feather boa and lipstick, he sings and plays keyboards, guitar, drums and recorder.
At one point, Workman simulates a sexual act on a female mannequin. He admits there has been the occasional walkout, although not as many as anticipated.
“There’s some acted cunnilingus and some difficult words. There are lots of allusions to gender-bending. I think those are the very things where some people think: ‘Yes, I’ve seen quite enough. Time to go home,’ ” Workman said in a phone interview.
He sees The God That Comes as being in the tradition of rock operas by the likes of Pink Floyd and the Who. In particular, Workman sees parallels between his show and Pink Floyd’s The Wall.
“The God That Comes is a story of struggle. It’s a story of having your freedom squashed, which I think is also part of the narrative in The Wall,” Workman said.
“For some reason, as a kid, I was always drawn to that kind of rock ’n’ roll. I was never interested in shoe-gazing music. I was always interested in performers who were gregarious and risky, who looked like they wanted to be there, in a position of chal- lenging the audience.”
The Juno-winning singersongwriter is best known as a rocker. Of late, Workman has collaborated with his new band, Mounties, which includes Victoria native Steve Bays of Hot Hot Heat. In June, he’ll release a solo album titled Old Cheetah.
Workman, who lives in Burk’s Falls, Ont., is no stranger to acting. He has had roles in several films, including Score: A Hockey Musical, Youkali Hotel and Stormy Weather.
His stage experience goes back further. As a teen, he was in musicals staged by a church troupe in his hometown of Huntsville, Ont. These productions included Grease, Godspell and Anne of Green Gables. For the latter, detailing the wholesome misadventures of a red-headed girl, Workman landed a lead role: Gilbert Blythe.
“I ended up falling in love with the girl who played Anne and we were high-school sweethearts,” he said.
Workman has performed The God That Comes in such cities as Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, Pittsburgh and Whitehorse (a “work-in-progress” version was staged at Victoria’s Metro Studio in 2012). The show has also played Denmark and the Netherlands.
He’s surprised by the difference in working conditions between theatre and the rock scene. The theatre world treats performers much more respectfully, Workman said.
“Rock ’n’ roll is more of a game about survival, you know. It’s a lot more about s---ty travel conditions and s---ty sleeping conditions. If you can suffer through that with a smile, people peg you as being ready for the next step,” he said.
“Whereas in theatre, there’s a gentleness. I really like that, you know.”