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Press

Musicians look to a lush spring

It may be the dead of winter, but people are already starting to plant some seeds.
I'm not referring to the tundra that makes up our gardens these days, but the world of musical theatre.
This week, two separate and very different initiatives were launched by people who have the same things in common: They write musicals, and they'd like to get them produced. Both events also feature popular stars helping to draw attention to the work of writers who (so far) haven't been widely recognized.
On Monday night, Front And Centre was launched. Located in the upper lounge of the Bluma Appel Theatre at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts on Front St. E., this was billed as "a cabaret series devoted to showcasing new and cutting-edge Canadian musical theatre" and that's just what was delivered.
People sat at tables in a comfortably informal setting, where coffee and drinks were served and the overall feeling was warmly inviting.
This first evening was devoted to the work of Kevin Ralph Nelson and Tara Raquel Cates, who have been working diligently to create new works for the musical theatre.
To support this non-lucrative passion, they earn their daily bread in other fields - Nelson as a music producer and pop songwriter, Cates as a writer and story editor for television.
On Monday, they showcased 20 songs from three of their unproduced musicals: Courage My Love, The Divine Heretic and Cinnamon Hill.
Their choice of subject matter ranges from contemporary inner-city life through the struggles of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, all the way back to that old favourite - Joan of Arc.
Cates set the scene for each work and then a septet of singers brought the material to life, especially Jackie Richardson.
This treasure of the Toronto music and theatre scene gave 110 per cent to everything she sang and her rendition of the haunting "Forbidden Fruit" will stay with me for a long time.
Producer Larry Westlake is to be congratulated for organizing the event, which I hope is just the first of many. At $20 a ticket, it's a stimulating way to spend a Monday night - encouraging new writers, while enjoying established performers.
Tonight, a few blocks farther west, a totally different approach to presenting original material is taking place.
Kitchener resident Rob Asselstine has been working for the last five years on a huge musical project called Frankenstein - Do You Dream?
From the very beginning, he enlisted the support of singers as varied as musical theatre favourite Michael Burgess and opera's Theodore Baerg, who helped prepare impressive demo recordings.
Asselstine connected with Moses Znaimer's Bravo!FACT and produced a music video of one number from the show, which has won acclaim and awards at numerous short-film festivals around the world.
But things weren't moving ahead rapidly in terms of any definite productions, so he decided to "kick it up a notch" and started the year with a bang.
He's taken over the Berkeley Church on Queen St. E. this evening for a major presentation that will include Burgess, Baerg and a 13-piece orchestra conducted by Glenn Morley.
The invitation-only event also has a pretty impressive guest list. Over 300 of the major theatrical producers and presenters from around North America were asked to attend, and Asselstine reports that more than 200 have indicated their acceptance, including most of the significant players on the Canadian scene.
And just as Richardson added lustre to Front And Centre, Burgess is certainly the major force drawing people to Asselstine's project (although a box office title like Frankenstein doesn't hurt!).
It proves that when it comes to helping new writers out, established talent isn't afraid to lend a helping hand.
No one knows what will happen to the new works that have been showcased this week, but the important thing is that artists have been demonstrating initiative and taking that important first step towards connecting with the public.
These people didn't wait for government grants or commissions from an established theatre. They wrote what they believed in, and now - logically enough - they'd like their songs to be heard.
I wish them well and I hope for many more like them. What you plant now, you reap later.

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