OPERA WITH AN INDIE-ROCK VIBE
Russian classic given fresh energy
There is a rhythm to traditional musicals. A song, a dance, a wistful glance — and it’s off to a melodious resolution in the second act. But lately, a collection of disrupters (including Anâis Mitchell and the cast of Hadestown seen recently at the Citadel) have been infusing the beloved U.S. theatre staple with a new and raucous sensibility.
That fresh energy can be seen in another show poised to hit Edmonton. Produced by the small but mighty likes of Catalyst Theatre, the musical Onegin takes to the Maclab stage of the Citadel Theatre on Jan. 17, running until Jan. 28.
A Vancouver transplant that had its world debut at the Vancouver Arts Club in 2016, Onegin is an adaptation of Tchaikovsky’s renowned opera (which features poetry by Pushkin), but with an original book, music and lyrics by Vancouver artists Amiel Gladstone and Veda Hille.
Though Russian works are often feared heavy or ponderous, Catalyst artistic director Jonathan Christenson says this variation upends the stereotypes, and has a decidedly contemporary feel.
“This is a piece that’s a lot of fun,” says Christenson, one of Edmonton’s most talented artists with substantial credits as a playwright, composer and director. “You know before the show even starts. Even the pre-show announcements upend our expectations. It’s full of humour and irreverence.
“It doesn’t take itself too seriously and it still tells a beautiful love story.”
Beautiful, but complex. The love story abounds with lust and betrayal and centres on Eugene Onegin, a wealthy Russian playboy who seeks diversion. When he inherits a country estate and meets a new neighbour, Vladimir, Onegin becomes entranced with Vladimir’s lover, Olga. Nevermind that Olga’s sister, Tatyana, a perfectly good romantic choice, falls for Onegin; the playboy must have the girl that’s already taken. A duel ensues, with shocking results. (Duels are the rage in musicals right now, creating a stir in the Broadway hits Hamilton, as well as in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.)
Christenson, who oversees one big work a year for Catalyst, decided to bring the show to Edmonton after seeing it in Vancouver and Ottawa.
“I knew, as soon as I saw this show, that audiences in Edmonton will love this show,” he says.
Normally, Catalyst productions are locally born. This one is an import from Vancouver, to be seen intact, with the same cast and design as the version Christenson saw earlier. But Christenson says Onegin fits the Catalyst mould, which focuses on works that are designed to tour, and upend traditional forms.
With six actors and a band of four, Onegin is directed by cocreator Amiel Gladstone, with musical direction by Veda Hill, an indie folk-rock artist who is also onstage as a musician. The two talents are also behind the hit show Do You Want What I Have Got? A Craigslist Cantata (developed with CBC veteran Bill Richardson). The two-hour adaptation of Onegin features an indie-rock play list, and is credited in reviews with giving audiences something to hum about for days.
“There is a tremendous amount of vocal energy in this show,” says Christenson. “The singers are tremendous. So right away it grabs you and says, ‘OK, here we go.’ You know you are in for a lively experience.”
The two leads, Onegin and Tatyana, are a real-life Canadian theatrical celebrity couple, Meg Roe and Alessandro Juliani (the latter plays Lt. Gaeta in the popular television series Battlestar Galactica). Both performers took home awards for best female and best male lead in Vancouver’s 2016 Jessie Awards (the equivalent of the Sterling awards in Edmonton).
Now in its 23rd season, Catalyst works in Edmonton include Fortune Falls, Vigilante, The Soul Collector and Frankenstein. Christenson’s Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe enjoyed an off-Broadway run in New York in 2015, and received rave reviews.
“We create theatrically bold, musically driven works for the large stage. They are characterized by heightened, beautiful design; music throughout; and often a fairly poetic text,” says Christenson when asked to describe Catalyst’s perspective.
Located in Old Strathcona for 20 years, Catalyst moved downtown in 2015 and now calls the Maclab theatre home. The company has produced different kinds of seasons in the past, sometimes mounting as many as four shows a year. In a new thrust, the company has decided to produce just one show a year, switching between a local effort and an already polished package imported from another company every other year. Onegin is the first out-of-town show to launch the company’s new pattern.
“Onegin is the perfect piece to start that initiative with,” says Christenson. “It’s perfect for the Maclab space.”
In 2019, Catalyst will mount a new and original musical inspired by young women during the Second World War who were sent behind enemy lines as spies, a work Christenson is workshopping in Fort McMurray in the fall.