The Virgin Courtesan

Wow. It's incredible that so much time has passed since I thought I'd start this blog!

Well, in case you were wondering how our workshop production in the Next Wave Festival of Montreal went, suffice it to say it didn't. Here's how it went down:

The producer desperately wanted to work with a union cast so that his own production company would have greater professional credibility, and would be more eligible for grants and funds. So we auditioned professional actors, French and English, Equity and Ud'A affiliated as well as non-union talent, and we put together a fantastic company.

Weeks dragged on and the producer was reluctant to contact the talent to let them know they were cast. Eventually, I was getting calls and notes from some of those very actors wishing me luck with my project... these were actors cast in pivotal roles who thought they were being passed over! Anyway, a million unanswered questions and neglected details later, I was holding off my writing partner, Blair, from hunting down our producer to mount his head on a wall.

We had a long, tough talk and decided to walk away from the project. It was a very tough decision. I was holding on to the hope that this producer (not an evil person, just not a man cut out to be a producer!), unorganized as he was, might still be able to pull the funds together so that we could present our show with our great cast in the wonderful Gesu Theatre in Montreal... The reality, though, was that we were just starting to look bad ourselves by association. We had to bail from the Next Wave Festival, and I contacted the actors myself to thank them for their great auditions and inform them that the project wasn't a go.

I was very angry for awhile to hear that the "spin" was that Frayne wanted to hire all of his "Union Actor Friends", and there simply wasn't a budget to pay for what I was expecting. That made my blood boil... but I'm sure that anyone who knows me, or anyone who knows this producer, will figure out that this version of events is ridiculous.

But all of this was YEARS ago already! Writing about it makes it feel like it was just weeks ago.

Since that time, Blair and I have been slowly putting together a demo that we can be proud of. I think we are actually inching towards a veritable Concept Album!

Melanie Leblanc has lent her voice to our heroine, Brianna, and every recording she does is heartfelt and beautifully acted. Melanie... she is Brianna. Her work on the part has informed me a great deal on the character as I have revisited scenes and songs. She breathes life into the script with so much conviction.

Robert Marien, an old friend of mine since our sharing the stage in "Les Miserables" in 1991, is a Broadway, West End of London, and Paris musical theatre veteran, and he is dream-cast in the role of D'Este, our show's villain. I'm proud to say that I'm currently working on his show, "Le Petit Roy", which features an especially well-written libretto penned by Robert.

Patrick Olafson and Mike Melino, both fantastic tenors, are sharing the role of Mario for the recordings. A brilliant actor, Patrick started this little demo adventure with us, but as his own recording and performing schedule became more hectic, he was forced to take a step back. We were then so fortunate to have Italian singing sensation Mike express an interest in our project.

Lisa Forget... anyone who knows Lisa loves Lisa... is singing all kinds of stuff for our demo! I've known Lisa since "Les Miserables" as well, but we're probably best know as a team for appearing as the Shopping Mall Napoleon and Josephine when we did promo work for the musical "Napoleon" in Toronto. Lisa is one of the most versatile performers on the planet, and she is heartbreaking in her interpretation of "The Measure of a Man" sung by the character of Nina.

Caitlyn Milot and Ariane Gauthier are also generous contributors! These gals sing as Tavern Harlots for a lively comic number, and their performances were such discoveries! I mean these gals are sweetness and light in real life, but their characterizations are women you wouldn't want to mess with!

Rounding out our demo vocals are Blair and Myself. I sing the role of Angelo, the dashingly handsome young romantic hero... so it's a good thing it's just a vocal demo!

More news to come!
Take care!
Frayne