Before becoming mayor, Sam said he was jealous of council colleagues who were regularly “thwacked” by the media, while he received mostly “saccharine” coverage.

“But sure enough, I got to feel [the thwacking] myself. And you know, I wear it as a badge of honour.”

So I’m sure the mayor won’t mind my disclosure that, following the success of the Bruce Eriksen musical, a similar production celebrating Mr. Sullivan’s early days in office is now in the works. Called, of course, Spamalot.

10 am: Arrive right on time at the Russian Hall. Dave, Mikal, Anna and Steve are milling about, but the door is still locked. So much for promptness!

10:05 am: Jay, our director, arrives along with Jason in his white pickup truck. The Russian Hall caretaker lets us in. Inside the hall, we get a first look at a bunch of the authentic bar furniture that will grace our set – including the bar itself. It’s certainly authentic-looking… and heavy.

On stage, the “drop” – the painted backdrop that was being painted on the floor of the Main Street studio – has arrived and is in place.

10:15 am: Jay talks to the assembled throng, and the “drop” is revealed to have a special feature: it’s on a roll! One side is visible during the first act, and during the break it’s “scrolled” around, revealing the other side.

10:30 am: The cast gathers in a circle for an “Italian run” of the entire show. An Italian run is where we run through the script as fast as we can, disregarding most any acting or inflection in place of sheer speed. It’s a good way to drill the dialogue and lyrics deeper into our brains. And there’s inevitably some good laughs to be had in the incongruously flat way we go through some of those lines and songs.

There’s even a little boot-rivalry between Anna and Danielle…! (I chose to remain scrupulously neutral.)

11:55 am: End of the Italian run – it took an hour and 25 minutes. (Later, the actual show will run 2 hours and 15 minutes, not counting the intermission.) A little break.

12:15 pm: Back into the circle for notes from Jay. I’m concerned about some unresolved issues around bringing of and taking off of props, so while Jay talks, I make this handy diagram:

[DIAGRAM PHOTO HERE]

1:20 pm: About an hour’s worth of notes and discussion, and now it’s lunch time – hooray! I join Steve, Mikal, Anna, Rebecca, Danielle and Dave for a ride to Sitar, a great Indian restaurant in Gastown. We arrive mere moments before a sudden downpour drenches the sidewalk outside… and tuck into a tasty Butter Chicken meal!

Steve reveals yet another arcane skill: naughty napkin origami! Or is it just a microphone…?

2:35 pm: Back to the Hall, I join Dave Campbell and zi paris and go over the revised new version of “The Mighty Roach” with musical director Bill Sample. He’s changed it so that, instead of almost all of it being sung in unison, each of us gets a verse to ourselves as a solo. It seems much better this way! Of course, this also means that much of the choreography we’ve worked out for “Roach” is now irrelevant. Anna to the rescue with some new moves!

3:30 pm: Our first-ever look at the roach costumes. Wow! More elaborate than I’d dare to imagine! Long cloak-style “wings” and hats outfitted with additional insect-y flaps and big bug-eyes. Very cool! Dave, our publicity man, took some photos of us.

3:45 pm: On stage, we start running Act II. I was pretty exhausted – and actually quite thirsty! – at this point… but there wasn’t time for a breather or a drink as I was suddenly called on stage to run through the big Harry Rankin dance number, “Action”. I gathered up what energy I had and had at it. We ended up doing this highly energetic, athletic, jumping-around number a total of three times. It was 5:35, I was well worn out… and glad to have a break.

5:45 pm: Back to running through the show – from the top of Act II right to the end. That meant of course another round of “Action”… which is getting better and better (as is the rest of the show) as we work out the fine details.

6:30 pm: Dinner! No need to scrounge for sustenance, as a stack of piping hot pizzas appeared as if by magic right there in our auditorium. They disappeared fast!

Jay’s wife arrived along with Bella, the friendly dog and unofficial show mascot. As the outside light faded and shadows grew deeper, a quieter, more low-key atmosphere settled in on the Russian Hall. Zi pulled out his guitar and expertly plucked out some beautiful melodies that echoed gently around the room.

Bella inspired some of us to follow her lead…

7:00 pm: A bunch of castmembers clustered around for a chatting and joking session. With Steve Maddock joining in, and young Maddy and Sylvan safely out of earshot, it was a virtual guarantee that the humour would not be for the faint of heart – or the prudish. Luckily that doesn’t seem to describe anyone involved in this production! I have to say, it was pretty riveting… and hilarious!

