Seeking their inner dwarves
Idol performers among panto cast Show a wacky take on Snow White
Ross Petty is counting on a pair of lucky numbers this year: 10 and 7. The 10 is because this is the 10th year Petty’s holiday pantomime has filled the Elgin Theatre with merriment. Every season, this capricious crew fractures one favourite fairy tale or another with topical jokes, cheeky musical numbers, audience participation and the obligatory appearance in drag of Petty himself, the Dame Edna of Don Mills. And the 7 stands for the Group of Seven.
Don’t worry: Tom Thomson and his cohorts aren’t being skewered in the name of Yuletide yocks.
This time around, it’s the name of a boy band who’ve lost their mojo and hide out in a woodland cottage hoping to retain it. Somewhere along the way, they encounter a damsel named Snow White and, well, you can guess the rest.
Director Ted Dykstra and author David Finley have entitled the annual seasonal show Snow White and the Group of Seven, now in previews, prior to opening Thursday. But leave it to the publicitysavvy Petty to put an extra spin on things and his cast this year is no idle collection of thespians. In fact, it’s more like an “ Idol” collection, with three of the group, as well as Snow White, being played by four veterans of CTV’s Canadian Idol: Elena Juatco, Ryan Malcolm, Gary Beals and Billy Klippert.
Toss in the lead singer of Glass Tiger, Alan Frew, musical theatre types like Kevin Dennis and Jordan Bell as well as young TV veteran Taylor Abrahamse and you’ve got a vintage Petty potpourri of musical talent. The Star
spoke to the Group of Seven earlier this week after a boisterous student matinee and asked each of them what their characters were like, how they were enjoying the experience — and which of the archetypal seven dwarves from the 1937 Disney classic cartoon they most relate to.
Doc
Alan Frew ( Pops): “ I’m the father of the group. No dwarves here. They all moved out of the cottage and went to join the Lord of the Rings. Since I’m originally from Glasgow, I’m just playing every grumpy old Scotsman I’ve ever seen in my life and giving it my own spin. Who would I be from the original? Definitely Doc.”
Grumpy
Ryan Malcolm ( Primo): “ I find this all pretty awesome. I like to think I’m the lead singer, but it’s just because I’m the oldest ( in the musical family). The rest think I’m Pops’s favourite and they pick on me all the time. Ted ( Dykstra) is married to Melanie Doane so he knows what the music business is like and the jokes are all true. I always thought Grumpy was the coolest dwarf and I play a really good grump.”
Happy
Gary Beals (Duey): “I’m the second-born son and despite what Ryan says, I feel I get picked on the most. But I’m having a blast. I love doing all the comedy as well as the singing. I started out studying theatre in Acadia University and that’s all coming in handy now. I’m just enjoying myself. You’d have to say I’m Happy . . . in every sense
of the word.”
Sneezy
Billy Klippert (Tracey): “I’m the third born and since I came in number three on Idol, they always make jokes about ‘ Guess you’ll always be third,’ but it’s all in fun. (Dykstra) told us we should act like ourselves when we were kids, which is great. And doing Jackson 5 moves with an Afro wig on my head is something else. I also sneeze a lot, so I’d be Sneezy.”
Bashful
Kevin Dennis ( Kat No. 1): “ Jordan and I play twins — the two messed up ones in the middle. I’ve been an usher at the Elgin and now it’s a thrill to finally get onto the stage. It’s a great time of the year to be working and making people happy. I saw Snow White
as a kid and, well, I’ve always been Bashful.”
Dopey
Jordan Bell ( Kat No. 2): “ Yeah, Kevin and I are twins and very good- looking ones, too. Being in a boy band is awesome. I still don’t believe the screams we get when we enter. Theatre is my first love, but this is a great learning curve. Dopey was always my favourite dwarf because he was funny and making silly faces, just like me.”
Sleepy
Taylor Abrahamse (Cinco): “ I’m the youngest of the group so I argue and fight with everybody. It’s a real test to do stage work and some of it’s pretty intense. Like, we do this one medley where we go through the past 50 years of music in seven minutes, complete with costume changes. By the time we finish that, I feel like my favourite dwarf, Sleepy.” Just the facts WHAT Snow White and the Group of Seven WHERE: Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge WHEN: Now through Jan. 8; official opening Thursday. TICKETS: $45-$69; 416-872-5555 or go to www. ticketmaster.ca