Cast announced for ‘A Misfortune’
Confederation Centre hosting world premiere
The Charlottetown Festival is in top gear this month, and producers are already preparing for the next round of productions, including the world premiere of “A Misfortune”.
The bittersweet Canadian musical plays Sept. 7-22 at Confederation Centre’s cabaret theatre, The Mack.
“A Misfortune” follows Ivan, a young lawyer (Connor Lucas) and Sofya, a married woman (Kelsey Falconer), in pre-revolutionary Russia on a walk through the woods; their friendship has reached an impasse.
Soon they gather with three friends (Réjean Cournoyer, Brendan Wall and Melanie Phillipson) for a dinner party in the country. With each drink, more sordid secrets are revealed. Adapted from a short story by Anton Chekhov, one of the world’s most celebrated and enduring writers, “A Misfortune” is a romantic, darkly comedic musical about small moments and momentous decisions. Come along as the audience follows Sofya’s journey from innocence and youth towards knowledge and selfactualization.
“A Misfortune” is directed by festival alumna Eliza-Jane Scott, who wowed audiences in “Mamma Mia!” last year and recently landed a lead role in the musical phenomenon, “Come From Away”, playing this winter with Mirvish.
A Sheridan College graduate, Lucas is currently performing in the Adam Brazier-led “Anne of Green Gables-The Musical” and appeared in two previous Young Company productions, “The Voices of Canada” and “We Are Canadian”.
Falconer is playing Josie Pye in “Anne of Green Gables-The Musical” this summer and is a recent graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. The Blyth, Ont., native has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe as well as in workshops for the hit Proclaimers musical, “Sunshine on Leith”.
Cournoyer starred in “Mamma Mia!” last year, as well as in “Evangeline”, “Alice Through the Looking-Glass”, “The Founding Father”, and “Anne of Green Gables-The Musical”.
Wall performed here last year in the Festival/Soulpepper musical “Spoon River”. He is currently appearing with Soulpepper’s Festival in New York City, in Of Human Bondage and Spoon River.
Phillipson is also presently performing in “Anne of Green Gables-The Musical” and made her festival debut in last year’s “Belles Soeurs: The Musical”.
Scott Christian is the musical’s composer, orchestrator, and music director with lyrics from Wade Bogert-O’Brien, and book and additional lyrics by Kevin Michael Shea.