Others took the opportunity to catch a bit of well-earned rest…

7:30 – 10 pm: Back on stage for more running of random scenes, including the Roach song – which is looking really good considering how last-minute some of the choreography is! 

We certainly are all working together to create something special – pitching in with whatever needs doing. Zi is seen here helping to sweep the stage…

Finally, 10pm rolled around, and this long but productive day finally came to an end. We really do have a show – and in a matter of days, we’ll be presenting it to a real, live audience. I can hardly wait!

Here’s a fun way to support local theatre – with some great memorabilia from “Bruce, The Musical”! Yes, the Bruce, The Musical Online Store is now open. There, you’ll find everything from “Bruce” mugs, to  T-shirts and sweatshirts, to tote bags. And even trucker hats, just like Danny would wear!

Click here to visit the store!

Here’s a roundup of the (generally positive) reviews and a couple of background articles that ran in local papers.

Reviews

Vancouver Courier
“It may sound corny, but you could feel community pride in the air… amazing singers… the jazz is hot and cool.”

Georgia Straight
“…the music by Bill Sample and Earle Peach is excellent, and ranges all the way from a lovely spiritual, “The Tipping Point”, to the Chinese-inflected “Gold Mountain”… there are times when you can’t help but be affected by Eriksen’s—and this musical’s—demand that the poor be treated with respect.”

Vancouver Sun
“a very pleasant piece of pure propaganda… the singing of these simple tunes is so strong that the show sometimes soars. (It’s) a tribute to the hard-working people who are so often overlooked on what used to be disparagingly known as Skid Road. Taken with that grain of salt in mind, it’s actually quite a sweet experience.”

Articles

Crusty Activist’s Fight for the City’s Poor Worth Singing About
Vancouver Sun

Bruce Inspires More Than Community
The Province

For tickets, contact Theatre In the Raw at (604) 708-5448 or visit the Theatre in the Raw website where you can buy tickets via PayPal.

Want a taste of the music? Click below for a quick one-minute medley of songs from “Bruce”, as heard on our recent Co-op Radio appearance. If you have trouble with the link below, try this link. (The entire one-hour show can be heard here.)

Irish Musical Seeks Actors

My friend and fellow Applause! Musicals alumni Mary Clark has co-written a new musical, “Under the Hawthorn Tree” – and they’re looking for actors! They’re holding auditions on Wednesday, November 19th, at 7pm. This will be at First Lutheran Church, at East 42nd and Wales.

The show will run March 10 – 21 at the Havana Theatre. Auditions will consist of a cold read and singing songs from the show (which will be provided). Most roles have been cast but they are still looking for:

1 young woman (15 – 25)
1 boy (soprano, 10 -15)
1 young man (15 – 25)
1 woman (40 – 70, tall and/or slim)
1 man (40 – 70)

If you’re interested, please get in touch with them via e-mail at thetwomarys@gmail.com.

Here are some photos of Act I of “Bruce, The Musical” taken during the preview performance.

As well, a couple of reviews have come out, and they are mostly quite positive!  The Georgia Straight’s Colin Thomas said in his review:

“…the music by Bill Sample and Earle Peach is excellent, and ranges all the way from a lovely spiritual, ‘The Tipping Point’, to the Chinese-inflected ‘Gold Mountain’.”

“…its heart is in the right place, and there are times when you can’t help but be affected by Eriksen’s—and this musical’s—demand that the poor be treated with respect.”

Now on Flickr, you’ll find all my photos of “Bruce: The Musical”, arranged by category. Enjoy!

“Bruce: The Musical” Photo Collection

On Wednesday, October 29, I’ll be at the Carnegie Centre along with a bunch of cast members of “Bruce: The Musical” to sing a number from the show as part of the kickoff of the Heart of the City Festival.

We’ll be performing “These Are The Words,” the anthemic finale number in the show. Mikal Grant, who plays the Reporter in “Bruce”, will lead us in song.

This a free event which includes several other groups as well… and there’s even refreshments. It runs from 2:30 to 3:30. If you’re able to swing by, I’d love to see you!

Here’s full details about “Bruce: The Musical”.

Shown above: Anna Kuman, Danielle St. Pierre, and Steve Maddock as Jean Swanson, Libby Davies, and Bruce Eriksen in “Bruce: The Musical”.

I’ve posted some new photos of this past weekend’s rehearsal of BRUCE, THE MUSICAL! Click here for a slide show.